Here’s Why My Winter Jacket is Now a Quarter-Zip

Last week, the weather was finally cold enough for me to drag out the bin of coats I store for half the year. I was met with a terrible surprise – the bin wasn’t sealed, and my jackets were now home to a family of deer-mice (and nibbled up, to boot.)

My friend Cody, a jacket enthusiast, put me on to the newest invention from the apparel company birddogs: a men’s thermal lined quarter-zip.

I was skeptical, because it looks like a lightweight layering piece from the outside. There’s certainly nothing ‘thermal’ about the way it looks.

After wearing it a few times, I knew I was wrong. Despite a trim appearance, the birddogs quarter-zip packs a serious punch. The double layers give it weight, capture body heat, and make the q-zip even warmer than a puffed-up jacket.

The thermal liner doesn’t just handle temperatures – it’s also super soft, stretchy, and slides on and off easily – without getting caught on my shirt. As far as I can tell, it’s a slightly different material than the liner birddogs puts in their shorts and pants. But I love it.

Plus, because the liner and outside fabric aren’t bulky, the quarter-zip lies flat and fits way better than a traditional jacket. It looks great layered over a collared shirt, and takes up no space beneath a parka for the very coldest nights.

Now, my winter jacket is a birddogs quarter-zip. I’ll just have to be more careful about how I store it when the winter’s over.

Try their four styles – Ash Stretchum, Grover Cincinnati, Chef Goldblum, and Samwise Ganja, for yourself. As always, let me know your thoughts down below.