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The Black Diamond Men’s Solution Hoody At A Glance
A high quality, midweight, synthetic fill, insulated jacket with front zip, helmet-compatible hood, bottom cinches and chest pocket that’s perfect as a Winter active insulation, for summer backpacking while at the campsite or on top of lofty mountain summits, or for an every day do-it-all jacket in cold temps, no matter how far away from the trailhead you are.
Stand Out Benefits of the Black Diamond Men’s Solution Hoody
The premium, synthetic 60g Primaloft Gold Eco Insulation is warm for its weight, has coverage without cold spots, is easy to wash, retains warmth even when wet, while also being vegan and made of 60% post consumer recycled content.
Good Durability care of its PFAS-free DWR 20D face fabric, which strikes a good balance between taking abuse while still being lightweight. Synthetic insulation rather than down insulation makes this jacket easier to care for and clean, and the beefy #5 front zipper while hold up to constant use.
Good All-Rounder features like a helmet-compatible hood, bottom cinches, chest pocket, and side zip pockets.
Features of the Black Diamond Solution Hoody
- Helmet-compatible hood
- Bottom cinches
- Zippers:
- Full Front Zipper w/backing draft barrier strip
- Small chest pocket (1)
- Side pockets (2)
- Let pocket is two-way to double the jacket’s stuff sack
- Insulation: Primaloft Gold Eco @ 60 gram weight
- Face Fabric: durable, 20D nylon with PFAS/PFC-Free DWR
- Coloways:
- Black
- Creek Blue
- Tundra
- Charcoal
- Walnut
- Iron Red
- Weight: ~360 grams
A Tour of the Black Diamond Men’s Solution Hoody
The Black Diamond Men’s Solution Hoody is a midweight insulated jacket with a regular fit – not too athletically tight, not too generously wide – allowing ample space for layering below. I have myself pretty broad shoulders and a fairly wide back but I still didn’t find that this jacket pinches me in the armpits – a welcome relief – allowing me to wear this jacket for long periods at a time, including while sleeping.
The face material is a fairly stout 20D rip stop nylon with a PFAS-free DWR finish, which gives me a ton of confidence wearing this in the alpine, where sharp rocks often lay waste to insulated layers that use much lower weight 10D or even 7D face fabric. I never felt the need to baby this jacket like I do some of my 1000 fill, 7D goose down jackets. The outside face fabric isn’t waterproof, just mildly resistant to a scattered sprinkle or a short snow flurry. You’ll want a rain jacket or GTX soft layer to complement this jacket if you’re expecting major precipitation.
There are two pockets on the bottom at the sides, great for warming your hands and for putting in items like batteries to keep them from freezine while you’re out. The left side pocket has a two way zipper which you can use to conveniently stuff the entire jacket into for storage in your pack.
The Solution also features a left side chest pocket for keys, snacks.etc.
And of course a full zip up front for mechanical ventilation using a big beefy #5 zipper with a backing draft barrier, which should be pretty much impossible to destroy.
This jacket has a helmet compatible hood, although without a cinch to tighten it up over your face. But the front zipper ends high up the just underneath the chin, which does a good job sealing in most of your head area without one.
There are also elastane cinches on the bottom of the Solution Hoody to help hug the jacket to your waist. The jacket comes down pretty naturally to my own belt line. If you’re wearing a harness, there is enough material to tuck underneath one, although those bottom pockets will then not be accessible.
The Insulation: Primaloft Gold Eco
If there ONE thing that differentiates this jacket from every other jacket that looks and feels similar, it’s the insulation — so I’m going to write at length about it, since it may be the most important part of this jacket, while being the material you may never see:
The Black Diamond Men’s Solution Hoody uses Primaloft Gold Eco insulation in a 60 gram weight. This s a fully synthetic material and very unlike goose down that you may be familiar with finding in insulation layers. Both are excellent materials, so why would you use Primaloft over down?
