Fleece is a modern hi-tech knitted fabric designed to provide insulation for very little weight. Fleeces dry quickly and are breathable.
How can I judge the quality of a fleece?
Good quality fleece has a plush, soft and silky handle and if you hold it up to the light you’ll see that light does not pass through it. Cheap fleece feels less plush, and it’s thinner.
Cheap fleece will also quickly ‘pill’ with washing (i.e. the fibres start to stick together and the surface becomes clumpy, ‘bobbly’ and not so soft feeling). To tell if a fleece will pill, look carefully at the surface of the fabric. Do the fibres lie along the surface, like felt, or do they stand up, away from the core of the fabric? Fibres in cheaper fleeces lie down and the fabric has a felt-like feel. With wear the fibres roll up together and pill.
