Soothfeel makes outdoor and sports clothing, and these are two of its layers for opposite ends of the year. The UPF 50+ sun hoodie is a thin full-zip with a hood and thumb holes, sold as something you throw on before a hike, a drive or a day on the beach. The four-pocket vest is a sleeveless softshell, windproof by the listing's account, meant for chilly fall mornings, a round of golf or an airport.
Why put them side by side? Because they are the two Soothfeel outerwear pieces people actually buy, they share a pocket design, and many shoppers are deciding which one to add to a trip bag. Both are light. Both zip up the front. One protects you from the sun, the other from the wind.
What decides it is the season you are dressing for, and then size. The hoodie has 6,683 Amazon ratings and an average of 4.6, and the vest has 628 ratings at 4.5. Both records are strong. Both include a real group of buyers who say the sizing is off, and on the hoodie that group is large enough to plan around.
Soothfeel UPF 50+ Sun Protection Hoodie Jacket
$26.99at our last price check
Soothfeel Women's Lightweight Vest with 4 Pockets
$36.99at our last price check
Design and fabric
The sun hoodie: thin, stretchy, covered
The hoodie is a long-sleeve, full-zip jacket with an attached hood and thumb holes at the cuffs, shown on the listing in white. The fabric is 95% polyester and 5% spandex. That is a classic sun-shirt blend: polyester for a light, fast-drying knit that doesn't hold sweat the way cotton does, and a little spandex so the sleeves stretch over a reach without tugging at the shoulders. The listing calls it "ultra lightweight" and "cool to the touch."
Buyers agree on the weight more strongly than on anything else. "Lightweight" is mentioned 933 times in Amazon's topic counts, 916 of them positively. One buyer says it is "light, cool, and comfortable but the fabric is heavy enough to block wind." Another says she wore it in the heat and "did not feel it because it is a thin material." A third folded it into "my small tote bag." In plain terms, it behaves like a long-sleeve tee with a zipper and a hood, not like a jacket.
Wearing it in the heat
A sun hoodie only works if you keep it on, and you only keep it on if it doesn't trap heat. That is why the buyer comments about temperature matter more than the UPF label. Warmth is mentioned 289 times, 247 positively, and the positive comments mostly say the opposite of warm: "cool in hot temps," "kept me cool and protected," "comfortable and not too hot." The 42 negatives are the minority who found it warmer than they hoped, which is worth knowing if you hike in desert heat.
The full zip is the hoodie's ventilation. Opened halfway, it lets air across your chest while the sleeves and hood still cover your arms and neck. One buyer calls the zip front "easy to take on and off," and on a day that swings from a cool start to a hot afternoon, that matters more than any fabric claim.
Amazon's detail table also says "Not Water Resistant." Take that seriously. This is a sun layer, and a summer shower will soak straight through it.
The vest: a softshell with a collar
Soothfeel's vest is a sleeveless full-zip with a stand collar and a drawcord at the hem, made of polyester with 4-way stretch. The listing calls the fabric "windproof, water-resistant, lightweight" and Amazon's table repeats both claims under weather protection. The photo shows it in black, and the listing color is Light Blue. The vest weighs 0.2 kg by the listing, which is about seven ounces: noticeably more than a sun shirt, but well under a fleece.
What buyers notice is the surface. One praises the "nice weight" and adds that "unlike fleece vests, pet hair doesn't cling to it." Another says "the material is a weird shiny texture. If you don't mind that, this is a good vest." Both are describing the same thing from different sides: a smooth, tightly woven face that sheds hair and wind and doesn't look like cotton. If you want a matte, sporty look, that sheen may bother you.
The hem drawcord is the useful detail here. The listing says you can tighten it "to keep out the wind and adjust the fit," and one buyer notes the length is "a little below hip length so no windy gaps." On a vest, the gap between hem and waistband is where cold air gets in, so a cinchable hem that sits below the hip does real work on a windy day.
| Detail | Sun hoodie | 4-pocket vest |
|---|---|---|
| Fabric | 95% polyester, 5% spandex | Polyester, 4-way stretch |
| Weather claim | UPF 50+, not water resistant | Windproof, water-resistant |
| Sleeves | Long, with thumb holes | None |
| Neck | Hood | Stand collar |
| Hem | Not adjustable | Drawcord |
| Weight | Not stated, "ultra lightweight" | 0.2 kg |
| Season on the listing | All, warm weather | Fall and winter |
What UPF 50+ does and doesn't mean
Its main claim is right in the hoodie's name. The bullets say the fabric is rated UPF 50+, which means it lets through less than 1/50 of the sun's UV. That is a meaningful figure for a thin shirt: an ordinary light tee can't promise anything of the kind, and the listing does.
