Workwear for women? Specifically: a hoodie.

September 25, 2021 2:49 PM

I'm looking for a sturdy hoodie for my outdoor job. What are some companies to be looking at? My usually beloved Duluth has let me down in my quest for the perfect hoodie, and Dickies and Carhartt seem more about fashion than functional clothing.

I don't want to get a hoodie that's "unisex," but I also don't want it to be fitted like all the women's hiking gear is. Just a normal hoodie: durable, practical, in colors other than heather grey, without big logos. I'm in the US. I will happily pay more for union made.

posted by The corpse in the library to Shopping (22 answers total)

I got this one from Lands End, and it did the trick for me. I think it's unisex, but it fits me like I expect a hoodie to fit.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 2:57 PM on September 25, 2021

Oh, important: it needs to be full-zip. And Tall sizes would be nice but not essential.
posted by The corpse in the library at 2:58 PM on September 25, 2021

Okay, let me evangelize merino wool for all your needs! About a decade ago I got a merino and nylon-blend hoodie from Black Diamond, a company that makes rock climbing and outdoors gear. It was a men's small or XS, cut like a regular no-frills Hanes hoodie, but with much thicker, sturdier material (and I bought it because it was on sale as a close-out for $50, which was about the most I could spend on clothes back then). I've worn it most days nearly every winter since, and it's showing a little bit of pilling on the underside of the forearms, but otherwise it's in near-perfect condition. It helps that the material is a double-knit with the nylon on the outside and the merino on the inside.

It doesn't look like Black Diamond sells the same hoodies anymore, but they do have a few merino outerwear items (including this men's hoodie), and in my experience merino is worth its weight in gold.

I've also had stellar luck with Icebreaker merino clothes and recommend them highly. (Here's a link to Icebreaker's women's hoodies, though there are some sweaters and "cute" sweatshirts mixed in there.)

I recommend buying from REI if you're unsure about spending this much on a single item of clothing since they have a great return policy—you can actually wear something for a month or two to see if it works. (Here's an Icebreaker hoodie from REI.) You can also find affordable things from Icebreaker during their End of Season sales, all of which is fully returnable. (Their "Final Sale" items usually aren't though, so double check.) For what it's worth, Smartwool now makes athleisure trash that falls apart after a single season, so don't waste your money (the only possible exception being returnable closeout items from REI or deeply discounted stuff off the used gear rack at REI—which will not be returnable but may be lightly used; still, look up reviews of the garment if it's Smartwool).

Form-fitting merino hoodies won't restrict your range of movement at all. That said, the material does tend to be a bit thinner than cotton, so if you're looking for a hoodie that won't emphasize a lumpy midriff, etc, make sure to get one that's both heavier outer-weight material (which many will be, but it's worth checking), and that's not cut too form-fitting (like this one, which is more my style than many of the others in that Icebreaker link).
posted by knucklebones at 3:24 PM on September 25, 2021

More merino evangelism in what should be a sweatshirts recommendation thread! Merino almost never smells, barely wrinkles, and you can typically wear a merino item 10-20 times before needing to wash it unless you spill mustard down the front of your shirt. (Caveat: I only wear black outerlayers, so YMMV with pale colors.) It's wicking, so it works great as an underlayer when you'll be exerting yourself. It's also hydrophobic; a merino hoodie will keep you mostly dry in the rain, and will still have insulating properties when damp (merino socks also won't give you blisters when wet).
posted by knucklebones at 3:31 PM on September 25, 2021

Can marino be machine washed and dried? My workplace is dirty.
posted by The corpse in the library at 3:37 PM on September 25, 2021

Yes! All the merino things I own can be washed in warm water and tumble dried. (I usually wash in cold and hang to dry, but it's not actually necessary.) Just about all merino in hoodie form or similar, i.e. anything that isn't a cocktail party outfit, has been pre-treated to prevent shrinkage and allow you to use & wash it in normal ways.
posted by knucklebones at 3:54 PM on September 25, 2021

American Giant hoodies are the go-to in my household if you haven't already been sold on merino. They are well made and high quality.
posted by potrzebie at 4:32 PM on September 25, 2021

I can’t speak for them personally but I’ve seen a lot of ads for American Giant hoodies, and they seem like they might be a good fit?
posted by obfuscation at 4:32 PM on September 25, 2021

American Giant, merino, and REI hoodies all seem to be form-fitting. I want one that fits like a standard men's hoodie fits a standard man, but that will fit me, a standard (albeit tall) woman. Practical, washable, sturdy, outdoor workwear.
posted by The corpse in the library at 4:41 PM on September 25, 2021

I'm sure it's more than you want to spend, and while it's in a colour that isn't one of the ones you didn't want, I'm kind of guessing that it won't meet your aesthetic needs, but it is workwear, and it's designed for women by women and with safety in mind: Covergalls hoodie.
posted by sardonyx at 5:11 PM on September 25, 2021

