Stio Second Light Alpha Jacket

Field Notes: The most demanding activities demand the highest performing gear. Whether you’re moving quick on an early morning trail run or ripping singletrack during foliage season, you need an outer layer that works as hard as you do that won’t weigh you down. Enter the Stio Second Light Alpha Jacket. This outer layer hooded jacket is feathery light, as comfy as cotton and loaded up with all the technical chops to be your go-to hoody for nearly all outdoor conditions and activities. What sets this apart from other hoodies is the breathable Polartec Alpha insulation. The technology allows heat and moisture to escape while providing enough retention to lock in warmth, making it ideal for fast paced cool weather activities. As if all this wasn’t enough, this Stio hooded jacket is reversible with a stretch nylon interior treated with a durable water repellent to shrug off light rains. Inside out and you have a rain shell that will tackle all but torrential downpours.

Pros: The Second Light tips the scales at only 12 ounces, offering a superior warmth-to-weight ratio and unparalleled packability among the hoodies we tested. In addition, its low profile is easily layered underneath a shell making it ideal for winter sports. 

Cons: It’s hard to find anything wrong with this hoodie, but taller gents, as one tester was, might wish there was another inch or two in the sleeve length and torso.

Tester Comments: “A jacket for hiking, everyday wear, and cool-weather activities. Stio made a versatile, tech-packed hoody that has become my favorite for every activity. Its top quality material and construction means it will be part of my adventures for years to come.”

Key Attribute: Versatility