CALIFORNIA FLEECES -- OUTDOOR WEAR

Mountain Hardwear: Richmond-based Mountain Hardware has been my go-to supplier for camping-and-backpacking clothing and gear for more than a decade.  They make fleeces suitable for any outdoor activity.

American Giant: San Francisco-based American Giant claims to make The Perfect Hoodie.  I bought one.  It is.  They also make a couple of nice-looking fleeces for urban wear. 

Patagonia: With Ventura-based Patagonia, you get what you pay for.  What you pay is a lot.  What you get is exactly what you want.  Patagonia’s gear and clothing looks great, it works perfectly, and it is manufactured as ethically and sustainably as reasonably possible.  I do not yet own a Patagonia fleece.  But I do own a broad cross-section Patagonia clothing and gear, all of which may very well last me forever. 

North Face: Alameda-based North Face makes pretty much everything an outdoors-enthusiast could want, including fleeces.  And – judging by everything I’ve bought from them so far – they make them really really well.  Fifteen years ago, I bought a North Face backpack.  Thousands of backpacking miles later, not a stitch has popped, not a buckle has broken –the thing doesn’t even smell bad.