As winter practical pieces for winter outdoor activities and daily warmth, fleece jackets have become the primary choice for consumers due to their unique polyester fleece craftsmanship, which is lightweight, easy to carry, and their warm and breathable core values. The windproof fleece jackets make them perfect for many outdoor scenarios, like hiking and camping. Meanwhile, with great wear resistance and easy care, fleece jackets do have cons like pilling, and are prone to causing static electricity. Today, we, Aung Crown, a professional custom hats and apparel maker, will share fleece jackets with the basic details (like pros and cons) and caring ways, and how to choose a fleece jacket, to achieve their best values.

What Are Fleece Jackets?

Fleece jackets mainly mean outfits that are made from polyester. In China, people like to call it “plush” or “fleece”, which is the main fabric for winter outdoor thermal clothing. Fleece is a super thin chemical fiber that is processed into wool yarns, woven into fabrics, then brushed with metal wires to raise the bulky pile, followed by shearing the surface with a machine resembling a lawnmower.

Fleece jackets can be generally divided into windproof fleece jackets and thermal fleece jackets. Usually, the windproof function of fleece jackets is due to the windproof air layer to achieve this function which depends on the sticking layer between the two layers of fleece. Thermal fleece jackets are mainly made from single fleece fabric that is woven or stitched. This type of fleece is main chemical fibers, which is widely applied to outdoor apparel.

Pros of Fleece Jackets

1. Excellent Warmth: Fleece jackets provide excellent warmth due to the fleece and bulky fleece in a very low temperature environment.
2. Light in Weight: Fleece fabrics are very lightweight, cozy, and easy to carry, making them perfect for any outdoor activity.
3. Great in Breathability: Even under high-intensity sports activities, fleece jackets promote rapid sweat evaporation to keep you dry and comfortable, when doing sports.
4. Excellent in Wear Resistance: Fleeces have a very fine and smooth texture. Also, fleece is very good for wear. Therefore, fleece jackets have a long life span, which makes them worth every dollar you pay for them.
5. Easy to Maintain: Moreover, fleece is very lightweight and easy to carry. Fleece jackets are also very easy to maintain. When fleece jackets are not worn, they can be balled and tossed into a backpack.

Cons of Fleece Jackets

1. Prone to Pilling: Pilling is the commonality of fleece-made items. The manufacturing of fleece involves raising and trimming the fabric surface after weaving, causing short fibers to fluff up on the surface. So, while wearing, friction causes these short fibers protruding from the fabric surface to naturally tangle and knot, resulting in pilling.
2. Easy to Cause Static Electricity: Fleece can lead to lots of static electricity, which is very easy to get hair or dust on. In fact, most pure chemical fabrics cause static electricity, so fleece apparel does. Currently, fleece jackets that don’t cause static electricity are processed the treatment of anti-static treatment.
3. Prone to Retaining Odors: Fleece jackets are prone to absorbing smells from the air, and smells permeate the surface of fleece jackets to make them smelly.
4. Poor Light Resistance: Fleece jackets are pretty poor at light resistance. So, please pay attention to fleece jackets when washing and ironing to avoid deformation. Please note that fleece jackets cannot be exposed to sunlight.

Fleece Jackets and Other Winter Jackets: Which is Warmer?

• Fleece jackets and polar fleece jackets

Generally speaking, polar fleece is warmer than fleece because fleece is also warm, but fleece is more airy than polar fleece. Composed of cotton, polar fleece is better in warmth and wind resistance than fleece jackets. Generally, polar fleece jackets are nice for the late autumn and the early winter; fleece jackets are much more suitable for the early fall and late fall.

• Down jackets and fleece jackets

To be honest, fleece jackets are warm and skin-friendly, which are commonly used as intimate outfits – cozy and comfortable. In the cold winter, fleece jackets are poorer than down jackets in warmth, and are heavier than down jackets in weight, which can make the whole look bloated. Down jackets are lightweight and super warm, which is pretty and practical in the chill winter and cold weather.

• Fleece jacket and cashmere shirts

In contrast to cashmere shirts, fleece jackets are heavier and warmer than cashmere shirts in the same weight, and much cheaper than cashmere shirts.

How to Choose a Fleece Jacket?

• Fabrics: Commonly, there are two types of fleece jackets: polar fleece jackets and coral fleece jackets. Coral fleece is better at windproofing; therefore, most coral fleece is windproof. Polar fleece is warm and fluffy with great bounce, which can be used to make warm fleece jackets.
• Craftsmanship: Please check stitch sewing is bad or good, tidy or not, and sewing threads are hidden or not. Also, check the color to see even or not, and if the zipper is smooth or not.
• Premium Quality: Commonly, high-quality fleeces are bouncy and soft and warm to the touch, and light to hold in the hands. After washing, high-quality fleece jackets won’t pill, shed, or lose their softness. Moreover, better brands will do the anti-static electricity treatment before selling.
• Styles: Well-designed fleece jackets are typically tailored to the contours of the human body. Some tailors are slightly longer at the back to protect the back from exploring to the air during climbing activities. Standing-up collar fleece jackets not only can protect your chins from cold, but are also windproof.

Selecting Close-fitting or Loose Fleece Jackets

The fleece jackets should not be too snug or too baggy… Too-snug fleece jackets are restrictive. If fleece jackets are too baggy, the inner void space will lower the warmth by allowing air currents to transfer heat away from your body. It is best to choose fleece jackets that do not restrict your arm movement.

Washing and Caring for Fleece Jackets

Of course, the ideal method of washing fleece jackets is hand washing, but also the most time-consuming one, so if you don’t want to do so, you can also machine wash them, but they do recommend hand washing. To do so, you should first grab a washing bag to minimize friction, which can cause fleece fabric to pill and shed. After washing, do not dry in the sun, and air dry in the shade.

In the End

The functions and comfort of fleece jackets are irreplaceable in cold weather and seasons, particularly in the fall and winter seasons. No matter whether for outdoor challenges or daily wear, after knowing their warmth, light weight, and easy storage, and following the washing and caring rules, fleece jackets can reduce pilling, shredding, and the issues of causing static electricity to make them stay longer.