It covers only the skin under the fabric. Your face, your hands outside the thumb holes, your neck when the hood falls back: all of that still needs sunscreen or a hat. The hoodie's design tries to stretch the coverage. The hood shields the back of the neck and the ears, and the thumb holes keep the sleeves pulled down over your wrists and the back of your hands when you grip a trekking pole or a steering wheel.
Buyers report using it exactly that way. "Keeps my arms and hands from sun exposures all day," writes one. Sun protection has 443 mentions, 423 positive. The vest makes no sun claim of any kind, and with bare arms it wouldn't help if it did.
Pockets
Both pieces share a four-pocket layout: two zipped pockets on the outside and two deep pockets on the inside. On the hoodie, the outer pockets sit on the sides, and on the vest at the front. That is the feature buyers praise most often after weight and fit.
For the hoodie, one buyer says the "zippered pockets are amazing and has deep inside pockets as well without looking bulky." Another likes "that the 2 outside pockets zip closed so I do not lose things." There is a small listing contradiction: the bullets describe four pockets, while Amazon's detail table says three. Trust the bullets and the buyers, who describe both inner pockets.
On the vest, pockets have their own topic in the counts, with 60 of 64 mentions positive. The inner pockets get the most specific praise: "big enough for my iPhone, passport, and credit card holder," "big enough for boarding passes, money, a small book." A nurse uses it to carry "all of the stuff I need to carry around." The one consistent gripe is that the inner pockets have no closure. One buyer "added velcro to the interior pockets to secure my wallet," and another wishes "the inner pockets would have had a velcro or zipper too."
| What you want to carry | Sun hoodie | 4-pocket vest |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | Zip side pocket | Zip front pocket or inner pocket |
| Passport and boarding pass | Inner pocket, per the bullets | Inner pocket, per buyers |
| Keys and cards | Zip side pocket | Zip front pocket |
| A small book | Not reported | "a small book" fits inside, per a buyer |
| Something you can't lose | Zip pockets only | Zip pockets only, inner ones are open |
Layering the two together
The two pieces work as a pair, too, which is worth considering if you travel in spring or fall. The hoodie is thin enough to go under the vest, and the vest's roomy armholes leave space for its sleeves. On a cold morning the vest blocks the wind over your core while the hoodie covers your arms. By noon, when the sun is high, the vest goes in a bag and the hoodie stays on. Neither listing pitches this combination, but the specifications allow it, and it covers more weather than either piece alone.
One catch is pockets. With both on, you have eight pockets and a fair chance of forgetting which one holds your passport. Pick a rule, such as phone in the vest's zip pocket and documents in its inner pocket, and leave the hoodie's pockets empty.
Fit and sizing
The hoodie: a big split, and heights to go by
Fit is mentioned 810 times on the hoodie, 679 positively, which is a good score. Sizing is the problem topic: 403 mentions with 216 positive and 187 negative. That is nearly half unhappy, and on a hoodie that otherwise wins almost every topic, it is the number to plan around.
The direction is not perfectly consistent. Several buyers say it runs small: "sizing is small, so size up," "runs very small in my opinion," and one who ordered a size up still found it "very snug." Others find it roomy: "Little big but nice fit," and "Wish it was more fitted in the body." One says it is "on fitted side but runs true to size." Amazon's own fit field, tellingly, says "Neutral."
Your best guide is the buyers who give their height, weight and size. Here they are, exactly as reported.
| Height | Weight | Size ordered | What they say |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5'4" | 117 lbs | XS | "XS fit perfectly" |
| 5'4" | 140 lbs | Not stated | "Little big but nice fit" |
| 5'6" | 154 lbs | M | "M fits perfect" |
| 5'6" | 170 lbs | L | Ordered a large and is happy with it |
| 5'8" | 130 lbs | M | "the medium fits perfectly" |
Reading those together, the hoodie fits as a regular, slightly relaxed jacket for most buyers at their usual size, and the small-running complaints come from people who wanted room to layer or who sit at the top of a size. Our advice: if you want it over a tank or tee, order your usual size. If you plan to wear it over a thicker top, or you are between sizes, go one up. If you want a close, athletic fit, this is not that cut.
