PAKA Alpaca Hoodie Review: Classic Travel Hoodie for Life

PAKA Apparel’s hand-knit alpaca fiber best-selling Hoodie instantly became my “wear it everywhere” layer for frosty mornings and shoulder-season travel. The alpaca blend feels softer than cashmere, yet it holds up to road trips, red-eye flights and kids’ playground duty in 40°F temps. Plus, it looks great in photos that we want to look back on.

Why it’s a winter staple

• Alpaca + recycled nylon blend: The knit traps heat without bulk, so I can slip it under a shell when we’re sightseeing in snow or wear it solo on chilly flights.
• Travel-friendly design: The relaxed unisex cut offers full range of motion for all the activity that a trip may require. The hood is deep enough to double as a sleep mask when I’m trying to rest while in transit.
• Hand-signed tags: Each hoodie includes a PAKA “Inca ID” stitched by the Peruvian artisan who made it, a small detail that makes the piece feel special and one of a kind.

Fit & care tips

• This Hoodie is UNISEX: Sizes run large for women and slightly small for men. I sized down to an XXS and Dan sized up to L for a relaxed fit. The XS was too big on me and the M was too small on him (these are our regular sizes).
• Wash cold on gentle in a mesh bag and never tumble dry; lay flat instead. The natural fibers will shrink if exposed to heat. Hand washing is really ideal if you can swing it.
• Expect a boxy, drapey silhouette that layers easily over base tees and under vests like my Toad & Co Sespe Sherpa Vest. For petite women like me, this will run “long” on your middle.

Where it does well

• Winter flights: Keeps me warm in drafty airplane cabins and folds small enough to be a layer in my backpack.
• Cabin weekends: Cozy enough to sleep in, but polished enough for coffee runs the next morning!
• City errands: Pairs well with leggings or pants, and keeps me warm on stroller walks without overheating once we duck into a cafe or a toy store.

Quick takeaways

• Hand-knit alpaca fiber blend means breathable warmth and softness.
• Unisex sizing means you may need to size down (women) or up (men). Take it from us, as we tried both.
• Perfect mid-layer for cold-weather itineraries, from ski towns to holiday markets.

If you love cozy layers that have unique stories, this is the hoodie I keep telling friends to try because it’s so much more special than other mass-produced travel products I’d find elsewhere. PAKA is a special company and one of our favorite things about their model is that they employ women in Peru and loop back to the consumers (us) with showing us the details down to their names, of who made our gear.