Ibex Shak Hoody : Cool But Not Cold

I suppose the monks of the Middle Ages should get credit for establishing the hoodie fashion, but being born roughly four centuries after those spiritual warriors I first took notice of the classic hooded sweatshirt in the 1970s.   One of my favorite football players, the New York Jets' iconoclastic running back John Riggins - he of the daring Mohawk hair-do - wore a hoodie to practice when the weather turned cold. A few years later Sly Stallone pumped up the hoodie jam in Rocky , sporting one on his early morning runs and trips to the meat locker. Then hip-hop culture adopted the garment, and when I looked up in the 1990s it had become a wardrobe basic among surfers and skateboarders.   So, in my mind the hoodie aesthetic is nothing but cool, and my daughter's 7 th grade class seems to agree with me.

Named in honor of Sir Ernest Shackleton, a man who knew a thing or two about cool, the Ibex Shak Hoody has a bit of all of those disparate elements. Made of densely knit merino wool, the Ibex hoody is warm, durable and extremely comfortable. It's light enough to pull on over shorts and a t-shirt on a breezy summer evening, but given its relaxed, stretchy fit I can wear it over a thick sweater for some serious warmth. This fall it's become my all-purpose garment for walking to the coffee shop in the morning; coaching soccer on a cool, crisp afternoon, or heading home from the gym after a shower. Sitting at my desk in my drafty apartment, I often pull the hood up as I peck away at the keyboard - come to think of it, a bit like a modern-day Franciscan monk. Really, the only problem with the garment is that if I leave it lying around one of two hoodlums claims it as their own: my overfed orange cat or my slim wife, who takes refuge in the merino wool immediately after shedding her work clothes and only reluctantly surrenders it on the way to bed.  

Ibex also makes a Shak Hooded Sweater for women.

Bottom Line : Warm, breathable, durable and stretchy, this relaxed fit hoody is a great mid or base layer. It features a kangaroo pocket and provides all the anonymity, mystery and cool you can hope for. --JG (Dec 08)

Price : $150 purchase now at www.ibex.com....or visit backcountry.com and www.altrec.com for more Ibex products.

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Manufacturer's Site:  www.ibex.com

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