Aviator First Class Merino Hoodie Review
An on-location review of the merino zip-up hoodie.
Aviator First Class Merino Hoodie Review Introduction
Aviator, at this point, can be considered a veteran travel company. My first review of theirs was around 5 years ago, and they were one of the early brands I reviewed on the site. They started with their very well regarded travel jeans, and expanded from there into what I’d call the travel essentials. Merino T-shirts. Versatile shorts (Non-Stop Travel Shorts review). Quality, laid back looks that add some utility. Importantly, those aforementioned jeans are still made right here in America. Tariffs be damned.
Back to the mission here - I previously reviewed the “Air Dry Hoodie” during the covid stricken year in NYC. They’ve since changed that to an updated version - the First Class Hoodie. I thought it was worth giving another go as I’m long since back to traveling for real. This hoodie is more than just a hoodie - it’s meant to be a travel powerhouse with features specific to travel, but never losing that essential “hoodie” look that always works great with jeans or chinos while on the move.
This is my review of the Aviator First Class Merino Hoodie. We’re reviewing this in 2025 and taking those travel features we liked in 2020, but putting them to the full test. I took this on a quick Summer domestic hop to DC from NYC, which per usual was freezing on the plane and airport. It also accompanied me on an amazing trip to France that included early fall weather, coastal-wet air, a train ride, 2hr drives, and 3 different flight legs. It may have also involved a ridiculous amount of grown-just-in-the-bay oysters in the oyster-holyland of Bretagne (Brittany in English). But that’s a story for another day (thanks for the inspiration, Mr. Bourdain, I finally made it in your footsteps - at Chateau Richeux no less). On with the review!
For my usual transparency, Aviator was nice enough to send me a review piece, but this is not a sponsored article and I received no money for writing this. The opinions are my own, but this page does include affiliate links. When used to make a purchase, we make a small commission which helps keep this site running, but this in no way affects the results of our reviews.
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First Class Hoodie Overview and Features
Macro shot of the merino weave.
Aviator’s focus hasn’t changed over the years. I’d say they’ve maintained a tight value prop over that span even with their expansion, which is great.
With the First Class Hoodie - they still source their merino from New Zealand. On the website, they note that they chose to source from there because of their tight controls on the industry. With that and their made-in-America jeans, they do take a stand behind their products. No corner cutting to bring costs down - same great merino as before.
A hoodie is never meant to be a primary jacket in really cold weather. But it should be something that’s good for a huge number of casual scenarios. Mostly, that’s what travel typically contains. They’ve added a number of features to it to help them accomplish this. To me, that’s the main goal here: utility. So, what are those features?
For one, they’ve done something very interesting with the hood. It’s pretty ‘wide’. Not sure how else to describe it. It’s a little lighter than normal as well - and there is a reason for this. Not only does it function as a regular hood, no matter the shape, it’s also meant to be able to come forward over your head and onto your eyes. Why? So you can use it as a “mask” when you are trying to nap on planes, trains, buses, airports, etc.
Next up, the sleeve cuffs are going to be something you’ve not really seen. At least, not all in one go you haven’t. Stage one, normal cuffs. Stage two, thumb holes that allow you to pull them down a bit and use them as fingerless gloves of sorts. Stage 3, a fold over flap of fabric that turns them into full on mittens. No kidding.
Additionally, you’ve got draw strings for the hood, and zippable slash pockets for your hands that use YKK zippers.
The First Class hoodie sells on their website for $185.00 USD as of October 2025. To note, I had the “dark steel” but it comes in navy and black. Has your “capsule” colors covered, which is a good thing.
The Fit of the First Class Hoodie
I think most people are going to be happy with the fit here. It’s not baggy, but not spandex either. I’m someone that feels a zip hoodie should fit more like a shirt, rather than a pull-over hoodie (which don’t get me wrong, I love a nice oversized pullover, too). I’m 5’6” for reference and I’m wearing a small, or 2 in their sizing.
I will note that I found the sleeves SLIGHTLY on the longer side. Depends on your arms, of course. To me, it felt longer than my previous version.
But, again, that’s all based on body type. No real fit issues in the general sense.
