After my initial Born Primitive Outdoors review, I finally got my hands on their Quiver Half Zip Hoodie. In my opinion, you can never have enough jackets or hoodies, and it has proved to be a welcome addition to the collection. More info on specs and features here.
My Four Favorite Features
The Quiver Has A Collar!
Officially, it’s called a “High Neck Snorkel Collar”. It strikes me as a bold design decision, but it’s a high-functioning feature. The collar was nice this fall when I wanted neck protection but did not want a hood covering my aging ears and dampening the sounds of distant bugles. The more I wear this layer, the more I appreciate the collar.
Quality Thumb Holes.
Thumb loops in a layering system are a must-have. Period. However, this Howard has great disdain for the cheap loop that has been tacked on the ends of the sleeves as if it were an afterthought. It’s annoying. It’s uncomfortable. I’d rather it not even be there. The Quiver’s thumb holes are built into the sleeve. They are comfortable and functional and hold the sleeve at the callous line of your hand. So far, it’s the best thumb hole design I’ve seen. Perfect!
Quality Cuff Stretch.
Ninety percent of the time, I have my sleeves pulled up to mid-forearm. This tends to cause sloppy-floppy cuffs. Born Primitive has managed to find the middle ground. The cuff is tight enough to hold my sleeves in place but stretch enough to allow me to pull them up without ruining the fabric. This might not be a huge selling point for some people, but it was a big deal to me. I’ll get much more use out of this garment for years to come.
GridTek technology.
When you look at the Quiver you can see the square patterns. It isn’t quilted, but it looks like it’s quilted. The interior fabric lays out like a three-dimensional checkerboard. This holds a percentage of the material away from your skin. It’s comfortable, even without an under shirt. It creates loft, traps air, wicks moisture, and helps regulate your body temperature. I tend to sweat easier than most, which puts this hoodie into the late fall to early winter category for me. As we’re rolling into November, I’m using it more and more every day. Thank you GridTek!
The Negatives
No Storage
There are no pockets or pouches. I at least want a breast pocket for holding my diaphragm elk calls. Thankfully, the Frontier Pant has pockets sewn on top of pockets. The lack of storage was ultimately a non-issue for me, but their absence is worth mentioning.
No Hayrides
The squares from the GridTek cause the exterior to look and feel like the entire hoodie is piling. These soft fingers of fabric become grass magnets. While hunting in eastern Montana, it slowly morphed into a sniper’s ghillie suit. There was dead vegetation stuck to everything. While the natural camouflage might be a nice fringe benefit, if you’re going on a hayride this holiday season, I would recommend the Tundra Jacket as an outer layer.
Conclusion
In short, it’s tough to find things to complain about. On warm days, the sleeves go up, and the half-zip goes down. When it’s cold outside, the sleeves go down, the zipper zips up, and the hood goes on. From performance to comfort to use beyond the field, it’s a solid bit of kit worth putting on your Christmas wish list. I’m hoping Santa reads this review and brings me a couple more. Head over to the Born Primitive Outdoors website to get your shopping started.
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