You don’t need a Travel Hoodie loaded with unnecessary gadgets. The best travel sweatshirts prioritize quality materials, comfortable design, and enduring performance for your journeys.
A superior travel hoodie can be a game-changer on your trips, but only if it excels in two key areas. Firstly, it must provide warmth on chilly flights and lengthy bus rides. Secondly, it needs to be easily packable in your carry on travel backpack. That’s what truly matters. While a zippered pocket is a welcome addition, excessive features are simply superfluous.
Tortuga
Carry On Backpacks
Carry On Backpacks 4.5
Pack for trips of one week or more without checking a bag.
Pros:
- Thick comfortable straps
- Easy to organize
- Durable, waterproof fabric
- Backed by our Worldwide Warranty
Shop at Tortuga
It’s tempting to get caught up in the buzz surrounding the latest feature-rich travel hoodies on crowdfunding platforms, but nothing beats premium performance fabrics like merino wool and robust construction built to withstand years of travel wear and tear.
Forget about needing fifteen pockets, a built-in neck pillow, or a flimsy fold-out eye mask. Seriously, you don’t. The ideal travel hoodie is one you genuinely enjoy wearing while you’re on the move. To assist you, we’ve compiled our top choices for the best travel hoodies for both men and women, along with essential tips for making the right selection.
best travel hoodies
Top Travel Hoodies for Men: Blend of Performance and Style
Here are four of the best travel hoodies for men, highlighting options for innovative travel features, stylish designs, budget-friendliness, and our overall top performer.
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Unbound Compact Travel Hoodie ($165): The Ultimate Lightweight Hoodie for Air Travel
The Unbound Compact Travel Hoodie reignited our excitement for fall travel, and it’s not just because of its sleek appearance. This incredibly compact hoodie is crafted from superfine merino wool, ensuring warmth in cold climates without occupying valuable backpack space. It offers all the essential features you desire, without unnecessary frills.
Renowned for its odor resistance, this merino wool travel hoodie compresses to the size of a t-shirt and can be worn for weeks without needing to be laundered. Unbound even claims it “can be worn all year long without needing to be washed.” While you might not want to test that limit, it’s reassuring to know you have the option.
A great travel hoodie isn’t about excessive pockets and countless minor features. It’s about a garment that packs down easily, provides warmth, and can endure weeks of travel. Superfine merino is also naturally wrinkle-resistant, ensuring you look presentable upon arrival.
This is crucial for frequent travelers like us who embark on extended journeys across diverse climates. We need something easily packable that also looks great and performs reliably in real-world conditions. Unbound is among the few crowdfunded travel hoodies we genuinely endorse (many are simply impractical). Available since October 2018, consider getting yours before your next winter getaway. You’ll be glad you did.
Amazon 1200
Amazon Essentials Full Zip Hooded Fleece Sweatshirt ($19): Best Budget-Friendly Travel Hoodie
If you’re seeking an ultra-affordable option, the lightweight cotton-poly blend from Amazon fits the bill. It’s light, comfortable, and has a decent look. You’ll actually want to wear this budget travel hoodie on your trip.
While it is 52% cotton, finding a sweatshirt under $20 that packs conveniently in your carry-on is rare. Furthermore, if you’re interested in travel gear you can donate after your trip, this sweatshirt is an ideal choice.
Bluesmith 1200
Bluesmiths Kula Windpro Hoodie ($255): Best Travel Hoodie with Secure Inside Pockets
If you’re wavering between a hoodie and a light shell or outer layer, the Bluesmiths Kula Windpro might be your perfect match.
Designed by surfers (making it instantly appealing), this hoodie is built for use in wet and windy conditions. It’s made of 90% polyester with added elastane for flexibility and movement, regardless of your activity. The breathable Polartec material and DWR waterproofing provide protection from wind and light rain. It’s genuinely functional, but the best aspect of the Bluesmiths Kula hoodie is its workhorse performance disguised in a stylish design.
The refined tailored fit and minimalist yet functional features, including snag-resistant material, breathable fabric, zippered sleeve stash pockets, concealed adjustable hoodie drawcords, and a headphone cord manager, make this the ultimate travel hoodie for surfers, runners, hikers, and active travelers who also spend time in urban settings. It’s essentially an undercover travel powerhouse.
Although the Kula Windpro is technically a men’s hoodie, Bluesmiths states that “sizes XXS, XS, and S are designed to fit women as well.”
