Mountain Hardwear Zoria AirShield Core Jacket - Fleece (For Women)

I bought this as an everyday jacket, but also to use hiking. I'm 5'5" and 137 pounds, but I work out a lot and have an athletic build, I wear a size 4 jeans, a small in most tops. I bought the size M, and have room to wear a sweatshirt under if I wanted to. I could have gone with a size S if I knew that I was just going to wear it over a T shirt or athletic top. The arms on this are LONG (end of the regular cuffs hit 3" past my wrist when my arm is outstretched), but the thumb holes are placed correctly). So it would be perfect for it's intended use, reaching and climbing, but it's a bit long for everday use. I don't have a problem with it though. Would also be nice for those taller women looking for slightly longer sleeves. The thumb holes are stretchy, but you don't need to use them at all. Appreciate the fitted look to it, it's a stylish jacket. All in all a nice jacket.

I spent the last year looking for a replacement for my first Mountain Hardwear fleece, which endured over 6 years of daily use. All other fleeces I saw were not of the same quality as the one I had prior, so when I saw this one I had to have it. The sleeves were pretty short on my first one (though I do have long arms), but this one is perfect. The extra bit with thumb hole extends the sleeve length so it fits me, but they could easily be folded back for someone with shorter arms. I intend to wear this jacket every day as needed. I even had to sleep in it last week for several nights and it wasn't uncomfortable even then. The only recommendation I would make is to have it produced in America, or at least not [*]!

I purchased this fleece to go hiking and I really wanted to like it.. but found there are several aspects of this jacket that I simply dislike. 1. stiff fabric: For a fleece, it's just really stiff. There's a layer of something.. maybe it's to keep out wind.. But there are other wind resistant fleeces out there that doesn't have this attribute. 2. Odd sleeves. The sleeve is mostly made of the same material as the body, but if you look closely around the wrists, it's this lighter material. The transition is also a bit odd. Instead of a even seam, the heavier material kind of drapes on top (similar to a clam, or an almond) It just looks really weird.. and left my wrists cold. 3. Thin hood. The hood is made of the same material as the wrists, and it's just not as warm as the body. The reason why I wanted a hood on a fleece in the first place is to protect my head from rain and for warmth. Having a thin, stretchy hood that looks odd on a thick fleece jacket was also weird. I returned this item.

All around great fleece for around town, layering, or alone on the trail on a windy day.