The hood
The hood draws the most specific complaint. "Only complaint is that the hood is big and no way to gather it so would fall over my face," writes one buyer, and another wishes "the hood stayed on in the wind." There is no drawcord mentioned anywhere on the listing. On a sunny, still day, a roomy hood just sits loosely around your head. On a breezy ridge or a boat, expect it to blow back or flop forward, and plan on a cap underneath if you want it to stay.
The vest: true to size, roomy armholes
Sizing on the vest is calmer. Amazon's fit field says "True," fit has 86 of 92 mentions positive, and size has 23 of 35. Buyers who give numbers: "my size (M) was a perfect fit. 5'6, 128lbs." The complaints are a buyer whose XL felt "more like a Large" and one who found it "too small even though I read the size chart."
For layering, the detail that matters is the armholes. One buyer says it "primarily fits true to size with the arm openings a little on the larger size." That is mostly good news for a vest: room to wear it over a long sleeve or a light sweater without the armhole cutting in. If you wear it over a single thin layer, though, it may gape at the sides. One buyer wears it "with a long sleeve shirt underneath and yoga pants or jeans," which is the outfit it seems to suit best.
Care and how they hold up
The hoodie
Its care field says "Machine Wash," and nothing more. For a polyester-spandex sun shirt, that is the norm, and buyers don't report problems after washing. Several say they have bought more than one: "I have bought 3," "Now have three of these jackets," "I bought it in different colors." Repeat purchases are about the strongest durability signal a cheap layer can get.
There is one hard failure in the excerpts. "Unfortunately, the zipper broke the very first time I put it on." A single zipper report out of thousands of ratings is not a pattern, but a full-zip jacket depends on its zipper, so work it a few times when it arrives. Another buyer was "sent a 2XL instead of a medium" and found the material "extremely thin." The first part is a shipping error, and the second is a matter of expectations: thin is the point of this layer.
The vest
Here the listing has a real gap. It gives no care instructions for the vest at all, neither in the bullets nor in the detail table. That is an odd omission on the pricier of the two pieces, and on a fabric sold as windproof and water-resistant, where you would want to know whether heat or fabric softener is a problem. With nothing on the listing, read the sewn-in label before the first wash.
On durability, buyers praise the build: "Zippers seem sturdy," "Very well made," "It is made well, seems to be of good quality." One buyer had their work logo embroidered on it "with no issues at all," which says something about how the fabric takes a needle. The quality topic is 121 positive out of 129.
What buyers say
The sun hoodie
Seventy-seven percent five-star ratings, 13% four-star and 5% at one or two stars. For a thin layer at this price with over six thousand ratings, that is a strong, stable record.
It's Lightweight, true to size (I'm 5'6,154 lbs-M fits perfect), fits great, high quality, slightly stretchy material, couldn't be happier.Amazon buyer
Topic counts as Amazon groups them on the product page, read November 14, 2026.
A use we didn't expect stands out: visibility. Several buyers chose a bright color specifically to be seen while walking at dusk or dawn. "I wanted a light weight & bright colored hoodie for when I walk the dog at night so I would be easily seen in the dark." Another: "I can definitely be seen by the car drivers." The listing makes no reflective or high-visibility claim, so a bright color is all you get, but buyers clearly value it. Color draws 343 positive mentions out of 386. Soothfeel also lists the UPF 50+ sun hoodie on its own site.
The vest
Took this on a two week trip to Scandinavia. It is an awesome traveling vest. It fits smoothly but has enough stretch for comfort. It's wind proof.Amazon buyer
Topic counts as Amazon groups them on the product page, read November 14, 2026.
Golf, work and the extra inch
Two smaller buyer notes add up to a picture of who the vest fits best. A golfer says "the length is 1" longer than other vest I've tried," which on a vest means it stays tucked over your waistband through a full swing. A buyer ordering for a team had a company logo embroidered on it, and a nurse uses the pockets on shift. A smooth, sleeveless layer with deep pockets is a work uniform piece as much as an outdoor one.
Its buyers are mostly a travel crowd, though. They mention Paris "when the weather was changeable," a quick flight without a purse, golf, long walks and work. One in Texas found it "a little heavier than expected for Texas summer," which is a fair reminder that this is a fall and spring layer, not a summer one. The vest is also on Soothfeel's own site.
How they compare
Prices, ratings and monthly purchase counts as shown on Amazon search results on November 14, 2026. Highlighted rows are the products reviewed here.
