The problem I have is that their commercials keep telling me to get one and get rid of my layers. NO NO NO NO Not getting rid of my layers. Also, I bought one similar to the baerskin from amazon for less than $50 and the only difference is I don't have the inside pockets. Even has the same cuff closer. Think I will stick to what I have and get more wool so I can have my layers and actually stay warm.
I had already purchased one. Blackie's review certainly confirmed my feelings about it. It now rides in my Forester as part of my just-in-case gear, replacing an earlier hoodie that was nearly worn out.
Judging by online reviews, this hoodie ranges at about the 4 star mark. I have something similar .. the 'Särma' Brand Fleece Hoodie from Varusteleka. Had it about four years now and am very happy with it. Performs well in our Northern Swiss Winters. Together with the Särma Windproof Smock, below freezing conditions are no problem. Fleece vs Wool? Each has their advantages and disadvantages. Also, one of my favourite Smock under layers are my British 'Woolley Pullies' .. 100% wool made to MOD specs. Good review, I'm sure that your daughter will be very happy with this hoodie. Thanks for sharing .. take care ..
Yeah these are the guys who laugh at intelligent people for layering up in cold weather. 😂 its every other YT ad I see, along with Seido "knives" 😂 . I mean its probably ok for a medium jacket but look, if I'm sitting next to a FIRE that stuff is plastic. Sparks do not get along well with polar tech type fuzzy plastic. IME it melts. Advantage wool.
y'all I'm pretty darn sure this is the same fleece that was called a Sarma TST jacket. I bought one through Varusteleeka out of Finland a few years back. The quality seemed VERY good but I gave it away as I didn't care for how it fit, movement seemed restrictive to me, zipper on opposite side was kind weird too. Thanks Blackie for the first thoughts and thorough walk around!
Hi Blackie, I just purchased one of these hoodies last month. I like it so far, love all the pockets! definitely comes in handy to wear under my jacket as an extra layer for the Great White North. It's finally starting to feel like winter here in Michigan.👍
They are REALLY well built and they do have a lot of useful pockets BUT it does NOT stop all of the wind from passing through and chilling you. I'm in Scotland and it's just about the end of winter. We have biting cold winds here and the bearskin hoodie only cuts off ( in my opinion ) about 80 - 85% of the wind. If they made the 4.0 version with some inner windproof materials an extra layer it would get my full approval. As it is it's only 4 stars out of 5.
I have noticed throughout my life that when a product is heavily advertised and promoted, said product must be overpriced to cover the expense of advertising, and probably still has a hefty profit margin. I never fail to find a better product at a lower price. I have seen so many new fabrics that are supposed to be the greatest thing ever, then a few years later, they are not even produced any longer. Skifans Schoeller was supposed to be super warm, but not used much anymore; if it was so great, why not? I spent way too much buying a Schoeller jacket that was supposed to be super warm; nice jacket, but if it is really cold, you better have something warmer over it. There have been endless types of fabrics that promise to wick moisture from your body, but don't. Most are unbearable to wear in hot weather.There are my Coolmax socks that are hot, but make a nice winter sock, thought I still prefer wool.
Thanks for the review. I just got mine. I've bought fleece from China before and was sadly disappointed. The fleece was thin and the sizing was way way off. So I was worried about this order. However I was thrilled when I got this hoodie because the fit was perfect and overall this looks like a high-quality garment. Very well made and warm.
This is the best hoody I have ever owned. I live in the San Juan mountains and it gets cold. This jacket is just about the only thing I wear during the winter. It is the best.
Blackie, Nice review and I'm sure the Bearskin Tactical Hoodie will be useful for many people. It checks all the boxes for some people. The Bearskin TH is as you point out well designed. I'm not a fan of synthetic fabrics like this because when sparks fly they burn through the fabric. That said I was given a light jacket that works for going to town and an old hoodie. Over years of working in the outdoors, felling and pruning trees in the Finger Lakes I would not rely on those fabrics. I prefer wool or even an insulated cotton Carhart coat/jacket. A much more durable material for real work, not so good when wet. Yes, wool and silk are way more pricey and finding affordable used clothing at second hand stores is getting much harder. Traditional bushcraft clothing for cold weather was always natural materials, except for cotton.
Fleece alone will not block wind. I’ve frozen in just a fleece jacket. I don’t own fleece anymore. I bought a hoodie from a guy in England, his store on Etsy is Modern Woolfare. It is made of 100 percent British wool, stitched by him in his shop. No Chinese crap. I’ve worn it with just a base layer under it in snowstorms and rain. Even wet I felt warm. As far as all the pockets, I lose where I put anything and it just tempts me to carry a bunch of crap I don’t need. I guess it would work for all the mall ninjas out there.
