Black Diamond  First Light Hybrid Insulated Hoodie - Men's

First time I've bought a higher end mid-layer and I love it. I was looking into puffy jackets for their packability/weight but this is more durable and looks better and still packs pretty small. The front/arms are insulated while entire rear is has just merino. Makes for excellent breathability. Zippers and pockets are well made. I'll be pairing this with a rain shell when it gets windy/raining. Haven't been under 40 degrees in this jacket yet but will probably perfect for summiting/above freezing temps jacket.

The sleeves and length of the jacket are long, so it's great for tall guys. The waist is slim, but the chest is roomy, so it'll fit muscular guys well. I only use it for two weeks in freezing weather, it's great for medium intensity like hiking. Articulation is very good. The hood is not adjustable, and my climbing helmet fits pretty tight under it. One discrepancy I notice is the eco-repel vs nanosphere. The jacket has a tag that said the DWR is eco-repel, but text on the jacket said nanosphere. The website description and tech specs have the same discrepancy. I would warn short people against purchasing this piece, other than that, it a great peice.

Breathable, really great as an active layer, but they biffed a couple things. The chest pocket is always awkwardly pulled to the side, especially if there's an item in it. Lastly the stitching on the inside of the neck just recently blew up on me after barely 7months of use (some of which was summer with it in the closet). Overall it's overpriced for these things. Hopefully I just bought a lemon.

I was looking for a replacement for my discontinued Nano-air Hybrid hoody which was Nano =-air on the front and shoulders and R1 fleece on the back and under arms. This is almost a copy cat of that same jacket. This things I like more on this version is the wool backing over the fleece. I also like that the wool backing wraps around the wrist area. The areas for improvement is this one is significantly heavier. It is also much more roomy which has made me adjust my layering system as this one is more of an outer/just under a shell layer rather than right over the base layer. It is much warmer than the Patagonia. It all depends on what you are looking for on how much you will like this jacket as it is a quality garment.

This jacket fills the gap between hoody-weight jacket and warmer winter jacket. The wool is super light and breathable, but the warmth exceeds what you get from a hoody. Not was warm as a warmer winter jacket but would go well as a mid-layer. I have not tried this in wet weather yet. The outside is tough like a Dawn Patrol-type of fabric, so you know it would not get scraped up on rocks while climbing. And the fit is trim and athletic so no loose fabric. The only thing i did not like is the breast pocket. It is styled so that the zipper is hidden under a fold of fabric kind of like a pleat. So sometimes the pleat bulges out and looks out of place on the middle of your chest. Otherwise a great jacket. I'm 6'2" about 190 wearing a Large.

I bought this to replace a nearly worn out Patagonia Nano-air Hybrid that is similar to this with insulation on the top and front and fleece on the back/under. Direct comparison shows the Nano-air is lighter and more form fitting than the BD. The BD is slightly warmer and nicer looking for casual wear. My main complaint is the pocket zippers and the weird overlap on them that sometimes flips out and looks weird. Other than that it fits its description as a higher intensity jacket that works well on skin tracks and cycling/commuting.

Works great, not too hot and blocks most winds. Fairly light and feels comfy to wear while hiking or traveling

Got the First Light Hoody for my college son living in Portland. He needed to up his game and start to dress like an adult, so the First Light Hoody was the natural choice. Loves it! Light, warm, and keeps the light rain off as he moves from class to class. He travels quite a bit for his college job and coming home to Colorado and travel is a breeze! Can stow the First Light Hoody in his backpack and grab and go when needed.

I got this jacket to replace my Arcteryx Atom LT. Both of these jackets really deliver 90% of the time. I can wear it as a mid layer or by itself in almost any situation. I wore this jacket at the end of last season backcountry skiing. Then I wore it climbing Denali in May. I almost never took it off. On warm days it's all I needed. On -40 days it was part of the system and worked well. BUT, last week I wore it ice climbing in Hylite Canyon. It really didn't breath that well when really working hard. I wore it under a shell as it was 5F and by itself wasn't warm enough when climbing. I took the shell off after climbing and the jacket looked like it was raining. Many people at the crag pointed it out. Other than the fashion statement Im not sure it was really a big deal. I do get a lot of use out of this jacket and will continue to but just ordered another Arcteryx jacket to put back in the mix.

It’s not great against the rain and decent windy/cold conditions. That said it’s very comfortable and it doesnt keep you hostage to all that sweating when walking and hiking, as the sleeves use a different material then the torso that allows for it. I’ve always tucked my gloves under my sleeves at the wrist level and this jacket makes that super easy with some elastic bands at the cuffs.