Journal
Best hoodies and sweatshirts for men under $75
Four sweatshirts from $39 to $70.80. Every one is half off or close to it.
Get the Outerknown Team Crew for $39. It's 100% organic cotton French terry, it was $78, and it's the sweatshirt you'll grab every Saturday until April. Want a hood? The Team Hoodie is $44, same fabric, also half off.
What you're paying for in a good sweatshirt
Fabric first. French terry is knit with little loops on the inside, so it breathes and doesn't trap sweat the way thick polyester fleece does. Organic cotton holds its shape and softens with every wash instead of pilling. Cheap sweatshirts use thin cotton blended with a lot of polyester, which looks fine on the hanger and then balls up at the elbows by Christmas.
Then fit. A good crew sits at your hip, not halfway down your thigh. The cuffs and hem should snap back when you stretch them. If they stay stretched in the store, they'll stay stretched forever.
1. Best overall: Outerknown Team Crew, $39
Olive Night, 100% organic cotton French terry, cut lighter than Outerknown's heavier sweatshirts. That makes it the right weight for most of the year: over a tee in October, under a jacket in January. Heads up, the Team line carries a seasonal screen-printed graphic on the chest or back, so check the photos and make sure you like it. At $39 this is the cheapest piece on SCATTO right now, and it's from a brand that usually doesn't go near that price.
2. Best hoodie: Outerknown Team Hoodie, $44
Same organic French terry as the crew, in Washed Black. Washed black is the smart color: it looks broken in from day one and never fades into that sad charcoal that cheap black hoodies turn into. Down from $88. Sizes run S to XXL. If you only own one hoodie, it should be this kind of hoodie: plain enough to wear everywhere, good enough that it doesn't look like gym clothes.
3. Softest: Outerknown Hightide Crew, $70.80
This is the one people touch and say "wait, what is this." The Hightide Crew is made from TowelKnit, Outerknown's terry toweling blend of organic cotton and recycled polyester, with a brushed interior. It feels like a beach towel you can wear to dinner. It's been an Outerknown signature since the brand started.
$70.80, down from $118, and the size range goes up to XXXL, which is rare. Heather Nirvana is a soft blue that goes with grey, khaki and black.
4. Warmest for the weight: Mack Weldon WARMKNIT Waffle Crew, $49.99
Not a sweatshirt exactly, but it does the same job. The WARMKNIT Waffle Crew is a waffle knit built with Thermolite, which gives you warmth without the bulk. Wear it alone with chinos, or under the flannel or a jacket as a base layer. Total Eclipse is a deep navy that looks sharper than a plain grey crew. $49.99, down from $94.
Which one
Want the best deal: Team Crew at $39. Want a hood: Team Hoodie at $44. Want the one that feels expensive: Hightide. Cold where you live and layer a lot: the Mack Weldon waffle.
How to keep it looking new
Wash cold, inside out. Skip the high-heat dryer, which is what shrinks cotton and kills the cuffs. Lay it flat or hang it over a chair. A good sweatshirt treated like this lasts five years easily.
Build the rest around it with the $239 starter wardrobe, which uses the Team Crew, or the fall knits guide. Everything else is on the rack.
