Qloom Buffalo Hoody Review: The Perfect Cool-Weather Jacket?

Last week, fall officially arrived; in Colorado, that means it’s the best time of the year to ride.  However, that also means that it’s going to be cool in the mornings (and evenings), and it’ll be even cooler high up in the mountains.  It’s our favorite time of year to mountain bike, but it can be downright tough to bring the right layers to make for a comfortable ride.

That’s where the Qloom Buffalo Hoody comes in: we’ve found our saving grace.  This jacket brings it all to the table:

• Breathability
• Lightweight
• Packable
• Stylish

The Buffalo Hoody is a super light-weight, breathable (and packable) jacket that may be the best cool-weather mountain biking jacket I’ve ever come across, and I’ve tried a LOT.  On a recent Crested Butte trip, I was struggling to stay warm on the beginning of the rides because I was dressed for the warmer part of the day.  With the Buffalo Hoody, I wouldn’t have experienced these issues- it would have been easy to wear a short sleeve jersey underneath the jacket and then simply shed it once the temps rose- because it packs into a tiny, lightweight ball that easily fits into my mid-size Deuter pack.  My theory proved true a few days ago when I broke out the Buffalo for a chilly 40-degree morning ride above Vail Pass, but it was securely in my pack an hour later once the temps rose above 60.

Don’t let the name fool you, though- the Buffalo Hoody isn’t your run-of-the-mill hooded sweatshirt.  This is a finely-crafted, lightweight jacket meant to withstand some pretty rough trail riding.  I’ve put it through the wringer in the Colorado high country over the last three weeks, and it’s withstood some pretty rough encounters with mud, branches, and maybe the occasional rock.  No damage done… to the jacket, at least.

The jacket is full of function and form:  pit zips, multiple pockets, a nicely-placed elastic drawstring to keep things form-fitting… they thought of it all.  The material isn’t the typical harsh-feeling rain jacket fabric you come to expect:  it feels more like a ultra-thin softshell, which is nice because it moves with you when you’re riding hard.

This is going to be my go-to jacket for the next six months of cool-weather riding, regardless of the destination.  Oh, and did I mention the jacket is waterproof too?  Fully-taped seams, rated to 10,000mm, and has a moisture evaporation rating of 10,000gm/m2.  Yeah, no need to carry my non-breathing rain jacket with me anymore, this thing pulls double duty (as I experienced in a downpour at the top of Meadow Mountain in Minturn just last week!).  And just like all-things Qloom, the style is smooth and understated which is appreciated by most.

One last note:  the jacket does run a little small, so size up if/when ordering.  I’m 5’11”, 175 lbs and wear a large size in just about everything- but with the Qloom Buffalo, the XL fits me perfectly.  Not a big deal, just something to remember.

Tech Specs:

• 2.5 layer jacket
• Waterproof 10,000mm
• Moisture evaporation 10,000gm/m2 24h
• Windproof
• Fully-taped seams
• YKK zippers
• Hand pockets
• Adjustable waist and wrists
• Zippered side-vents
• Upper-arm pockets
• 3D hood construction
• Qloom 360° multi-activity pattern
• 54% Nylon / 46% Polyurethane

If you’re interested in buying the Buffalo Hoody, we’ve got you covered:  use code CHASINGEPIC for 25% off the entire 2016 collection!