Posted by 
The Jomsom Hoodie is a versatile simple full zip lightweight hoodie made from a non-technical polyester fleece.
Features wise it has zippered hand warmer pockets, the right hand one contains a neat ‘media port’ allowing you to run your earphone cable internally up to the neck where a small tape loop/tab further secures them.
Thumb loops provide a bit of additional hand warmth if you’ve forgotten your gloves or to close up that annoying wrist gap that can occur when wearing short cuff gloves, however with the thumb loops deployed I did find the sleeves a little tight for reaching above my head. A simple elasticated hood which leans more toward the technical ‘scuba’ close fit style finishes things off. The 100 weight fleece fabric itself is printed with a motif taken from Nepalese temple doors and is very soft and comfortable, dries quickly after a wash (or soaking in summer showers) and provides just the right amount of warmth for summer belaying or chilling between boulders. The usual nice Sherpa touches are there with the prayer flag braiding on the inside of the collar and the embroidered ‘endless knot’ between the shoulder blades.
In Use
I’ve used the Jomsom Hoodie for general casual wear, traveling to the Alps and out on the local gritstone. It is easy to stuff into a corner of your crag bag or carry-on luggage but provides welcome warmth when the sun dips down.
One issue I did come across was that the fleece tends to catch on rough surfaces quite easily. Donning the Jomsom Hoodie prior to a late evening traverse at Caley I found myself almost ‘velcro-ed’ to the rock – this maybe a plus or a minus depending on your situation at the time! Unfortunately this does mean the Jomsom has a tendency to pill. The more I used the Jomsom Hoodie the more I felt it suffered a slight identity crisis. The ‘scuba’ hood and thumb loops point toward a more technical garment but the fabric and media port features suggest casual use. To be fair Sherpa do not suggest it as a technical garment but that being the case my personal preference would be for a more voluminous hood – more ‘Star Wars Emperor’ than the current scuba style this would allow you to hide away a bit on the bus/plane/train when travelling and get some shut eye or do a bit of a monk impression between redpoints or attempts on your latest bouldering project 😉 Overall whilst not a technical climbing piece it makes for a very versatile casual hoodie that takes up little room in the pack and is very competitively priced – just don’t go bouldering on the grit in it!
Pros
- Great price
- Versatile
- Supports Sherpa comunities
Cons
- Slight identity crisis
- Catches/pills easily
RRP £50.00
Ri
chie is the enthusiastic amateur of the team. Enjoying all aspects of climbing but especially alpine, winter and his local grit . Having managed to survive the vagaries of both fluorescent Koflachs and rainbow tights in the 80s he looks forward to an even more stylish future. A shady past in mountain marathons and adventure races, including the Marathon des Sables, means he’s an advocate of fast and light. Though the former is debatable if you’ve seen him on a tricky lead!
Climbing Gear Reviews 