A few shots to see it in action - some on the coast in Cancale, Bretagne where we hit the oyster fields, and from the American Cemetery in Normandy - a particular point of pilgrimage for me (I was a history major in college and like many, am particularly fascinated by that conflict). Aviator (an American brand) and AW (an American’s travel site) - let’s just say that I’m in the group that believes I would not be doing what I do, or have lived the life I live, without the sacrifices those men and women made on those beaches. It was quite a powerful experience for me and I plan to write about it in the blog section just like I did Hiroshima. It truly belongs in the “this is why we travel” category. (I will update this article with a link once completed; this is just something I need to ruminate on for a bit).
The Good
Lot to like here on the First Class hoodie. I don’t think they changed much - a classic “if it’s not broken, don’t fix it”. Brands often miss this idea.
The merino is still extremely soft and comfortable. It’s not scratchy at all to me. You can still tell it’s wool, but I mean - it IS wool. Ha. The merino is also light enough to not add much weight to you, but not so light that it’s not a great layering piece. The merino performance is right there. I wore it mostly on the planes, and also while walking around on the coast at the Normandy Beaches (incredibly poignant) and the oyster market in Cancale (incredibly delicious). Mission accomplished on a versatile piece of clothing for many types of trips. But, it brings all the great properties of merino with it. Lastly when it was colder and raining, I had this on under an ultralight Mont Bell rain jacket shell. Worked a treat.
I also frankly think a zip-up hoodie looks less “college kid” than a pull over. Per usual no shade if that’s your thing, but for those not looking for that style, but wanting a merino hoodie, zip-up is the way to go. I walked into a Loro Piana store in Paris and still felt I pulled the quiet luxury thing off, LOL. I’m sure they didn’t agree with that, but I FELT I did!
The travel features built into this thing. They really aren’t gimmicky, I promise. The cuffs - while they might take some getting used to - are frankly practical in a lot of ways. Early mornings or chilly evenings are great for the mittens. Or when you need to carry a duffel or luggage by the handle but it’s cold and raining. The thumb holes are great when you want more coverage on your hands but still need your fingers. The hood might be a debate for folks - but since I don’t often use those in the traditional sense, I find the sleep-aid option to be clever.
The Bad
Like the previous version, there are still a few things I’d change. I like the quality of the metal zippers, but it adds to the weight. I would prefer to see a more traditional zipper pull vs. the customized version they’ve gone with. Mostly for me it’s a visual thing. Purely subjective and not really a functional argument - I just like the good old standard YKK zipper look.
The other thing to note, if we’re being up front, is the pricing. At $185.00 USD - this is an investment. I get that it’s going to rule a lot of people out and I’ve said this before - that’s OK. You need to make that evaluation and you need to be smart about your budget. Now, small volume, sustainable production is ALWAYS going to be more expensive. It’s just a fact. Not to mention that cost-of-goods wise, we are not in the same world as pre-2020. The materials just cost more. This is not to defend or shill, it’s to make points of explanation to consider. These things are nuanced, this is a business paying American workers, and this isn’t a headline hot take. But I would be remiss if I didn’t point this out because I know some of you will be out of reach at this price point.
Final Thoughts On My Aviator First Class Merino Hoodie Review
Omaha Beach. An indescribable feeling if you understand the weight of that location.
I liked the original, and I like this one. Aviator has a winning product on their hands here. It’s pricey, I will admit that and I won’t sugar coat it. But, small made, high quality stuff tends to be. That’s just the price of entry. You need to be thinking about value, however, and more so what value means to you. That’s a personal choice.
Considering the versatility of a sweatshirt like this, if you’re a heavy wearer or heavy traveler, you’re going to get your money out of it. It feels very high quality and it’s not scratchy at all, something you often find on lower quality items in merino. I was comfortable sleeping in it on the plane, keeping warm in summer US airports, layering, you name it. I’d say there wasn’t a day on my 8 day trip to France that I was not wearing it somewhere - driving, walking around, to breakfast, etc. Being completely honest, this will become a pretty frequent accessory for me on mixed-weather trips. It’s just useful and practical and avoids the hiker look. You can also wear the crap out of it, and barely need to wash it since it’s merino.
So while this was a bit of a re-visit, it was a first time on-location and they still get high marks from me on the First Class Merino Hoodie. Sometimes, it IS all in the name.
They sell directly from their website, so hop on over and consider giving these guys your business:
Wander more - and wander smarter everyone.
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