Magpul Men's Light Insulated Hoody

I love Magpul parts and mags, but their foray into the clothing field is a... well, it’s just “meh”. I’ll start with the short list— which, sadly, would be the “pros” of this thing. For a little background, my outdoor gear consists of stuff from Outdoor Research, The North Face, Patagonia, Mountains Hardware, etc., so I feel that it’s a fair comparison if Magpul is gonna call this stuff outdoor-worthy.Pros: They use Primaloft Gold, a very good synthetic insulator. It works even if it gets wet, unlike down, and it’s hypoallergenic. It compresses well, meaning you can pack a decently warm jacket for cooler days without taking up a ton of room. The pockets are lined on the knuckle side with flannel-like material, nice for keeping the back of your hands warm. The insulation is on the body side of the pockets, so if they’re open, you won’t get too much of a chill coming through. Also, despite being from Magpul, it’s a pretty low-key design that doesn’t scream “I’m a CCW holder”. The logo on the jacket is subdued on mine (orange on orange), and someone glancing at it would think it’s a Half Life logo or the flux capacitor from Back to the Future. The fabric is DWR coated and feels decently made, tightly woven as to not snag on Velcro or brush in the outdoors. It still feels soft though, so you don’t feel like you’re wearing a 1000D Cordura bag! It’s a very nice looking piece of kit. Finally, the zippers are installed with the backing side outward— so instead of the coils being visible and exposed to sand & dirt, they’re somewhat protected from stuff getting in there to jam them up. This also cuts down on a little wind making its way in.Cons: First big one is the sizing. I am 5’11”, 188 pounds. I wear a L shirt and 33” x 30” pants. Their L was too small, feeling like a M-L instead. It was tight around the biceps and shoulders, especially with both hands forward (like you’re shooting). The XL was perfect, allowing me to wear a long sleeve shirt under it and leaving enough room for a full range of motion. C’mon a Magpul, what if all your midlength handguards were labeled rifle length? Wouldn’t fly. Another huge con is the lack of features. I don’t mean tactical stuff like the 5.11Insulator jacket, I’m talking about what outdoor wear normally has! This thing only has two pockets, so a waist belt from your backpack will get in the way. The cuffs and skirt of the jacket have no elastic, Velcro, or cinch to pull them closed— so drafts can make their way up the jacket and sleeves on windy days. Sorta basic for an outdoor jacket, yet missing here. I’d say this jacket would be in competition with the Patagonia NanoPuff Hoody or The North Face Thermoball Hoodie, yet both of those have cuffs & hems that can seal wind out and internal pockets to stow ski passes, phones, and passports. Also, the hood isn’t adjustable, so if you luck out and it sits perfectly over you head (or hat/helmet), then yay for you. The hood zips up fairly well, and while it lacks the fleece-like material inside the top to shield the zipper pull, the liner material is comfortable enough as-is. For me, turning my head side to side with the hood on is a bit uncomfortable because it holds on to me, but insuppose that’s better than it being so big that I look like an angry cobra. Speaking of zippers, these don’t feel especially sturdy. They’re marked Talon, and feel a little rough. Two of the four jackets I bought had a pocket zipper jammed all the way in the up position, requiring a lot of work to free it. Also, the interior storm flap is a bit narrow and readily gets caught up in the pull. The pocket zippers have small tabs and nothing on them to grip as opposed to the long tail the main zipper has. An apples-to-apples comparison would probably be 5.11’s Insulator jacket against the Magpul Light Insulated Jacket (basically this hoody without the hoody)— and the 5.11 has all the features you’d expect from a decent outdoor maker plus a few tacticool ones, like interior pocket zippers that allow you to access your weapon through the jacket. You can even cinch the hem through the pockets, keeping your paws warm.tl;dr- It’s a nice-looking jacket with zero tactical features, sadly doesn’t stack with the competition. Want a low profile outdoor insulated jacket, go TNF or Patagonia. Want a tactical one, go 5.11. The new 5.11 Insulator uses Primaloft And has all the things you’d expect for an outdoor jacket.