Kaola Hooded Sweater prAna 1200
prAna Hooded Sweater ($89): Most Stylish Travel Hoodie
This hoodie earns the award for the most stylish travel hoodie, hands down. Devoid of unnecessary zipper pulls and bulky pockets, this hooded sweatshirt is ideal for adding a touch of sophistication and chic to your travel attire.
The higher neckline, organic cotton fabric, and overall tailored fit transform this sweater into something you could easily wear out in the city. Comfortable, stylish, and highly travel-friendly. We’re big fans.
Overall, prAna offers a fantastic selection of men’s hoodies and sweaters, all ethically sourced and perfect for travel.
best travel hoodies for women
Best Travel Hoodies for Women: Warmth and Fashion on the Go
Our top picks for the best travel hoodies for women are designed to be warm, fashionable, and of course, practical with pockets.
OVIK Fleecehoodie 1200
Fjällräven Fleece Hoodie: ($150) The Best Overall Travel Hoodie for Women
This stylish travel hoodie for women is warm enough to serve as an outer layer, yet lightweight enough to pack easily in a carry on backpack for extended trips.
The fleece fabric offers excellent stretch, and the tailored fit ensures you won’t look like you just rolled out of a hostel. It includes zippered hand pockets, a chest stash pocket, and a cozy hood.
Essentially, it’s a reliable and versatile travel hoodie that performs exceptionally well without appearing overly technical.
Milani Hoodie prAna 1200
prAna Milani Hoodie ($89): The Best Lightweight Travel Hoodie for Layering
prAna’s Milani travel hoodie for women may not have all the bells and whistles you might expect in a performance travel hoodie. It features a simple kangaroo pocket (no zippers), but it excels as a comfortable base layer.
If you need a versatile addition to your winter travel packing list that’s warm, stylish, and easy to pack, the Milani Hoodie is an excellent choice, particularly suited for urban explorers.
knockout travel hoodie 1200
Betabrand Knockout Travel Hoodie ($47): The Best Travel Hoodie with Clever Pockets
If you appreciate features, the Betabrand Knockout travel hoodie is packed with several genuinely useful ones. The stash sleeve pockets are thoughtfully designed and practical, and the clip on the hoodie drawstrings can function as a passable, though slightly unconventional, eye mask in a pinch. Personally, we believe a quality eye mask is a game-changer that doesn’t take up much space, but if you’re committed to packing light, this hoodie can block out light on long-haul flights.
The jersey knit fabric is comfortable, stretchy, and includes a touch of spandex for added flexibility. The cuff thumbholes are well-executed, and the overall cut is stylish. The fur-lined hood, intended to act as a travel pillow (it doesn’t quite), while also muffling sound, is an interesting addition. If you’re always concerned about staying warm on flights, it’s a worthwhile addition to your capsule wardrobe.
Patagonia Womens Performance 1200
Patagonia Fleece Hoodie ($159): The Best Versatile Fleece Travel Hoodie
Yes, Patagonia’s Fleece has become ubiquitous in many cities, but trendiness aside, it remains an excellent, highly functional travel hoodie. While designed for outdoor activities, it doesn’t look overly sporty and maintains a simple style suitable for urban travel as well. It also features multiple pockets, including both side pockets and inside pockets, for secure storage.
Created for active travelers, this fleece travel hoodie is lightweight, packable, and ideal for spring and fall travel or as a layering piece in colder climates.
Tortuga
Carry On Backpacks
Carry On Backpacks 4.5
Pack for trips of one week or more without checking a bag.
Pros:
- Thick comfortable straps
- Easy to organize
- Durable, waterproof fabric
- Backed by our Worldwide Warranty
Shop at Tortuga
Choosing the Right Fabric: Best Materials for Travel Hoodies
The best fabrics for travel hoodies are primarily merino wool and polyester. Let’s explore why these two materials are top choices.
Why Superfine Merino Wool Excels Over Cotton for Travel
A hoodie can be a crucial piece of your travel equipment, but only if it’s made from the right fabric. Cotton sweatshirts, while more affordable, simply don’t perform as well for travel compared to performance materials like superfine merino wool.
If you’re like many travelers, you’ll spend considerable time wearing your travel hoodie. Long flights, freezing overnight bus journeys, overcast days, and air-conditioned coffee shops are just a few scenarios where a hoodie becomes essential. Merino wool is incredibly soft against the skin and provides warmth in almost any condition. More importantly, it’s naturally odor-resistant and can be worn for several days (or even weeks!) without needing to be washed. This is arguably the most critical feature for a travel hoodie—comfort and lasting performance.
