Hooded Sweatshirts
In a shed in July, a hooded sweatshirt is the outer layer and nothing goes over the top of it. In February the same garment is a light thing pulled on at nine at night, once the heat has gone out of the day. Weight is the difference between those two, and weight is worth settling before colour or print. A brushed fleece one belongs to the first scene and a light loopback one to the second, so the question is which day you are actually buying for.
Hooded Sweatshirts
Loopback and Brushed Fleece Hoodies by Weight
With the hood settled, weight is the only question left on a hooded sweatshirt and it is worth answering before colour. A light loopback one is thin enough to belong to February, over a swim short, on a night that never gets colder than mild. A brushed fleece one is bought for June instead. You can tell the two apart in the hand before either goes on. Hoodies and sweatshirts puts the crew necks alongside these for anyone still weighing up whether a hood is wanted at all.
Wearing a Heavy Hoodie as an Outer Layer
At the heavy end a hoodie becomes the outer layer for the short stretch of the year that allows it, and too much garment for the rest. Women's hoodies and sweatshirts runs the same decision on the other side of the range. Judge it by what you intend to put over the top. If the answer is nothing, take the heavier one. Outer layer or under one is the only real choice on this page, and everything else follows from it.