The Men’s Centrifuge Hoody in black
Company: Outdoor Research
Product: Men’s Centrifuge Hoody
Price: $180
Description:
We’re reintroducing the Centrifuge Jacket, with the same heart and soul of the original, but with light years of improvements. This classic, winter high-intensity training layer got bumped up to first class with two different weights of hybrid-mapped premium Polartec® Power Grid™ fabrics that enable you to dump heat where you need it, overlaid with a stretch waterproof breathable fabric on the front and shoulders, where snow and precipitation falls.
Features:
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Fabric Performance: Active Insulation, Water-Resistant, Wind-Resistant, Breathable, Hybrid Mapped Construction, Lightweight, Quick-Drying, Movement-Mirroring Stretch, Anti-Odor
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Design Features: Balaclava Style Hood, Zip Chest Pocket, Zip Hand Pockets, YKK® Vislon Zipper, Thumb Loops
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Functional Details: Dynamic Reach™ Underarm Panels, Single- Separating Center Front Zipper, Pocket Placement Above Harness, Knit Breather Panel, Elastic Drawcord Hem
Impressions:
It took a little while for this jacket to grow on me, but now that I’m used to it, the Centrifuge Hoody is one of my favorite outer layers. There were several elements I liked from the start, things that I always look for in a jacket, such as zippered side pockets, a high-quality full-zip front opening with a well designed and constructed storm flap, an adjustable waist cord, and generally top notch construction. But even the features that I was initially skeptical about proved to be very well designed and won me over too.
First of all, I have a love / hate relationship with hoods: I like the concept, but a lot of hoods don’t hang right when not in use, and bug me as they hit my neck or flop around. And many also don’t feel comfortable or fit well when worn. But the Centrifuge hood lies flat when not employed, and doesn’t move around or flap on the run. And it fits well when in use (although the neck and chin is very snug when the front of the jacket is fully zipped).
I also was a little dubious of the variety of fabrics and the assorted thicknesses at different areas of the jacket. The first couple times I wore it, I found myself instinctively tugging the back down because it felt like it was riding up, but I soon discovered that the sensation was just due to the thinner Polartec material at the lower back of the jacket. The Centrifuge Hoody is actually ingeniously and strategically constructed of differing thicknesses of Polartec, left exposed at the back and at the bottom of the sleeves, and covered in water resistant material in the front and on the upper surface of the sleeves. This design results in keeping one dry in light to moderate rain, while remaining cool and comfortable. On the run, the Centrifuge feels perfectly balanced between protection from the weather and unobtrusive tailoring, light weight, and breathability.
Other great features include a zippered chest pocket, nicely designed reinforced thumb holes at the cuffs, and all-around high quality workmanship. My Centrifuge Hoody is black, and should be accented with reflective elements if you plan to run in low light conditions. The Centrifuge Hoody is also available in “Glacier/Baltic” (light blue) and “Lemongrass/Pewter” (yellow-green). Slightly unconventional, the Outdoor Research Centrifuge Hoody is a well thought out and very well made jacket that any Northwest runner would make frequent use of.