Advantages of Primaloft Over Down
Simpler Construction = Less Heat Loss, Better Durability
If you look at a feather down jacket, you’ll see that it’s constructed by sewing baffles that are then filled with the down itself. This is done because down is itself an incredibly light, almost gossamer material that’ll migrate around if you don’t capture it into these chambers. Down also has a tendency of bunching up if it gets wet or dirty.
With Primaloft, you don’t actually need these baffles, the material comes in a sheet so it won’t migrate around, so you won’t see those same types of baffles on this jacket. Removing that design constraint of working with down allows one to minimize how much sewing you need to construct the jacket and lessens the points at which cold air can leak in. Because some of these baffle designs – like sewn through – connect the inner and outer face fabrics together and where they meet, cold air can leak through.
More Consistent Coverage
Synthetic insulation like Primaloft is also a lot more consistent on where the insulation is found. You won’t have any clumping up if it gets wet, then dries out like you may have with down. The Primaloft simply stays in place.
Easier to Wash
This also makes it easier to wash and dry a Primaloft jacket like the Solution Hoody. Many times to get goose down to perform well again, you have to tumble it without heat with a few drying balls to loft it back up.
Better Performance When Wet
Primaloft also works better when wet compared to down. Although you don’t necessarily want to get either materials wet, Primaloft will conserve more of its insulating properties if it does, no matter if this comes from precipitation or perspiration.
Animal Rights, Allergies
If you’re vegan or allergic to down, Primaloft makes a good performing alternative, as it is hypoallergenic. Primaloft Gold is also made of 60% post consumer recycled content.
More Affordable
You may also find that Primaloft jackets are a little more affordable than down for similar performance.
So it seems like a wonder-material – are there any negatives to a Primaloft jacket like the Black Diamond Men’s Solution Hoody?
Advantages of Down Over Primaloft
Better Warmth Performance to Weight
Premium down – 800 to 1000 fill weight – is simply going to have a higher warmth to weight ratio over Primaloft, so if you’re hoping to pack as light as possible, you’re most likely going to want to choose a down jacket.
Packs Down Smaller
Down also packs down more than Primaloft, so if space in your pack is at a major premium, you’re also going to want to choose a premium down jacket.
Insulation Performance Test
I did a casual test of the Black Diamond Solution Hoody’s insulation performance, comparing it to a few other pieces I have: an 850+ ultraligjht down jacket that I use mostly in summer, a 1000 fill ultralight down jacket I mostly use in Winter, as well as an Alpha Direct 90 base layer (for fun).
The most interesting conclusions from the test were that the Black Diamond Men’s Solution Hoody came out as having slightly more warmth retention when compared to my 850+ ultraligjht down jacket! (although the Solution is a little heavier on the scale.) The Solution Hoody also comes in as having less warmth retention than my much more expensive (2x roughly) 1000 fill goose down winter parka, which isn’t surprising. The Alpha Direct layer – for what it is – performed admirably, but was far outclassed!
This gives me a good insight on how to slot the Black Diamond Solution Hoody into my quiver of jackets, and what trips it would work the most appropriately. If i was visiting more rainy climates, the Solution would be a top contender because of the synthetic insulation — wet down is not desirable. The Solution’s sweet spot for me would be late summer/early spring, where the ultralight summer down jacket I like to wear in relatively precipitation-free Colorado starts to really struggle. For Winter, I could see bringing the Solution as my active insulation, but it would have to be paired off with a much warmer down parka, as the amount of insulation it has just won’t be enough for hanging out at a summit or at camp.
“60-g” in the description and specs. of the Black Diamond Men’s Solution Hoody correspond to the weight of the Primaloft Gold used. Primaloft Gold comes in a few different weights: 40g, 60g, 100g, etc. The higher the number, the heavier and more insulative the Primaloft is. So, if this jacket sounds good to you, but you want a warmer jacket, look for a jacket with a heavier weight than 60g.
Who is the Black Diamond Solution Hoody Best For?
In Summer As A Supplement Layer When Resting
Being a midweight jacket – the Solution Hoody weighs in at 360 grams for a size large – I found it pretty warm while wearing in the Summer backpacking in the Colorado Rockies while on the go. When you’ve stopped for the night to camp, or when you’re hanging out for an extended period of time on the summit of whatever 14er you have found yourself on, it’s pretty much perfect.
