Outdoor Research Ferrosi Hoody Review

This is great thin softshell and one of my most recent purchases. I had looked at getting a Montane Litespeed but this just ticked all the right boxes for me at least. Read on to find out why...

The Outdoor Research site describes the Ferrosi hoody as:

"...the ideal rock climbing soft shell hoody; durability against abrasive rock, high breathability and ample stretch for free-flowing movement."

One of the things I liked about the top was simply the good blend of colours! So if this is important to you, the Ferrosi has a great colour scheme and fits well with most outdoors and other casual clothing.

Sizing - this isn't a full-on athletic fit. It has a great cut but I'd advise that you don't need to go up a size if you do (say for example with Montane or Rab). In my experience, US brands are slightly larger than their British equivalents. Not to say it's too big at all as it fits very well but it's not a close-fit.

Overview of the front of the Ferrosi Hoody (kind of clashes with sheet behind, sorry!)

The top itself from top to bottom includes a basic hood - under-helmet - as it's not huge. But it certainly helps when the wind is up. The hood has two drawcords to help you keep it tight (it does look a bit ridiculous when on but who cares hey!)

Ferrosi hood, hood toggles, zip and drawcord

The zip up the front of the Ferrosi offsets at the top, so as you zip up the hood, the zip moves to the right of your neck so as not to catch as you do it up and this is a neat touch. Good to have a small drawcord on the zip too.

At the top left of the top is a small pocket which takes something like a small phone or something. The pocket is about 14cm in length and 11cm in width.

Pocket on the top left of the Ferrosi

At the bottom of the Ferrosi there is a single drawcord to adjust the hem which is a nice touch and of course helps keep the wind out or in !

Drawcord on hem of Ferrosi and zip from left hand pocket

The material is very stretchy and the main fabric is 86% ripstop nylon and 14% spandex. The shoulders / arms are 91% Cordura and 9% spandex. This adds up to a durable, stretchy and lightweight mix that is the perfect balance for a Summer top, a dragging top or even an around-town top. Weight is just 399g - not ultra-lightweight if that's what you need, but light and packable enough!

I wouldn't say the top is fully harness-compatible as the very useful zipped pockets on the left and right of the jacket come down quite a way towards the hem of the jacket. Inside the top (behind the main two pockets) there are another two mesh pockets, which is a fantastic touch from OE.

Sleeves - I have average sized arms as far as I know! On my medium, the sleeves are quite long and would extend beyond the ends of my fingers if allowed to. Another good reason to stay within your normal sizing for this top.

The top does shrug off a very light amount of rain but again if that's your need then get the Montane Litespeed. It is wind-resistant to some extent (again the Litespeed would be better here). But it's the balance for what I need and I'll wash in Tech Wash. I guess you could apply some kind of DWR too.

What the top does is strike the perfect balance of weight and durability (something I'd worry about with the Litespeed). I have no worries about scrambling and clambering around with the Ferrosi. If this all sounds good, go pick one up!