Buying a hoodie is one of the most important purchases for every man’s wardrobe. It is an essential piece of clothing that is worn often and lasts for a long time. High-quality hoodies can get pricey, so you want to make sure you are investing in a sweatshirt that is actually worth the cost. It needs to be comfortable, durable, and look good.
With hundreds of great hoodies available, choosing the perfect brand and style for your needs can be a difficult task.
Here are some questions you should answer to help you find the best hoodie for your needs.
- Will it be warm enough?
- What fabric is right for me?
- What type of fit is it?
- Does it fit my style?
- What will I use it for?
- How long will it last?
- Is it worth the price?
We purchased 37 of the top-rated hoodies and rated each one to find out which one is the best for each category.
In this guide, we share our top picks for the best hooded sweatshirts and why we like them.
Here are the best hoodies to buy in 2022:
- Best Loungewear Hoodie: Cozy Earth Bamboo Hoodie
- Best Heavyweight Hoodie: Carhartt Heavyweight Rain Defender Hoodie
- Best Cheap Hoodie: Hanes ComfortWash Hoodie
- Best Terry Hoodie: Reigning Champ Mid Weight Hoodie
- Best Fleece Hoodie: Nike Sportswear Club Hoodie
- Best Mid Weight Hoodie: Champion Reverse Weave Hoodie
- Best Athletic Hoodie: Lululemon City Sweat Hoodie
Best Loungewear Hoodie
Cozy Earth Bamboo Hoodie
Cozy Earth
The Cozy Earth Bamboo Hoodie is our top pick for the most comfortable hoodie and overall best hoodie. The fabric is super soft, stretchy, breathable, and moisture-wicking. The incredible bamboo viscose fabric makes it the perfect hoodie for sleeping or lounging around your home.
Although this hoodie is intended for loungewear purposes, it has a very luxurious feel and stylish look making it an acceptable hoodie for going out to casual restaurants, bars, or running errands.
The bamboo fabric has an amazing, buttery feeling to the touch and it drapes over your skin providing supreme comfort.
When you think of a loungewear hoodie, you immediately probably think it will be lightweight. However, this hoodie has some weight to it. The weight of the fabric paired with its breathability really adds to the comfort, making it feel like a cloud is hugging you.
Best Heavyweight Hoodie
Carhartt Heavyweight Rain Defender Hoodie
Carhartt
Carhartt produces some of the most dependable and durable clothing in the world and that is especially true for the Heavyweight Rain Defender Hoodie.
This Heavyweight Carhartt hoodie goes above and beyond what you might expect from a typical heavyweight hooded sweatshirt, constructed with tough fabric on the outside and warm cozy fleece on the inside. This hoodie is super warm and feels like you are wearing a blanket.
In addition to the comfort and durability, the hoodie is made with a water-resistant fabric to keep you dry in light rain.
This is basically the only sweatshirt I wear during the winter months. It’s a very versatile hoodie that gets the job done whether I’m watching Netflix indoors or outside shoveling snow. It is warm and cozy for indoor use and rugged and durable for outdoor use.
Best Cheap Hoodie
Hanes ComfortWash Fleece Hoodie
Hanes
The Hanes ComfortWash Hoodie is proof that finding a great hoodie doesn’t have to burn a hole in your pocket. The comfort and quality of the ComfortWash Hoodie are unmatched at this price point, and for that reason, it is our pick for the best cheap hoodie among the best hoodies on the market today.
In terms of quality, this is a big step above the classic Gildan sweatshirt or any hoodie you can buy in the $15-$30 price range.
The fabric is thin and lightweight compared to the most common fleece hoodies from Champion and Nike. I actually see this as a positive feature because the lighter fabric weight makes this a great hoodie for lounging around the home or spending time outside during cool weather.
Best Terry Hoodie
Reigning Champ Mid Weight Hoodie
Reigning Champ
Note: Backcountry usually has the best deals for Reigning Champ products.
If you’ve done any research trying to find the best hoodie online, there is one hoodie that appears on almost every list and discussion board: The Reigning Champ Mid Weight Terry Hoodie.
Everyone seems to love the Reigning Champ brand, but does it live up to the hype?
I had to find out for myself and I can assure you it does.
The fabric quality, stitching, style, and fit of this hoodie are all on point. The french terry fabric has a very dense weave making it softer than a typical terry hoodie with the perfect amount of breathability for Fall and Spring temperatures.
Although this might sound like the perfect hoodie, it does have a premium price tag on it. This Reigning Champ hoodie will cost you about three times what a normal hoodie will cost you. This might seem like a lot of money for a hoodie but it will likely last over 10 years because it’s so well-made. Having one premium hoodie for 10 years seems like a better investment than buying cheap hoodies every few years.
Read our full Reigning Champ Hoodie review to learn more.
Best Fleece Hoodie
Nike Sportswear Club Fleece Hoodie
Nike
The Nike Sportswear Club Fleece Hoodie is a staple for every man’s wardrobe. Nike makes a very high-quality hoodie with classic style on the outside and super soft fleece on the inside.
