If there’s any brand geared towards performance, it’s Nike. And the Swoosh’s Dri-FIT Trail Running Hoodie is proof that hoodies can push your workouts to the next level just as much as they can make Me Time almost as good as a spa. The fabric is lightweight and breathable, but not flimsy, and because it’s Nike’s Dri-FIT material, it’ll wick away moisture to keep you dry even on your most brutal gym sessions. And if you prefer to take your workouts outdoors, you can rest assured that you’ll be protected from harmful UV rays.
While I prefer to have my personal belongings out of my pockets while running, I do appreciate that this hoodie includes a discrete zipper pocket to keep my phone, keys, and energy bars secure. Most hoodies that are designed for the gym look corny, IMO, so I also appreciate that Nike’s hoodie looks fairly classic, especially in heather gray and navy.
Best Cashmere Hoodie: J.Crew Cashmere Hoodie
Materials: 100% cashmere | Fabric Weight: N/A | Sizes: XS-2XL | Colors: Heather gray, navy
Calibrating your wardrobe for the WFH era is all about finding those Swiss Army garms that look and feel right in the widest possible range of situations. J.Crew’s hoodie fits that mold perfectly: the ultra-soft Mongolian cashmere is warm but refined like your best business casual sweaters, but it’s still, you know, a hoodie. Which means you can wear it on an important Zoom call with a client, out to the dog park for a little fresh air, and then cinch it up on the couch for a long night of The Crown without anyone ever blinking an eye.
By far, this is easily the most comfortable hoodie we tested. Is that a surprise though? The thing is made out of cashmere! If I were trying to take my lounging game to the major leagues, this would be the hoodie I’d wear. The fabric is lightweight, luscious, and as comforting as congee and a sitcom you’ve seen a million times.
Best Heavyweight Hoodie: Camber 232 Cross-Knit Heavyweight Sweatshirt
Materials: 100% cotton | Fabric Weight: 12 ounces | Sizes: S-6XLT | Colors: 11 colors
Camber’s shored up a sizable following over the decades, even with months-long lead times that have become par for the course. Though the patience required to get your own Camber hoodie certainly adds to the lore, the proof is in the hoodie. The custom-developed cross-knit fabric is incredibly dense and impressively durable (we’re talking decades-long-wear-durable).
Not only does Camber produce all of its hoodies in its Pennsylvania factory, the brand does it using US-made materials. Each piece is cut with obsessive craftsmanship by sewers who have been with the company for longer than most people have been at multiple companies. The cross-knit hoodie was originally built off the inspiration of the iconic Champion Reverse Weave hoodie, but time and customer enthusiasm has proven that it has far exceeded its muse. Are there heavier hoodies on this list? Yes. Are there any that do it better? No.
More Hoodies We Love
Gap Reissue Logo Zip Hoodie
Flint and Tinder 10-Year Pullover Hoodie
Lululemon License to Train Hoodie
Abercrombie & Fitch Essential Cropped Popover Hoodie
Carhartt Paxton Hooded Heavyweight Sweatshirt
Lady White Co. Super Weighted Hoodie
Your Hoodies FAQ, Answered
What makes a quality hoodie?
There are three basic tenants of a hoodie: soft, warm, durable. Higher up on Maslow’s Hoodie Hierarchy, a high quality hoodie should be made of fabric that’s dense enough to not see through and have flush, flatlock stitched seams, along with smooth, double-faced hoods that won’t rough up your hair. Self-actualized hoodies will use extremely rare loopwheel machines which are famed for their particular knitting style which uses the natural tension of gravity to knit a fabric that’s unparalleled density and softness. Additionally, loopwheel fabrics are knit without any side seams which makes them more durable and comfortable.
What fabrics should I look for?
If you’re after a really warm hoodie, it’s all about the fabric. The warmest hoodies will use thick, heavyweight fabrics which normally start at about 12 ounces, or 400 GSM, and go up from there. Oftentimes, warmer hoodies have a brushed interior which not only provides a lush handfeel, but also better insulation. For even better heat retention, some hoodies use a double-faced fabric, often with some kind of jersey or French terry for the exterior and a waffle-knit thermal fabric for the interior. But hoodies come in more materials than the usual cotton or cotton-poly French terry you’re used to seeing. Designers are crafting hoodies from all kind of materials like cashmere, wool, fleece, even super technical performance fabrics, each with their own unique properties and advantages. Regardless of the material, high-quality fabrics use long staple fibers which are both strong and smooth.
How much should a high-quality hoodie cost?
No matter your budget, there’s a good hoodie at every price point. We’ve been surprised by some very cheap hoodies and we’ve also been really disappointed by some expensive hoodies. It all depends on the brand and where they chose to either cut corners or pass the savings on to you. That said, we feel pretty confident that a really good-quality hoodie can cost around $40-$60. Both Uniqlo’s zip-up hoodie and Champion’s Reverse Weave hoodie sit in that range and are great examples of the kind of quality we look for in a hoodie.
How We Tested
To kick off the process, we enlisted a who’s who of GQ staffers to wear-test our contenders. Some of them have worked in retail, slinging clothes to the masses; others have toiled for small-batch menswear labels; all spend way too much time thinking about what hangs in their closets. We leaned on that collective experience to guide our search, culling a mix of household names, indie favorites, and the artisanal imprints on the bleeding-edge of the genre. Then we narrowed down the assortment to the picks that scored the highest across quality, fit, and price.
Our testers owned plenty of the picks on this list already, but a handful were totally new to us. So after several months of intense wear, we recorded our deeply scientific observations and rejiggered our selections accordingly. Based on those evaluations, we ran the numbers, collated the anecdotal evidence, and emerged with a list of what we believe to be the absolute best hoodies for men right now, from the tried-and-true stalwarts to the modern disruptors, the affordable beaters to the wildly expensive (but wildly worth-it) designer riffs.
Whatever your preferences, whatever your style, there’s bound to be a superlative version on this list for you. (Read more about GQ’s testing process here.)
