Stay Cozy on a Budget: REI Co-op Trailmade Jacket Review

When I woke up, I could see my breath. Rain was falling lightly on my tent. I didn’t want to get out of my sleeping bag, but the thought of a warm cup of coffee was motivation enough. I wiggled out of the down bag, shivered, and immediately reached for my REI Co-op Trailmade jacket. Slipping into that soft, cozy fleece felt like swaddling myself in a blanket.

I sat with my dog, willing my internal temperature to rise. With help from the Trailmade jacket, it did. I was warm enough to unzip the tent and face that cold April morning in about 10 minutes. I wore that jacket most of the morning as I chopped wood, cleaned my campsite, and made breakfast, until the sun had burned off the clouds and started radiating heat.

That was the first time I’d used this fleece in the wild. Since then, it’s become a permanent part of my camping ensemble, and one I’ve used many times, even into the summer. It’s simple, no-frills, and well-made.

I wouldn’t call it a perfect fleece jacket (there is at least one feature I really wish it had), but it’s a solid budget option for hiking, camping, and anywhere you might get chilly.

In short: The REI Co-op Trailmade Fleece Jacket is a midweight fleece with a classic, relaxed fit. Its “best use” is listed as casual hiking, but I found it to be great for camping, traveling, backyard hangouts, and any other situation where you might find yourself getting a little chilly. Plus, it’s budget-friendly at only $60 and made from recycled polyester.

Compare the REI Trailmade fleece with our other top picks in GearJunkie’s guide to the Best Fleece Jackets.

REI Trailmade Fleece Jacket Review

Budget-Friendly Benefits

When you start perusing the aisles of an outdoor gear store (people still do that, right?), you’ll find many fleece jackets priced at $100 and up. The Best Overall fleece jacket in GearJunkie’s guide to the Best Fleece Jackets is the Patagonia R1 Air Hoody, which retails for $180. Arc’teryx’s Kyanite Hoody is $200.

Comparatively, the Trailmade Fleece Jacket is just $60 (and as low as $40 when it’s on sale). That’s competitive for just about any piece of outdoor apparel (except maybe socks). It isn’t windproof, it isn’t water-resistant, and it isn’t necessarily a “premium” fleece jacket with all the bells and whistles.

But as a basic fleece, the Trailmade serves its purpose. It will warm you up or keep you warm on chilly and mildly cold days. It’s also great for camping, which can be really hard on fleece jackets.

And on that note, the Trailmade has held up well to my outdoor abuse. Despite coming on numerous camping trips and hikes, it’s not showing much wear and tear so far.

Fit & Style

The Trailmade jacket is a relaxed-fit fleece, so it’s a little baggy. It might even verge on “boxy” territory. If you like tapered fleeces or slim fits, you might want to check out some of the others on GearJunkie’s guide to the Best Fleece Jackets.

Despite the baggier fit, the Trailmade could still be worn under an outer layer like a rain jacket or a down jacket if it were really cold. You could also wear it over a flannel or sweater for extra warmth.

Personally, I like the relaxed style of a fleece like this. It’s got a kind of retro vibe, like some REI and Patagonia’s more vintage fleeces. The colorful paracord zipper pull tab complements that aesthetic.

Recycled Polyester

REI used recycled polyester for the fleece in the Trailmade. That doesn’t affect the performance of this jacket at all, but it’s peace of mind if you’re a sustainability-minded person who wants to reduce waste.

Overall, the polyester fleece is warm. It’s a midweight jacket, so I used it most on chilly mornings and evenings. But I also took it on a couple of airplanes and was grateful for the blanket-like extra layer.

I thought the soft feeling of the polyester fleece used for the Trailmade felt nice against my skin. But I know that some people don’t like that feeling — if that’s you, this jacket probably won’t be your cup of tea.

Features (And Lack Thereof)

The Trailmade includes some nice features and lacks others. REI added a wind flap along the front zipper to help better shield you on blustery days. I love a good wind flap, and this one helped reduce the amount of air penetrating the jacket when I was in windy conditions. Again, it isn’t a windproof jacket, but it would be a lot less resistant to wind without this feature.

The collar, hem, and cuffs all use Lycra spandex binding. Some people don’t like the look that adds (especially on a looser, relaxed jacket), but it’s pretty standard and doesn’t bother me. It’s designed to help snug up the fit around those areas so less heat escapes as you’re wearing it and moving around. It also helps keep out cool breezes.

The only thing I really wish this jacket included was a hood. For something designed specifically for hiking and camping, I am surprised REI didn’t put one on this fleece. For the niche it fills — budget-friendly, non-technical, midweight fleece jacket — it seems like this piece would benefit from having a hood.

Some people prefer hoodless midlayers for layering so as not to have a stack of hoods under a shell, so that may have been the intent of REI designers. But I found myself wishing for a hood every time I wore this piece.

REI Co-op Trailmade Fleece Jacket: Who Is It For?

Hikers and campers looking for a basic, do-all, midweight fleece jacket that won’t cost an arm and a leg will love the Trailmade. As a cherry on top, it’s made with 100% recycled polyester. For the price, it’s hard to beat a standard fleece like this one.

The Trailmade is now a fixture of my camping kit. Not just because it’s a low-cost piece that I don’t mind getting dirty or putting through hard use, but because it’s a solid fleece jacket. Even for its lack of a hood, I’ve come to appreciate it as a dependable layer for chilly days and nights.