In Winter As An Active Layer
For Winter, this could make a great match for when you are moving around. I generally suggest synthetics for active wear, as any sweating that you might do won’t affect the insulative qualities of the layer as much as when you’re wearing down. No matter what temperature, there is a good chance that my back – and thus my layers – will sweat underneath a pack. The Solution Hoody isn’t going to be the best layer to wear on a frigid cold day alone – you would want to look for something heavier.
Every Day All-Rounder Jacket
The Solution Hoody makes a great jacket for everyday, casual outings, as the fabric and insulation are really meant to take the abuse. The face fabric is thicker than more ultralight jackets that I normally wear and the synthetic insulation as I’ve mentioned isn’t as delicate as down, meaning it can be cared for much more easily: I wash it in with my regulars and hang it to dry.
This is the jacket I’ll wear the most around town now that it’s Winter, no matter if it’s to get some coffee and read a book, or to ride my bike to the trailhead. The insulation really cuts down on the biting cold on those rides At night, I’ll wear it underneath a light soft shell to extend its warmth. It packs down small enough that it also becomes the extra layer that I’d bring with me on a long hike or run as a “just in case” layer, that could see me through most anything, so long as I’m still moving and producing enough heat for the Solution Hoody to trap.
For Excellent Performance Without Going Over Budget
Good Goose down is expensive. Quality, synthetic insulation often makes far more sense when you’re investing in an insulating layer. If there is a choice between a so-so down jacket – below 800 fill – and a synthetic jacket of the quality of the Black Diamond Men’s Solution Hoody, I would go with the synthetic jacket.
Would You Change Anything About The Black Diamond Men’s Solution Hoody
It gets windy where I usually find myself – especially up high on alpine ridges. A cinch for the hood would really bolster this jacket’s already excellent adaptability.
The Solution also lacks interior pockets to stuff a phone or other electronics to be kept close at hand but still protected by its insulation, or to have a convenient place to warm up gloves.
A two-way, dual zipper on the front would further extend the flexibility of the jacket, allowing you to wear the jacket zipped up above, but allowing you to have ventilation below. And sometimes your waist is also busy with gear hanging from a harness, but you’d like to still wear the jacket upper-half-zipped up.
Those aren’t deal-breakers, but I do miss having them in this jacket, having gotten used to them in others. Of course, these additional features would also add weight, complexity and at the end: price to the Solution Hoody, and the feature set the jacket does bring to the table is a nice balance.
What Other Black Diamond Insulation Layers Should I Check Out?
Black Diamond makes an enormous spread of clothing and gear, and within that are some very compelling options. When it comes to other insulation layers that can complement the Men’s Solution Hoody, check out the Black Diamond Deploy Down Hoody. This jacket uses premium 1000-fill goose down to provide good three-season warmth while also being incredibly light. Spec’d at only 143 grams (incredible!), this is the jacket that I would choose for something like an ultralight backpacking or fastpacking trip where speed is the goal and space is at a major premium. I would also choose the Deploy if I was on a summer mountain run or FKT attempt and I needed an emergency layer while solo and far from town. As I mentioned above, the 1000 fill down and 4d face (very, very lightweight) fabric requires you to be a little more loving and caring when using the jacket and the Deploy wouldn’t make a good-all rounder jacket, like the Solution.
If you’re looking for a warmer jacket compared to the Men’s Solution, check out the Black Diamond Men’s Access Down Hoody. With 800 fill goose down, it’ll provide winter-level insulation and warmth, while only weighing a few more grams than the Solution. As I wrote, 800 fill is an excellent quality down — I wouldn’t purchase a jacket with anything lower and would instead move to a synthetic.
And also see my review of Black Diamond’s Distance LT 1100 Headlamp
Thanks to Black Diamond for providing the Men’s Solution Hoody for evaluation. If you would like to see your product showcased on this site and on my Youtube channel, please contact me.