I was gifted one and just now find out the price....damn. I am hard-core wool guy...wool can't be replaced. However we just came off of minus 40f...and this jacket held its own...mostly because it is better wind resistance than wool. Remember.. total wind resistance means total capture of moisture inside...the layers need to breath. This jacket has good balance of that. I use this as protective outer layer to layers of wool. This product could just as well been designed and made by 511. Quality.
I bought another version of it that has a more solid exterior, the water bounces off of, and is more wind resistant. It’s gripes with me are that it’s very noisy between arms and body walking, and that it’s front handwarmer pockets are too shallow. Quietness is the big advantage with yours and it compresses to pack easily; mine’s got more thermal protection. It wasn’t easy but I changed the hand warmer pockets; they are a neglected area of much improvement needed in both designs, they should be highly insulated & deep.
This jacket seems to be designed perfectly to go inside the Chinese insulated jacket I got about 3 years ago. Same design externally, but it has no internal pockets, so this baerskin hoodie would fit that bill nicely to wear inside that shell. Thanks for the review. Btw those stiff cuff grips on the velcro don't work for very long; I'm gonna have them replaced with actual hook and loop.
I have not seen a fleece as warm as the french army polar fleece. i have worn one in north eastern new york, tested for a few years now ,ice fishing, windproof, solid gear, i would like to see the pants if they even made them to go with. nice review of this jacket. I can't justify the buy when i have what works. nice jacket.
Thank you for another very informative video. I was wondering what your thought are to wearing plastics? I was also wondering what you meant when fleese which is man made materials has all the benefits of wool but not all the disadvantages. I can see where wool would be heavier. I am sure that wool when wet still has a very high heat retention. Just wanting to pick your brain a bit. Thank you
I just got one and the bottom line is it's the same weight fleece as the military ECWCS fleece jacket, but with more pockets. That's not to say it's good or bad, but it does have the same weakness every fleece has: wind goes right through it. They can have all the cinch tires and storm flaps they want, any breeze over about 5mph cuts right through. The advertise this as a jacket you can wear and not need to layer, but you need a wind shirt, rain jacket, or Gore-Tex shell (which the military issues) to block the wind - which then essentially defeats the purpose of the pockets.
Agree. Fleece (or even knit wool) does not like wind. Both need an overlying windproof shell in order to really take advantage of their insulating properties. In addition, those manufacturers / marketers who state that their products have a windproof lining on the inside .. this defeats the purpose of the insulation layer which is now outside and in direct contact with wind and such and thus cannot trap much body heat.
@warthog11966 I have to agree. For the price they charge, they could have added an outer shell over the fleece so you could stay warm and use the pockets. At this point, I'm glad I got it as a gift, and didn't pay for it.
Hello Blackie- This hoodie looks nice and its great that it has all the pockets, but if the regular price is $300 and is on sale for $90, it better perform well in my opinion. Is it water-resistant? Something like this would work perfect under an old issue gortex parka. Ive got a military black polar fleece and if I put my gortex parka shell over it; Im good down to single digits or below zero. I think most people dont have the kind of money for stuff like this and is why a lot of folks are figuring out that old school mil used surplus is the way to go, and save money. I hope it is made well and lasts for you if you guys take it out and use it in different conditions. Youll have to do a follow up video after youve done that and give your feedback. Thanks for another video Blackie-
Well, I bought one of these last year. Discovered right away that it had absolutely no wind breaking ability. You have to wear some sort of shell over it if you don't want the wind slicing right through you. A wind breaker it is not. Makes a decent layer under something else.
Well done unboxing review, my problem is that if I want pockets, I have several.better designed vests that can go over multiple variations of warming layers.
Not a fan of the double zipper thing ... had one on an otherwise very nice parka years back and was working outside in a blizzard ... kept unzipping from the bottom and i damn near froze. Fleece even thick fleece is not wind proof as another said. Doubt its all that arm if rained on either ... 2 reasons to have a shell over it there
ive been toying with the idea of getting this for general ware i do have an old fleese my mom got me years ago and always carry that but am very consirvitive with it sennce she is no longer arround thank you i think ill be adding this to my list
Bullcarap, I bought one in 2022, took 3 months to arrive, and, just like it looks, it's not remotely windproof, about as much as a pair of running socks. They have the best marketing though. If some company can manage to actually come up with a fabric that's fleece, that addresses even the least amount of wind, they'll kill it for sure.