These comparison rows come from an Amazon search for women's UPF 50+ hoodie jackets, so they set the hoodie against direct rivals. The closest on record are a TBMPOY listing with 4.5 stars from 6,483 ratings, a MAGCOMSEN hoodie at 4.4 from 4,055 with 800+ bought in a month, and a baleaf hoodie at 4.5 from 2,707. Several cost less than Soothfeel's.
Soothfeel's hoodie has the largest record in the table, at 6,683 ratings, and the highest average, 4.6. Cheaper rows exist, a few of them at roughly half the price, but most with tiny records: 70, 72, 169 ratings. Between rivals with thousands of ratings, the differences in stars are small. You are choosing among similar thin poly hoodies, and Soothfeel's lead is a slightly better score from a slightly bigger crowd.
The vest has no rivals in this table, because softshell vests were not part of the search. Judged on its own record, 4.5 from 628 is a healthy score for a pricier piece.
What the prices buy
At $26.99, the hoodie sits in the middle of its category, above the cheapest unrated rivals and in line with the established ones. The vest costs more, at $36.99, which is the normal gap between a thin knit and a softshell with a windproof face and a drawcord hem. For the hoodie, the price buys a proven record. For the vest, it buys the extra fabric and the fact that buyers trusted it on two-week trips.
Side by side
| Sun hoodie | 4-pocket vest | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $26.99 | $36.99 |
| Job | Sun and light coverage in warm weather | Wind and chill in fall and spring |
| Pockets | 2 zip side, 2 inner | 2 zip front, 2 open inner |
| Adjusters | Thumb holes | Hem drawcord, stand collar |
| Care stated | Machine wash | None |
| Fit field | Neutral | True |
| Rating | 4.6 from 6,683 | 4.5 from 628 |
| One- and two-star share | 5% | 6% |
Who should buy which
Buy the sun hoodie if you spend long hours outside in warm weather and want your arms, wrists and neck covered without overheating: hikers, gardeners, drivers with a sunny window arm, beach travelers, golfers. It is cheap, light, packable and backed by thousands of happy buyers. Size with the height notes above, and bring a cap for windy days, because the hood won't stay put.
Skip the hoodie if you need a hood you can cinch, a slim athletic fit, or any rain protection. It is a sun layer, and that is all.
Buy the vest if you want one layer for travel and cool mornings that keeps wind off your core and holds a passport and phone inside. Its pockets, hem drawcord and below-hip length are what buyers praise, and it takes a logo if you are dressing a team. Skip it if the sheen bothers you, if you need closing inner pockets without sewing on velcro yourself, or if you want care instructions on the listing before you buy.
Verdict
These are two good, inexpensive layers that solve different problems, and both earn their ratings. If you buy one, buy the sun hoodie: it is cheaper, it has ten times the buyer record, and UPF 50+ coverage with thumb holes is useful from spring to early fall. We recommend it for anyone outdoors in the sun, sized carefully. We recommend the vest for fall travel and windy walks. We don't recommend either if you need rain protection or a close, technical fit.
Two good layers, and the hoodie is the safer buy
The sun hoodie is a light, cheap, well-liked UPF 50+ layer with thumb holes and zip pockets, rated 4.6 by 6,683 buyers. Its weak spots are a loose hood and a size split, so check the height and weight notes. The vest is a solid wind layer for fall travel with deep inner pockets, but it costs more and its listing says nothing about care.
- Sun hoodie rated 4.6 stars by 6,683 buyers, 77% five-star
- Listing states UPF 50+, with a hood and thumb holes for extra coverage
- 95% polyester, 5% spandex: light, stretchy and quick to dry
- Vest has two zip pockets outside and two deep pockets inside that buyers use for passports and phones
- Vest is windproof per the listing, and buyers took it to Paris and Scandinavia
- Sizing is the hoodie's most argued topic: 187 negative mentions out of 403
- Buyers say the hood is big, can't be drawn in, and blows off in wind
- One buyer reports the hoodie's zipper broke on first wear
- Vest's inner pockets have no closure
- Vest listing gives no care instructions, and one buyer finds the fabric oddly shiny
Best for: Hikers, walkers, drivers and beach travelers who want arm and neck coverage from a light layer, plus anyone who needs a packable wind vest for travel.
Skip it if: You want a hood that cinches tight, a fitted athletic cut, or a waterproof shell.
Where the numbers come from. Prices, star ratings, rating counts and monthly purchase badges were read from the product pages on November 14, 2026; they move daily. Fabric, sizing and dimensions come from the product specifications. Buyer quotes are Amazon reviews as the product page shows them, linked to the full review where Amazon gives one. See how we review.
