Paramo Enduro Fleece Review 2023

An excellent all mountain fleece cut for technical mountaineering ascents. Coupled with the Enduro Windproof Jacket it offers outstanding performance in UK type conditions.

Pros

• Duology system is excellent for UK mountain environments
• Good windproof abilities
• Performance cut for climbing and mountaineering

Cons

• Chest pocket too small
• Can feel a little hot on active activities.

UK and Scandinavian mountain conditions vary wildly throughout the year. The warm (generally) damp climate can throw real curveballs at you when you have planned an activity based on weather forecast for it to totally different – this is especially true in the mountains. ‘Four seasons in a day’ is surprisingly common, especially in spring and autumn. Even in summer you will often encounter showery conditions even though the forecast was for dry all day – versatility is the key for clothing choices in the UK mountains.

The Paramo Duology system is designed specifically for those activities where you expect to be moving all day and require a versatile system that is lightweight and weather resistant. Think a high level mountain climb/scramble where two thirds of the way up you begin to see dark clouds looming on the horizon and you need an extra layer to pull out of the top pocket of your pack that will see you back to the car.

The Paramo Enduro Fleece is one part of the Enduro system, it’s a put on and stay on mid layer that is perfect for warmer conditions from spring through to autumn. On colder days it can be teamed up with a merino or other type of base layer and on warmer days a lightweight mesh t-shirt. It’s even soft enough to be worn next to skin as the Nikwax Duology fleece is super soft to the touch.   

Here the Enduro Fleece is coupled with the Enduro Windproof to provide an effective system for cold climbing days. You can see the hood working well under a climbing helmet.

The Duology fleece is tightly woven to provide a wind resistant barrier and treated with a Nikwax DWR treatment to keep a light shower at bay so if you are leading that tricky technical rock section and a shower hits you it should keep you reasonably dry until you can get to a stance and don an extra layer. The Enduro fleece can be retreated with Nikwax TX Direct. The fleece will dry very quickly but the treatment will improve if you can pop it in a tumble drier (just don’t look at the smart meter like a casino slot machine) or a radiator. My suggestion would be an annual ‘service’ where in early spring you wash and treat your Paramo kit as you are likely to still have the heating on. The Enduro fleece did shed light rain well enough to keep me reasonably comfortable in typically drizzly spring conditions and the weave was certainly tight enough to deflect wind so I stayed warm. The combination of the Enduro Fleece and Windproof jacket was outstanding in windy conditions and has quickly become my go to set of clothing. I also used the fleece with my Paramo Alta III on very cold days and it worked superbly.

The Enduro Fleece is fully featured for mountain use. The cut is very much performance and the size Medium I tested was closely fitting. I am a 40” chest (UK size) so I vary between a medium and large, one of the reasons I’m such a Paramo fan is the sizing works really well for my body shape. The cut worked very well in climbing situations when wearing climbing equipment such as harness and helmet. The length is a little long so I found myself catching carabiner noses on it at times but you have to remember that versatility is key for this system and you can be just as easily hiking in it as climbing where that extra length can provide a surprising amount of warmth in your back. The arms were also a little long for me but then that is always the case (I’m generally a short when buying clothes) and I have an excellent alterations shop at the top of the road so I will explore altering those. The wrists are semi-elasticated and designed to be pulled up around the forearms for climbing or active ascents.

Really good cut for climbing as well as features such as harness friendly pocket locations. Early season sport climbing. Stoney West, Peak District.

The Paramo Enduro Fleece has a well designed hood that has a hook and loop adjuster on the back. This worked well, I adjusted for fit when I first tried it on and haven’t had to readjust when either wearing it under a climbing helmet or over a cap. The mesh trim on the inside helps with wicking away forehead sweat. The fleece also enjoys three well placed pockets, all three are zipped and super flush with the rest of the jacket – a really nice feature. The hand warmer pockets are placed quite high in keeping with the climbing theme and are placed to be accessed using the Enduro Wind Jacket so easily accessible when using a climbing harness or pack waist belt. The chest pocket was a little too small for me – I don’t own a large phone (I use an iPhone SE 2020) but having cracked the screen more times that I care to admit I always use a full cover for it. I could not fit the phone into the pocket. Can with no cover but any larger phone is going to struggle. This isn’t too big a deal because the hard warmer pockets will easily accommodate – but I did find it annoying and just for the sake of extending the zip my an inch or two. The pockets are mesh lined to help with ventilation if needed.

The Enduro Fleece also worked well with other Paramo systems such as the Alto III shown here on a very cold and windy day in the Yorkshire Dales. The hood will fit over a cap or hat really well.

The full length body YKK zip comes with a storm flap and works well. It’s flexible enough not to interfere with the soft feeling nature of the jacket. Finally there is a reflective logo to help locate it in those early morning hut/tent searches.

The Enduro Fleece is a great mid layer fleece suitable for a variety of mountain activities from hiking through to alpine and rock climbing. It is well featured and perfectly designed for climbing. The Duology system is outstanding and pairing the fleece up with the Enduro Windproof Jacket is well worth the investment. 

In 2022 the company has become an international employee owned trust by joining with the Miquelina Foundation and bringing 150 of the Colombian women workers into the fold. To be honest if Páramo were a public company they would top any list in an ESG Investment portfolio and I’m surprised they haven’t applied for B Corp certification, they certainly deserve it. You should all note that the Paramo system is designed to be easily repairable so no Gore-Tex patches or buying new seam tape needed, as long as you look after it and service it regularly it should stay faithful for a lifetime. If a repair is needed then full details of that can be found on the Paramo website.

The Paramo Enduro Fleece Jacket is available in two colour options and comes in sizes S – XXL.

There is also a female specific version of the system (called the Ventura) which comes in one colour option (Navy) and sizes XS-XL.

The SRP is £150 and it can be purchased direct from Paramo UK and specialist retailers.

Disclaimer – CGR reviewers and writers are never paid to provide a review and the website does not take advertising or link to affiliate sales. We are a bunch of keen climbers and travellers that accept sample products and offer an honest and independent review of the item. The reviewer will often keep the sample after reviewing it for both hygiene and safety reasons and more often it’s in no fit state to return!