Mountain Hardwear Monkey Woman Lite Jacket - Women's

Not a good fit, for me...
October 04, 2011

I am quite petite and thus ordered an extra small. Fit is very important to me and it's often difficult to find that 'perfect' fit. This jacket was extra small everywhere accept in the abdomen area. It "bowed" out and did not conform to my body. Therefore, it is not worth even the sale price to me and I will return it. If you have a little beer gut, or are perhaps pregnant, this might work for you! Also, the seem on the arms between the two different fabrics felt a bit irritating. Otherwise, seemed to be of quality construction...

Best All Around Lighter Weight Jacket
March 14, 2011

I purchased one of these last year and got so many compliments. This one is a bit different and they have made some great improvements! The fact that the material is more solid around the arms and wear and tear places makes it that much better. This is the best lighter weight warm jacket that there is! A must try for those that like to be outdoors!

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Not what expected, but very nice quality
February 15, 2011

The black on black jacket did not look like the picture shown on the website. The picture looked more gray/black and the actual jacket is jet black with maroon ribbing. Looks good though. The sizing I found to be true-to-size, but the arm length is a bit longer than most other XS jackets that I own. Not a problem though since it keeps my hands warmer while hiking. The jacket was advertised as being waterproof which it is not. This is just a really nice fleece, very good for layering under a waterproof shell. Fleece not exactly what expected, but love it anyway.

Women's Monkey Woman Lite Jacket
February 15, 2012

This jacket is very comfortable and true to size but the side sections pilled after only a few washes. I own other MH products and feel that this jacket is below average durability wise compared to the other MH products. I bought this when it was deeply discounted on sale and still felt like I overpaid and sent it back.

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I love this jacket!
January 16, 2011

This Mountain Hardwear Monkey Woman Lite Jacket is great. It is soft, generously cut and stretches beautifully. It fits "loosely" without being loose. By that, I mean it fits true-to-size. It is a close cut, but because of the stretch panels, it doesn't bind at all. I have complete range of motion through the arms and shoulders.The hood provides an excellent field of vision while keeping me warm. The long sleeves, with thumb holes, are soft and create fingerless gloves in a pinch, but they can be pushed up without losing circulation in your arms and hands if you want them out of the way. A winner!

Great jacket, somewhat short sleeves
March 18, 2011

I was looking for a jacket that I could wear under a shell for bike commuting and skiing, and this jacket is perfect for both. It also looks great on its own. I bought the black/pink one, and the furry fleece is simply awesome. So comfortable and gets lots of compliments. The hood is a nice touch and fits perfectly under a bike or ski helmet. The wrist gaiters were a major reason I bought this jacket, and once I was sized properly, they've been a great feature as well. I originally bought this jacket in a small (I'm 5'6", 35-inch chest, 135 lbs, thin to athletic build), and while it was snug and sexy in the torso, the sleeves weren't quite long enough if I wanted to wear the gaiters (they pulled at my thumbs and were pretty uncomfortable). Also, the hood on the small fit but was stretched tight at the back of my neck. I exchanged it for a medium, and while it doesn't fit quite as closely in the chest/waist, the hood and sleeves fit perfectly (there's a half inch difference between the small and medium sleeve length, according to the Mountain Hardware website). I would actually recommend visiting Mountain Hardware's site to get the measurements (I couldn't find them on Altrec) and going off of those. If I hadn't been concerned about the gaiters, I probably would have stuck with the small. But, for me, I'm happy I made the size up, and of course, the return policy at Altrec is super easy and awesome. In terms of warmth, it was GREAT under a ski jacket with just a tank top underneath for a day of skiing in the 30s, and good under a light shell for biking in the 30s-40s. I think it'll make a great spring jacket, but I wouldn't buy it as your main winter coat because it's really not that windproof on its own at all.

Great Buy
April 19, 2011

I bought this for my wife and she loves it. Spring in upstate NY can be very chilly and this jacket is doing the trick. It has become like her second skin as she wears it outside and inside the house to keep warm. Another great product by Mountain Hardware.

Summit Fleece
March 09, 2011

I was looking for a light fleece with a nice tight hoody. I didn't like the hoody, it was way too loose and no way of tightning it. Aside from that the quality of the jacket appeared to be fantastic. It was very light for the apparent warmed that it was almost the perfect light weight jacket! I liked everyghting else about it!!

so soft
September 29, 2011

I bought the Monkey Lite after owning the original Monkey jacket for years. It's made of fleece soooooo soft that everyone who saw the jacket wanted to touch it and not let go :-) It's extremely warm, yet it's got power stretch side panels that makes it perfect under a ski jacket. The lower portion of the arms are also made of non-bulky power stretch fleece, makes it easy to layer. Mountain Hardwear really paid a lot of attention in designing this jacket. The only thing I would change is to make the jacket 2 inches longer, like the original Monkey. If you go to MH's website, it actually tells you the center back lengths of their tops, very useful when it comes to ordering. Highly recommend this jacket.

Runs small
October 25, 2011

Got this fleece for my girlfriend, and had to return it because it runs a size smaller than usual MHW. I had the exact same experience with the men's version - had to exchange mine for a size larger as well. Altrec was out of stock in the larger size for hers though, so it'll have to wait untill next season. As for quality - it looks just like the men's version - and I absolutely LOVE mine. One of the best mid-layer fleeces out there. Fit and finish are outstanding - just buy it one size up from your usual. the hood fits nicely under a climbing helmet, or hood. Super warm under a shell. No wind protection whatsoever though. Just wear a vest or shell over it. Almost too warm if you are really moving. High-loft fleece is a great idea. MHW finishing on pockets, zippers, etc... is some of the best in the industry. Details matter.

January 13, 2011

This jacket is warm. Especially when layered underneath a shell or softshell. It is not very windproof however. So, it will feel the warmest when layered or worn on a mellow weather day! I hope this info helps!

the lightest fleece
October 24, 2011

I loved this fleece sweater, it is very light and ultra packable. It fits nicely under my soft shell jacket. I am 5'3" and normally need to wear petite XS and glad the fit is very good.

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Cozy Fleece
March 27, 2012

This fleece is super comfy! Its soft and feels great on. A more fitted coat, flattering yet true to size. The reason this did not get 5 stars is because it has already started to pill a bit, under the arms and at the end of the cuff. I have worn it approximately 10 times, usually for several hours each time, on some walks, but only one hike. It is warm, perfect for Spring. I do love this jacket, but, for the money the pilling so early on is a concern.

Awesome
August 19, 2012

I love this jacket! Very lightweight, yet warm. Fits a little large, love the sleeves and upper chest pocket. Plan on wearing this on the Appalachian Trail...

Mediocre quality for price.
September 20, 2010

I am 5'9" and size XL/16 and not fit. I was looking for a comfortable medium-weight fleece hoody with pop. This wasn't it. The XL was GINORMOUS (usually MH products are too small for me), with a gaping hood (in the neck area - the dome was snug) that defeated the purpose of the hood completely, the fit was loose and unflattering, and the sleeves were too long (I often run into sleeves that are too short, but these covered my hands completely and were very bulky). On the upside, the Monkey Lite Phur is very soft and comfy, as is the stretch fleece. The black with the contrast stitching is cute, and the torso length was perfect for me (I have a slightly longer than average torso, but don't need tall sizing). I would try a size down, but this just wasn't the fleece I was looking for. For the price, I will try something else, like the TNF Oso Hoody and the Patagonia Better Sweater Hoody.