Peak Performance Freelight Polartec Power Grid Crew review: a lightweight mid-layer for active pursuits

Founded in the Swedish ski resort of Åre in 1986, Peak Performance was launched by a pair of passionate skiers on a mission to create 'garments that combined excellent functionality with simple, attractive design'. Fast forward to today and the brand still sells popular skiing gear, as well as hiking, trail running and mountain biking apparel, and even gym and golf wear.

Finnish multinational Amer Sports bought the brand in 2018 and today it sits in its roster alongside the likes of Arc’teryx and Salomon. As with Arc’teryx, you can expect to pay a pretty penny for Peak Performance’s expertly and sustainably crafted premium gear. I recently tested the brand’s minimalist Elevate Hood Jacket and was impressed with both its performance and its innovative recyclable design.

I was stoked to test its Freelight Crew, a lightweight fleece mid-layer. It's available in both men’s and women’s versions and features the same Polartec Power Grid insulation as Berghaus’ MTN Guide MW Hoody. I was intrigued to see how it would compare on the trails.

First impressions

Peak Performance’s Freelight range is a collection of garments designed with a focus on being lightweight, windproof, water repellent and packable. It’s not the only Swedish brand focussing on this kind of gear: garments in Haglöfs’ L.I.M (Less Is More) range are designed with similar qualities in mind. As someone who enjoys going fast and light wherever possible, I’m always up for giving this kind of gear a go.

The Freelight Crew is sold as a mid-layer but, thanks to its low weight, feels like a long-sleeved t-shirt. It’s an attractive garment with its bold chest pocket patch and minimalist look. Fit wise, it’s relatively relaxed so if you’re someone who prefers an athletic fit, perhaps try the size down.

Look closely and the texture of its fleece arrays are obvious. Turning the top inside out reveals its army of neatly aligned fleece clusters. The ratio of fleece to space here is lower than with the tightly-packed arrays seen on Berghaus’ MTN Guide MW Hoody, pointing to a cooler, more breathable mid-layer. Nevertheless, when I put it on, its insulating abilities were immediately apparent. Let’s take a closer look at the ideas behind Polartec's Power Grid design...

Polartec Power Grid

For the uninitiated, Polartec is the brand that invented synthetic fleece back in 1979, patented as Polartec Polarfleece. These days brand is almost as ubiquitous in outdoor clothing, particularly mid-layers, as Vibram is in footwear and Gore-Tex is in waterproof jackets.

The Power Grid fabric is intended for lightweight garments designed with freedom of movement and breathability in mind. The grid in the name refers to the fact that, rather than a solid layer of insulating material, it features interspersed fleece clusters arranged consistently in a grid structure. While the clusters perform their heat holding magic, the space between them wicks moisture away, creating a breathable fabric that works with the body to regulate your temperature.

This quality is the Holy Grail of any mid-layer and we’ve highly rated several Power Grid garments in recent years, such as North Face’s Stormgap and Bolt jackets. Another notable benefit of the grid design is that it’s more compressible than a standard fleece, making it easier to stuff into a small space in a daypack.

Not all Power Grid fabrics are created equally and it’s up to the brands who create these mid-layers to decide on the fleece-to-space ratio. In the lightweight Freelight Crew, there’s more space than there is fleece, with a gsm (grams per square meter) of 119. The top's outer fabric is a 90D poplin that’s nicely stretchy for unrestricted movement.

Peak Performance has committed to removing intentional use of PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) by 2025 and the Freelight is, unsurprisingly, free of them. Numerous health concerns have been raised against these chemicals and many brands are doing their utmost to remove them.

Other features

The Freelight Crew’s feature set is fairly minimal, a quality that’s true of many of Peak Performance’s gear. The standout feature is its zippered chest pocket and logo panel, partly because it’s a different color to the rest of the top (unless you get the Black version) but mostly because it really is the only obvious feature.

The compartment is large enough for a phone and the zipper features a handy pull. To be honest, I didn’t get a great deal of use out it as this lightweight pouch isn't the most comfortable place to store any items of significant weight – even a headlamp feels clunky in there. However, it’s a decent place to stash a baseplate compass, or store a bank card or ski pass. It's a little bit style over substance, I feel.

The hem and and cuffs are noticeably elasticated. However, I found that they were already pretty loose anyway, almost negating the point of having elastic in the first place. In terms of holding on to heat, I feel these would have been better if they were tighter, with the elastic then giving the flexibility to expand them if necessary.

The top’s flatlock seams are designed to reduce dreaded chaffing and there are no seams across the shoulders, making the top more comfortable to wear with a backpack.

In the field

I’ve been testing the Freelight Crew throughout the summer, wearing it on hiking trips to Wales’ Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, as well as for walks in Pembrokeshire National Park and South West England. I’ve worn it both as a mid-layer in the evenings and as a base layer on warmer days.

I found that it was comfortable when worn as both, though the bobbly texture of its fleece grid takes a bit of getting used to when worn as a base layer. It was interesting swapping between a standard technical t-shirt (I did this little experiment with the Montane Dart) and the Freelight Crew while simply sat down on a hot day. The difference in warmth is immediately obvious, underlining the effectiveness of Polartec’s insulation and the Freelight’s really impressive warmth-to-weight ratio.

A benefit of the Freelight’s synthetic fabrics is that they’re quick drying. It was never that long after working up a sweat or after a burst of light rain that the top would be pretty much dry once more. Plus, the Power Grid fabric maintains its insulating qualities over time, even after many, many wash cycles, making the top a durable option for years of wear.

My main qualms with the Freelight Crew, especially when used as a technical mid-layer for more serious outdoor adventures, are its relaxed fit and lack of front zip. Its baggy fit isn’t ideal when adding other layers over the top, as I’d get little rolls of fabric that I’d have to straighten out. The loose sleeves were particularly problematic and would often ride up when adding other layers. From a purely aesthetic point of view, I personally prefer an athletic fit too.

No front zip means no ability to dump heat during a sustained ascent or during an involved summer scramble. As established, the Power Grid fleece holds heat readily and, although the top is very breathable, it’s still nice to be able to go for the nuclear option of opening everything up once in a while.

These issues aside, it's still a high quality top that delivers superb warmth-to-weight. It's great for summer hiking missions where you might need a quick extra layer for the summits or ridges thanks to its lightweight packability. It's also a good looking top for everyday wear.

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