Had mine 6 mos. In S.C. it is warm but does let wind though. It took 2 and a half months to get to me. I like the pockets as long as you can remember what is where. And European zipper took some getting use to. Your niece should have no problem with that because same a U S women's zipper. It doesn't pack down that well. Over all I'd give it a 6 rating out of 10. Thanks for the overview.
😂I have had one for a year how. Problems with mine 1. Zipper pull is on the wrong side 2. Cuff adjustment is bulky and ugly. 3. It is wind resistant but not wind proof. 4. Very expensive. Other than the above I might buy another.
Ive had mine for a couple years now, really like mine. The only annoying thing on mine is the plastic cuff tabs, they get caught on things but no big deal, id buy another.
Normally fleece is an active or midlayer so being thick and heavy is a disadvantage where over heating is a concern. At camp an insulation layer like a puffy is used. A hardshell is also a requirement. To make things short the fleece is too thick and cumbersome. You don’t want a single layer to be so heavy and thick. Clothing is HEAVY and don’t need one layer adding to the problem. So layering: Marino wool base for wicking moisture Light fleece mid/active layer Hardshell for wind Puffy for insulation. This will do. If you spend over 50 bucks for a fleece you are getting robbed.
If you want to go cutting edge fleece is being replaced. Can do with alpha material like a Senchi hoodie. It took me a bit to find a good light fleece. I use a Rab Fleece. It’s prefect and light. My point is fleeces are LIGHT.
I wouldnt be a candidate for one but appreciate the review. All those zippers and no pit zips? I do like the visor built into the hood. Its not a good outter shell but instead a midlayer since a cold wind will surly penetrate it. Cheers!
This garment seems to be very well designed. I appreciate your detailing all of the features of this hoodie on your channel. I do however consider this product as being out of my price range. For what it is intended for, there are alternative garments that are more value priced. JMO
It just seems like to me the damn thing could be an unwanted ghillie suit with all that smushy stuff to collect leaves and grass and everything else all the reasons I wouldn't want wool exist in that I'd rather have the wool
You forgot 1 very important thing about this jacket! It zippers up left handed like a girls jacket! Only left handed thing I own and if I would have known this by anyone including the makers, I would have not purchased it.
Appreciate Blackie. I understand this was an organic unboxing from your family member being interested in the jacket. And, with hyper advertising of this particular jacket, makes since to share with us. Thanks again. I have been curious. 🫵👍
RU-vid should have a rule that no one can do a “gear review” until they have used the product for at least 6 months. Unboxing videos are BORING! I had one of these hoodies and did not like it; yes, I had it for 6 months.
Don't watch boring videos .. as simple as that. Also, in order to not get so bored, you can police You Tubers to ensure that your 'Six Month Rule' suggestion is adhered to.
@@thomasmusso1147 Generally I unsubscribe from channels who do too many unboxing videos. Blackie normally doesn’t do those so this one surprised me. At present Blackie is no where near the “too many” mark. I just don’t see the purpose of unboxing videos. If you care to explain their value I may change my mind.
@@tennesseesmoky9012 The Comment Section is meant for both positive and negative comments so the Creator gets a sense of what viewers like. If you don’t like my comment, you should just move on.
I got one and it kinda sucks... stitching is coming apart everywhere and the velcro doesn't work after a month so your sleeves are always loose... I would not buy another. Much disappointment
My Experience is that this company fails to uphold the quality of their product. The zipper is utterly subpar! Issues arose within the first month of use, and in hindsight, I should have taken advantage of their six-month warranty at that time. My wife bought it just two months before Christmas, So it wasn't used for two months and by the third month of use, the zipper became completely unusable! I strongly advise against purchasing anything from this company because their lack of accountability means they won't rectify any issues. A zipper should definitely last longer than three months, and a reputable company with a customer-centric approach would swiftly replace it as a gesture of goodwill. It's disappointing that such a seemingly simple item, made of cloth and employing old technology, can't be crafted to last. I have hoodies that cost a fraction of the price and have lasted over five years without a hitch. Reply
This jacket is not good. It is stiff and uncomfortable. I returned it and months later I still have not received my refund. It is a scam. Don't buy this, it is waist of money. There is no place to give a review because they don't have a real website.
Watch out when you buy these BaerSkin Hoodies 3.0 some of them do not have the nylon lining in the pockets. I told BaerSkin Hoodie that and they shipped me another one for free got it 9 days and it was correct with the lining in the 2 front pockets. Buyer beware check your BaerSkin Hoodie 3.0 over when you get it.
