I love spring.  I am hyper-conscious of this fact right now as we depart from (what seemed like) a long, cold winter in Ontario. I love the green, the fresh, the mud, and most importantly the warmth.  Not the searing heat of summer, but the defrosting warmth of spring.  I love running, sweating, and stopping without getting a chill.  I like shedding the requisite winter layers.

Loving spring in the Arc’teryx Incendo Hooded Jacket

One outer layer I have been clinging to is the new 2013 Hooded Incendo Jacket from Arc’teryx.  In 2012 I tested out the non-hooded version of this jacket and couldn’t find a single thing wrong with it.  At the time I recognized that it didn’t have a hood.  This has been a blessing when I use it while riding my bike (which it is great for) but at times I would have liked a hood while running.  Arc’teryx has given us that option in 2013.  Whether it’s due to race kit requirements, or just personal preference many people like their jacket to have a hood.  For me, I find that I rarely use a hood, but I like the feel of it around my neck, and appreciate having the option when the skies open up with rain.

Perfectly fitting hood (I’m actually happier than I appear!)

Basically the hooded Incendo jacket is identical to its non-hooded sibling, but with a hood permanently fixed to the collar.  I found the hood to be very well designed and integrated into the jacket.  It has a basic elastic cinch cord to tighten it up.  I found this useful to keep the hood from acting like a parachute while I wasn’t wearing it as well as to seal up my head when it was donned.  The cut of the hood was a good balance between coverage and maintenance of my peripheral  vision required while trail running.

Small pocket with headphone port

Everything else about the Incendo Hooded Jacket was awesome.  The single pocket with headphone port, vented armpits, reflective features, asymmetric cut sleeves, and overall fit of the jacket are awesome.  It is amazingly light and packable, but still feels robust enough to handle the rigors of the trail.  It isn’t waterproof, but will keep the wind and light rain at bay without being a more heavy duty shell.

It stuffs into its own tiny pocket (and resembles an iPhone sized fish head!)

If you want a lightweight spring/rain day/fall jacket check out the Incendo (with or without the hood).  It is a barely noticeable outer layer that helped me get out of my late winter rut, to a happy spring mindset!