Constantly washing your hoodie becomes tiresome quickly. Or worse, you might become “that person” at the hostel. Do yourself (and everyone around you) a favor and invest in merino. It’s truly exceptional.
Superfine merino wool also minimizes bulk. It compresses to almost nothing, meaning you can pack fewer layers for fall or winter trips. And, if you end up not needing a sweatshirt, its minimal packed size means you won’t regret bringing it.
Polyester: Wind Resistance is Key for Travel Comfort
If merino wool is beyond your budget (it can be quite pricey), consider polyester fabrics that offer wind resistance or fleece lining. Brands like The North Face utilize a lightweight fleece-like fabric called “Windwall,” and Carhartt features a “Windfighter” polyester blend (though it’s somewhat bulky for travel).
Generally, any fabric name that includes “Wind” followed by an “®” symbol is a good indicator of wind-resistant properties.
When comparing merino vs polyester, merino is the superior fabric for lightweight, comfortable travel hoodies. However, you don’t need to spend a fortune to get a decent performance hoodie. Polyester blends can offer excellent wind resistance and durability at a more accessible price point.
SF 2500
Essential Features to Look for in a Travel Hoodie
Merino wool fabric, a zippered pocket, and a comfortable, adjustable hood are fundamental for making your sweatshirt practical in almost any travel situation. However, if you want more from your travel sweatshirt, here are some premium travel hoodie features to consider.
Sleeve Stash or Discreet Inside Pockets
Having a safe, easily accessible place to keep your boarding pass or ticket while navigating airports is incredibly convenient. Pants pockets are useful, but they often become cluttered. The advantage of sweatshirt stash pockets—especially those on the forearm or upper arm—is their small size. These pockets prevent you from overstuffing them, reducing the risk of losing what’s inside.
Tickets can easily slip out of pants pockets when reaching for a wallet. This is less likely with a simple, zippered sleeve pocket on your sweatshirt. A minor feature, but exceptionally useful. The Betabrand Knockout Travel Hoodie provides an excellent example of a small, functional sleeve stash pocket perfect for tickets.
Dedicated Passport Pocket for Security
The same principle applies to a dedicated passport-sized pocket, typically located on the chest. Having a zippered pocket specifically for your passport is simply practical. Subtle, simple, zippered passport pockets are a definite plus.
Zippered Side Pockets for Practicality
It’s interesting how the most valuable “features” in a travel hoodie are often just simple, functional places to store important items. Practicality truly matters.
The ability to put your hands in my pockets while wearing a hoodie is essential for many. Zippered pockets are also a great way to maximize your carry-on allowance by using your hoodie pockets to carry snacks or even a book for your flight. Seam-sealed zippers are beneficial for rainy destinations, though not absolutely necessary.
Thumb Hole Cuffs for Added Warmth
Thumb hole cuffs in sweatshirts are a much-loved feature. They instantly transform a sweatshirt into makeshift gloves without needing any extra accessories. Ensure the thumb holes have reinforced stitching for durability. While they might seem minor, they are a welcome feature, particularly for activities like biking.
Adjustable Hood for Comfort and Versatility
They’re called “hoodies” for a reason. Always check the adjustability and comfort of the hood when trying on a hoodie. This is actually important. You should be able to comfortably tighten the hood enough to create a makeshift eye mask in a pinch. You don’t need a fold-out eye mask or complicated hoodie clips to get some sleep on a flight. Simply pull the hood down and tighten the drawstrings.
In Summary
You don’t need a feature-packed Kickstarter travel hoodie overflowing with gadgets you’ll never use. The best travel sweatshirts focus on high-quality fabrics, a comfortable fit, and durable performance for your travels.
The best travel hoodies for men are:
- Unbound Compact Travel Hoodie: Best Lightweight Hoodie for Planes
- Amazon Essentials Full Zip Hooded Fleece Sweatshirt: Best Budget Travel Hoodie
- Bluesmiths Kula Windpro Hoodie: Best Hoodie With Inside Pockets
- prAna Hooded Sweater: Best Stylish Travel Hoodie
The best travel hoodies for women are:
- Fjällräven Fleece Hoodie: Best Overall Travel Hoodie
- prAna Milani Hoodie: Best Lightweight Travel Hoodie
- Betabrand Knockout Travel Hoodie: Best Travel Hoodie with Pockets
- Patagonia Fleece Hoodie: Best Fleece Hoodie