We tested and reviewed many fleece hoodies that cost over $100 and nothing was comparable to the quality and softness of the Nike fleece.
The professional stitching and premium fabric both contribute to the durable construction of this hoodie.
Read our full review of the Nike Sportswear Club Fleece Hoodie here.
Best Mid Weight Hoodie
Champion Reverse Weave Hoodie
Champion
The Champion Reverse Weave Hoodie is a classic old-school 1980s-styled hoodie. This is the definition of a hoodie with a relaxed and boxy fit.
It is pretty warm for a mid-weight hoodie because it is fleece on the inside with a coarse weave on the outside.
This is a great hoodie for Fall, Spring, or Winter but it tends to trap your body heat inside so it will be too warm to wear during the Summer.
The most notable feature of reverse weave hoodies is their resistance to vertical shrinking. They are designed to shrink horizontally instead of vertically, which actually improves the fit over time.
Read our full review here.
Best Athletic Hoodie
Lululemon City Sweat Hoodie
Lululemon
The Lululemon City Sweat Hoodie is a great pick if you are looking for a modern athletic hoodie.
We tested 35 hoodies and this is the sleekest-looking hoodie in the selection. It is made with a luxurious-feeling fabric and has a slim, but comfortable fit to it. This is a hoodie you could wear out to a casual restaurant without looking like you just rolled out of bed.
The Lululemon City Sweat hoodie is a terry hoodie with stretchy elastic fibers woven within making it breathable and stretchy. It is a synthetic fabric blend consisting of 52% Polyester, 42% Cotton, and 6% elastane. Lululemon claims this is a terry hoodie but based on the synthetic material blend and inside texture, I would not classify this fabric as terry.
However, terry or not… the fabric feels super luxurious and breathable, and the 4-way stretch does not restrict your movements at all.
It is the ideal hoodie for jogging or working out on a cool day.
Read our full Lululemon hoodie review here.
What is the best type of hoodie?
The best type of hoodie is going to depend on what you are going to use it for and the temperature you plan on wearing it in.
Here are the types of hoodies and their notable features.
Hoodie Fabrics
- Cotton Fleece Hoodies – Fleece hoodies are the most common. They have a tight-woven exterior and the interior is fuzzy brushed cotton. They are very soft on the inside and they trap heat inside keeping you warm. The main downside is that they are not very breathable and you can quickly overheat in them if you are doing exercise.
- French Terry Hoodies – French Terry hoodies are similar to fleece hoodies on the exterior but instead of a brushed cotton texture on the inside, the cotton threads are left as small loops. This gives the inside a soft feeling but greatly improves the breathability of the sweatshirt.
- Synthetic blend – Many clothing brands nowadays use fabric blends of cotton and polyester to alter the texture and improve the durability of their hoodies. Incorporating polyester also helps reduce the amount of shrinking the hoodie may experience in the washing machine and dryer.
- Bamboo – Hoodies made from Bamboo viscose are not common, but they are becoming increasingly popular because of their amazing comfort, breathability, and sustainability. However, the great features and benefits do come with a high price tag.
Hoodie Styles
- Pullover Hoodie – Pullover hoodies are the classic hoodie style. You are required to pull the hoodie over your head to put it on and they typically include one large kangaroo pocket in the front.
- Zip-up Hoodie – Zip-up hoodies feature a large zipper in the front running from top to bottom. This allows you to put the hoodie on without pulling it over your head. Because of the zipper in the front, zip-up hoodies usually include two pockets. One on each side of the zipper.
Hoodie Features
Drawstrings – Drawstrings are an iconic attribute of the hoodie. If you’re not familiar with the term, they are the two strings that hang down from the holes in the hood. Although they appear to be two strings, it is one string that runs through the rim of the hood. This allows you to tighten the hood around your head, but the drawstrings are mainly for looks. Many people pull the drawstring out because they prefer the look without them. There is no harm in doing this because there is very little functional use for the drawstrings.
Hood – The hood is a very important part of a hoodie. It is in fact what makes a sweatshirt a hoodie. Depending on the brand and style, the hoodie might be small or large. Small hoods will tightly cover your head and large hoods completely engulf your head.
Pockets – The most common pocket on a hoodie is the classic “kangaroo pocket”, which means there is one large pocket in the front. Some hoodies feature individual pockets on each side and some have no pockets at all.
Ribbed Side Panels – Many higher-end hoodies will include stretchy, ribbed side panels to improve comfort and maneuverability.
Hoodie Weight
Understanding the weight of a hoodie will help you figure out the ideal use and temperature for wearing it.
Lightweight Hoodies – Lightweight hoodies are ideal for warm weather and working out. They won’t retain much heat but the breathability will also be dependent on the fabric type.
Mid-Weight Hoodies – Mid-weight hoodies are perfect for brisk or chilly weather or exercising during the winter. This is also the ideal weight for lounging indoors during the winter or in an air-conditioned home during the summer.
Heavyweight Hoodies – Heavyweight hoodies are designed to keep you warm during cold weather conditions. The fabric should also be considered because heavyweight fleece hoodies are warmer than heavyweight french terry hoodies.
