A good hoodie is one of the best things you can own. No debate. You wear it in winter, you wear it in summer at night, you wear it when you don't know what else to put on. And just like with tees, once you start paying attention to what makes one hoodie better than another, you can't un-see it.
This is our rundown of every hoodie in our range. What it's made of, what it feels like, and what makes it worth your time.
Our views are our own.
Quick note on AS Colour: not in our range, so not reviewed here. Obviously great gear. But stick around — there are some seriously good options you might not have come across yet.
1. UCH320 Urban Collab The Broad Hoodie
320 g/m² | 80% Cotton / 20% Polyester | Brushed Fleece | Longline | XS–5XL
The Broad Hoodie is the kind of hoodie that makes you forget you own any others. At 320 g/m², it's genuinely heavy — the kind of heavy where you put it on and immediately feel like you're being looked after. The 80/20 cotton-polyester brushed fleece is thick, soft inside, and holds its shape wash after wash. The polyester isn't there to cut costs — at this weight, it's what keeps the fleece from going limp over time.
A few things set the Broad apart from just being a heavy hoodie. The drawcords are thick, with metal ends and colour-matched eyelets — no cheap plastic tips that snap off after a year. The cut is longline with a straight hem, which means it sits lower than a standard hoodie and doesn't ride up when you reach for things. It looks intentional on a body rather than just… large. And the colour range is genuinely excellent: Alabaster, Black, Camel, Copper, Dark Forest, Dusty Rose, Heather Dark Grey, Heather Grey, Military Green, Navy, Red, Royal, Smoke, White.
If you buy (or try) one hoodie this year, make it this one.
2. Origin Hoodie (Cloke)
300 g/m² | 80% Cotton / 20% Recycled Polyester | 3-End Preshrunk Fleece | Classic Fit
The Origin Hoodie is Cloke doing what Cloke does best — thinking carefully about how a garment is actually made, not just what it looks like on paper.
The fabric is a 3-end fleece at 300 g/m², and the construction is genuinely clever. The outer face is 100% combed cotton — so the surface you see and print on is pure cotton, which means a cleaner print result and a better feel against your skin. The polyester (which is recycled, not virgin) sits behind that cotton face, where it does its actual job: keeping the garment's shape and making it last longer without you ever feeling it. The inside fleece is brushed soft and fluffy for warmth. Three different materials working in three different places, doing three different things.
The hood is lined, which gives it real body and shape — it doesn't collapse flat or sag sideways. The drawstring has gun-metal tips. Pocket openings are bar-tack stitched at the stress points. Shoulder seams are reinforced. Twin-needle top stitching throughout. Pre-shrunk.
This is the hoodie you wear for years, not seasons.
3. UCH280 Urban Collab The Core Hoodie
280 g/m² | 80% Cotton / 20% Polyester | Brushed Fleece | XS–3XL, 5XL
The Core Hoodie is Urban Collab's own description of this one: a simplified version of the Broad, built to offer the same DNA at a slightly lower price point. And that's pretty much exactly what it is. Same 80/20 cotton-polyester brushed fleece. Same construction approach. Forty grams lighter at 280 g/m², which is still a proper heavyweight — you won't notice the difference unless you're holding both at the same time.
What you do notice is the colour range: Black, Heather Grey, Navy, White. That's it. Four colours. If you want the Broad's full palette, you want the UCH320. If you want the fundamentals — and honestly, most people's most-worn hoodies are black, grey, or navy — the Core delivers the same quality at a better price.
Heather Grey: 75% Cotton, 22% Polyester, 3% Viscose. Heather Dark Grey: 60% Cotton, 40% Polyester.
A straightforward call: same hoodie, less choice, less spend.
4. Gildan 18500 Heavy Blend Adult Hooded Sweatshirt
271 g/m² | 50% Cotton / 50% Polyester | 2-End Midweight Fleece | Classic Fit | S–5XL
The 18500 is the most well-known hoodie on this list. Gildan has been making it for a long time and there's a reason it's everywhere — it's reliable, it's well-priced, and it comes in more colours than almost anything else in the blank hoodie market. Over 30 options, running S through 5XL.
The fabric is a 50/50 cotton-polyester blend at 271 g/m², which lands it in solid midweight territory. The polyester-heavy blend means it keeps its shape extremely well and resists pilling better than a cotton-dominant hoodie. It's also why it feels slightly different from the Urban Collab or Origin hoodies — a little more structured, a little less immediately soft, though it does soften with washing. Air-combed MVS yarn reduces pilling further. Double-lined hood with a colour-matched drawcord. 1×1 rib cuffs and waistband with spandex for stretch recovery. Pouch pocket.
Heather colours are 60/40 polyester/cotton — reversed blend.
This is the hoodie for when you need a specific colour that nobody else has in stock, or when size range matters more than premium fabric. It's not the softest option here, but it's one of the most versatile, and it does exactly what it says.