Would the Carhartt ladies’ relaxed fit work?
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 5:14 PM on September 25, 2021

This is Carhartt but I (female) have worn it pretty much daily for more than a year and it’s still going strong. Caveat - I have a desk job, not an outdoor job. But I think last winter I wore it for walks outside down to maybe 45 degrees before putting on something heavier, and they have warmer ones.
posted by 2 cats in the yard at 5:26 PM on September 25, 2021

I can't vouch directly for the hoodies, but I own a couple pairs of Dovetail Workwear pants and they are of a quality with men's workwear but made to fit a female body type, and they're great. The hoodie comes in a nice blue.
posted by euphoria066 at 5:31 PM on September 25, 2021

Patagonia maybe?
posted by Crystalinne at 6:24 PM on September 25, 2021

I want one that fits like a standard men's hoodie fits a standard man, but that will fit me, a standard (albeit tall) woman.

Mostly seeing the style you're seeking in "unisex" sizing. TheUnionShop.org zipper hoodies, range of colors and (unisex) sizes (incl. tall). At Unionlabel.com, Zipper Hooded Sweatshirt, union-made in USA; Insulated Artic thermo Zip Hoodie (tall sizes; made in the USA, not union-made); King Louie; allseasonsuniforms.com, Bayside Full-Zip Hooded Sweatshirt (made in USA, though Bayside has other union-made, non-zippered fleece).
posted by Iris Gambol at 7:24 PM on September 25, 2021

A woodworker I enjoy on YouTube recently had a sponsored segment advertising some work wear from a company called Ariat. It was of course a sponsored segment, but she did seem to be happy with the workwear she was wearing. I have no experience with them (and definitely no experience with their women's line) but I remember thinking it did actually look pretty comfortable. I think she's wearing both t-shirts and sweatshirts from them in the video if you want to get a sense of the style.
posted by biogeo at 8:19 PM on September 25, 2021

This is probably not really the answer you're looking for, but IME working an often-outside, often-dirty, often-hard-physical-labor job, hoodies just . . . aren't really durable.

Don't get me wrong, I wear them ALL the time from, well, now through April or May, but even with the supposedly more workwear brands like Duluth and Carhartt, the material is just intrinsically soft, easy to catch on things and wear holes in fairly quickly. It helps to wear a more durable layer over them, I have a couple of Carhartt jackets in different weights that have taken years of abuse and keep the hoodies from crapping out too quickly, but sometimes it's just too warm to layer up.

Mostly I just kinda resign myself to hoodies being sort of disposable, like T shirts and underwear, and buy a couple of whatever's on sale @ Target or Kohl's or the Amazon basics every couple of years when I notice that some of my hoodies are looking too ragged. I probably have about 7 or 8 in regular rotation in any given year.

(Although, I dunno, I might be really rough on clothing.)
posted by soundguy99 at 10:21 PM on September 25, 2021

Hooded, zippered sweatshirts at Tractor Supply.

posted by Iris Gambol at 10:34 PM on September 25, 2021

Do you have a farm supply store nearby like TSC or Rural King? They always have a ton of functional workwear for men and women.
posted by Jess the Mess at 9:22 AM on September 26, 2021

American Giant's heavyweight hoodie is the best hoodie I've ever owned. Made in USA, not sure about union. I've owned a lot of hoodies and AG is worth the premium.
posted by bradbane at 11:50 AM on September 26, 2021

I'd heard good things about American Giant (which offers cotton fleece, and merino), and in looking at their website now I see what The corpse in the library means about the "form-fitting" slim-cut shaping, esp. through the torso, for both men's and women's zippered hoodies. Under sizing info for the classic full zip, the company recommends "sizing up for more relaxed fit."

If these hoodies otherwise appeal, check the size charts; that "classic full zip" ("Reinforced elbow patches and double-lined hood") is offered in a few colors, with men's version "35 3/4" center back sleeve length (measured from medium)" and women's version as "33 3/4" center back sleeve length (measured from medium)." Men's merino hoodie is "regular fit, slight ease" with a 35" center back sleeve length; women's merino hoodie is "regular fit" with a 34 1/2" center back sleeve length. I think the company would provide more measurements, as even their "regular fit" and "relaxed fit, extra ease" hoodies look shaped through the torso. Sizing up might get the fit and length you'd like, in a durable product.
posted by Iris Gambol at 12:26 PM on September 26, 2021

I guess Duluth saw my complaining, because they came out with a great hoodie: the Women's 40 Grit Full Zip. But thank you for all these suggestions; I'm going to try them out.
posted by The corpse in the library at 3:58 PM on April 18, 2022