Four fleece jackets from Decathlon’s Quechua range and from Puma cover hiking, running and everyday wear, and only two of their product pages state a fleece weight. Every detail below comes from those pages, and each brand statement is attributed to the brand.
A first time hiker in the hills or a daily commuter in North India will notice that the pages describe each jacket by activity. They seldom say whether it is meant as a mid layer or an outer layer, so the choice here is made by use.
Fabric weight and materials
Decathlon’s page for the Quechua MH500 in blue lists a 310g/m² sports fleece. Puma’s Run Grid page lists 215 gsm.
Both figures describe the mass of fabric in a square metre, and on paper the MH500 cloth is the heavier of the two. Neither page explains how its figure compares with other fleeces, and no page in the set carries a scale of light, medium and heavy weights.
The MH100 and the Puma Essentials pages print no weight at all, so those jackets cannot be placed on the same scale. A buyer comparing all four therefore has two weights and two blanks to work with.
Materials are easier to compare. The MH100 page names recycled polyester with stretch fabric, a full length zip and a ventilated knit. The MH500 blue page describes polyester fabric and gives no fibre breakdown beyond that, while Puma lists the Run Grid as 100% polyester in the listed parts.
Stretch is named for both Decathlon jackets that carry a material description, the MH500 in blue and the MH100, and a stretch fleece is how the brand describes each of them. Puma’s Essentials hooded jacket is different. Its page lists a shell of 60% cotton and 40% polyester, a blend that the other three jackets do not use.
Mid layer or outer layer by use
The MH100 page is the only one that names a layer role. Its brand claim attaches a warmth figure to wearing the fleece as the second layer, and the page gives no test method for the figure.
Decathlon names that role for the MH100 and does not name an outer layer role for any of the four jackets. The other pages describe uses instead of layers.
The MH500 blue page carries the brand line “Optimal warmth for hiking in cold weather in the mountains!” That line places the jacket with hikers in cold mountain weather. Decathlon also describes it as a stretch fleece with a windbreaker component, and the page gives no rating for that component.
Puma presents the Run Grid as breathable, lightweight and built for speed, all brand claims. The description points towards running and outdoor walks.
Everyday wear is the use Puma gives the Essentials hooded jacket. Its page lists a jersey lined hood with a drawcord, a full zip and side pockets, and these are the practical features on offer for a commuter or a visitor to a hill town in the cooler evenings.
Read side by side, the pages show two Decathlon jackets pitched at cold mountain conditions and two Puma jackets pitched at running and daily use. Since the pages stop short of naming an outer layer role, the sorting in this guide follows the activity each brand names: cold mountain hiking, running and everyday wear.
Each jacket in detail
The Quechua MH500 in blue suits a cold weather hiker who wants a heavier stretch fleece with a windbreaker component, as the brand describes it. It is listed in sizes S to 3XL. The page gives no wind or water resistance rating.
Decathlon’s MH100 in black suits a hiker who wants a stretch fleece to wear as a second layer in cold mountain conditions, as the brand describes it. Its page gives no fleece weight and no wind or water resistance rating, and it names only one of the two colours it sells.
Puma’s Run Grid suits a runner or outdoor walker who wants a lightweight polyester fleece, as the page describes its use. It is listed with a full zip and a regular fit. The page does not state a pocket count, a size range or any wind or water resistance.
For a buyer who wants a regular fit cotton and polyester hooded fleece for everyday wear, the Puma Essentials jacket is the one the page presents. It gives no fabric weight and no size chart.
A fifth page, for the MH500 full zip pocket version in red, belongs to the same Decathlon line. It gives no material, fleece weight or warmth figure, so the jacket is left out of the comparison. The page does list sizes S to 2XL and a 2 year warranty, with the terms on a linked page.
Weather protection and fit
None of the product pages gives a wind or water resistance rating. The windbreaker component on the MH500 blue is a brand description with no rating attached, and the two Puma pages list no rating either.
A reader who needs a jacket for rain or strong wind will find that the pages do not support treating any of the four as windproof or water resistant. Hill trips and winter commutes in North India are the uses the pages point to, and the wind question stays open on every one of them.
Wearing the fleece under another jacket is the arrangement Decathlon names, and only for the MH100. The pages for the other three jackets say nothing about pairing.
Sizes are stated for the Decathlon jackets, with the MH500 blue running to 3XL and the MH100 stopping at 2XL. The Run Grid and the Essentials are both listed as regular fit, though the Run Grid page gives no size range and the Essentials page gives no size chart.
Choosing by situation
A cold hill trek is the situation the MH500 blue page speaks to most directly, and it also carries the heaviest fleece weight printed on any of the pages. A hiker who plans to wear a fleece beneath another jacket will find that role named on the MH100 page. Someone who prefers a full zip with a pocket, as the name of the red MH500 puts it, will find size information there but no warmth figure.
Running and brisk walks are the situations Puma describes for the Run Grid, with the lighter of the two fleece weights in the set. Daily wear in North Indian winters, from a morning commute to an evening in a hill town, is the use the Essentials page presents, with a hood and side pockets.
For a gift to a relative who walks or travels in the cold months, the Decathlon pages carry the fuller size information, while the Puma pages leave the size range or the chart blank.