5. Gildan 19500 Hammer Heavyweight Adult Hoodie
356 g/m² | 75% US Cotton / 25% Recycled Polyester | 2-End Heavyweight Fleece | Classic Fit | S–4XL
The Hammer Hoodie is the heaviest thing on this list. At 356 g/m² (10.5 oz/yd²), it's in a completely different weight class from the 18500. This is a serious hoodie.
The construction uses a 2-end heavyweight fleece with a 100% cotton face — same principle as the Origin Hoodie: the cotton is where you see and feel it, the recycled polyester sits behind it doing the structural work. Two-ply self-fabric hood with a wide colour-matched flat drawcord. 1×1 rib cuffs and waistband with spandex. Pouch pocket. Classic fit, seamless body. OEKO-TEX certified dyes. US Cotton Trust Protocol member.
Colours are a tight, considered palette: Blue Dusk, Cherry Red, Deep Royal, Garnet, Gravel, Off White, Olive, Pitch Black, Tan. No fluorescents, nothing generic. These are earthy, wearable tones that let the weight of the hoodie speak for itself.
If you've ever worn a hoodie that just feels substantial — the kind you reach for every time because it actually keeps you warm rather than just pretending to — this is that hoodie. The Hammer is for people who've outgrown midweight and want something that genuinely earns the word heavyweight.
6. American Apparel RF498 ReFlex Fleece Unisex Hooded Sweatshirt
258 g/m² | 70% Combed Ring-Spun Cotton / 30% Recycled Polyester | 3-End Lightweight Fleece | Relaxed Fit | XS–4XL
The RF498 is a different kind of hoodie. Where everything else on this list is building toward warmth and weight, the ReFlex is building toward softness, sustainability, and a more modern silhouette.
The 70% combed ring-spun cotton and 30% recycled polyester blend is genuinely premium — combed ring spun gives you a smoother, softer surface than standard ring spun, and the cotton face is 100% for the outer surface. The recycled polyester is what gives it stretch recovery and stops it from bagging out. At 258 g/m² it's the lightest fleece hoodie here, which isn't a flaw — it's a feature if you're after something you can layer or wear in milder weather without overheating.
The design details are worth noting: the hood has no drawcord and is unlined, which gives it a cleaner, more minimal look. The shoulder seam has a 1" rolled-back drop, giving it a slightly relaxed, contemporary silhouette. Back neck patch for customisation. Oversized pouch pocket. 1×1 rib with spandex at cuffs and waistband. Side seams. Recycled tear-away label. OEKO-TEX certified.
Colours include White, Black, Arctic, Asphalt, Blush, Bone, Brown, Cardinal, Heather Grey, Lieutenant, Mustard, Sea Blue — a palette that's thoughtful and fashion-forward.
Heather Grey is 65/35 cotton/recycled polyester.
This is the hoodie you reach for when you want something that looks and feels considered rather than heavy. It has real personality.
7. Comfort Colors 1567 Adult Hooded Sweatshirt
322 g/m² | 80% Ring-Spun Cotton / 20% Polyester | Garment-Dyed Fleece | Relaxed Fit | S–3XL
If you've worn the Comfort Colors 1717 tee and loved it, the 1567 is the same principle in hoodie form. Garment dyed — sewn together first, then dyed as a finished garment. The result is that immediately soft, broken-in feeling that normally takes a year of washing to achieve. No wait. It arrives already feeling like yours.
At 322 g/m² it's proper heavyweight fleece. The 80% ring-spun US cotton gives it real substance, and the 3-end fleece with a 100% cotton face means the garment behaves like cotton where it counts. Jersey-lined hood with a colour-matched flat drawcord. Rolled forward shoulder. Twill taped back neck. 1×1 rib cuffs and waistband. Pouch pocket. Side seams. Double-needle stitching throughout. Signature Comfort Colors twill label — softer than a standard woven label. Pre-shrunk during the dyeing process, so almost no shrinkage at home.
The colour range does what Comfort Colors always does: goes beyond the obvious. Available in colours including Blue Jean, Blue Spruce, Crimson, Pepper, True Navy, and White — tones that feel considered and lived-in rather than just picked off a standard palette.
The garment-dyeing process uses 50% less water than traditional pigment dye methods, which is a genuine sustainability credential rather than a marketing claim.
If the UCH320 is the hoodie you buy for weight and build quality, the 1567 is the hoodie you buy for feel and colour. Both are right answers.
8. UCPH320 Urban Collab Adult The Broad Pocketless Hoodie
320 g/m² | 80% Cotton / 20% Polyester | Brushed Fleece | Longline | XS–5XL
Same fabric as the UCH320. Same weight. Same colour range. Same longline cut, same metal-tipped drawcords, same construction throughout. The only difference is that there's no front pocket.
That might sound like a downgrade, but for some people it's actually preferable. A clean front panel with nothing breaking up the surface. If you're printing a design on the front of a hoodie, a pocket-free body gives you a larger, uninterrupted canvas to work with. If you just prefer the look of a minimal, pocket-free silhouette — some people do — this is it.
Everything said about the UCH320 applies here. This is that hoodie, simplified.
All hoodies available at basically.co.nz.
Our views are our own.
0 comments