Which Lululemon Scuba Hoodie (And Sweatpants) Are Best? - The Mom Edit

Feb 22, 2025

We were in Burlington over the holidays, and I wandered into the local Lululemon. I was there only to grab this pair of bike shorts (seems odd for winter in Vermont, but *someone* is forcing me to go to hot Pilates, ahem, Amy) when I saw the most beautiful shade of navy.

I’ve been a longtime fan of Lululemon’s Scuba Fleece hoodie (omg since 2016 good grief I was brunette) primarily because mine, like their current navy offering, was such a pretty blue. Unsurprising, perhaps, because Lululemon has always gotten their blues *exactly* right. Furthermore, my old hoodie has been washed & dried countless times and still looks great.

And yet. This old Lululemon hoodie did NOT survive my most recent closet cleanout, simply because….[she checks old article], I used to be size tiny in Lululemon hoodies. Whatever! Be free, old hoodie!!

In related news, I now have a sweatsuit in a verrrrry gorgeous navy.

hoodie (s) | sweatpants (s)

I swear, the photos don’t even do this color justice (and the Lululemon photos are worse – my photos are much more true-to-actual-color than theirs).

This sweatsuit is so warm, cozy, and cute, I’ve barely taken it off since. It’s become my everyday uniform this winter.

hoodie (s) | sweatpants (s) | similar tote | hat | boots – similar here

I’ve been so enamoured with this sweatsuit that I decided to order a few more of Lululemon’s new Scuba fleece styles – including a pair of wide-leg sweatpants, as well as their new, redesigned Scuba Fleece hoodie.

Let’s get into it.

As I already mentioned, one major perk of Lululemon’s Scuba fleece is that I have found it to be virtually indestructible. These pieces hold up to washing and drying like absolute champs, and the colors never fade. My old hoodie barely looks worn (a feat!), but so far this new set is setting a similarly high bar: I’ve already washed and dried it several times, and it still looks brand new – no fading, and very little shrinking.

Furthermore, Lululemon’s Scuba fleeces all have some heft to them. While these pieces are still perfectly cozy, they’re not the thin-and-buttery-soft I’ve come to expect from, say, Vuori’s DreamKnit. Lululemon makes serious fleece, and I’ve found it to be so much freaking warmer in the winter – MUCH warmer than jeans – that I’m having trouble wearing anything else. For the purpose of this review, all of the Scuba fleece pieces are made from the same, thick fleece fabric, so this point applies to all.

And now…onto the individual pieces….

hoodie (s) | sweatpants (s) | slippers

It’s funny, despite the name, I don’t find these Lululemon sweatpants to be particularly mid-rise or oversized. While they are cut looser and slouchier than Athleta’s fleece sweatpants, they’re a similar shape (and have the short, regular and long inseams, too). The biggest difference between Athleta & Lululemon joggers is really just the color choices and the fleece itself. While Athleta’s are a little plusher and softer, they don’t have that luxe heft of Lululemon Scuba fleece.

SIZE NOTES: These Lululemon sweatpants fit TTS.

hoodie (s) | sweatpants (s)

It was only when I was checking out that I learned this is actually a men’s hoodie. One of the girls working in the store mentioned it, then confided that this hoodie was a favorite among all store staff, too.

I get it. It’s slouchy, but in a really cool way, and looks so freaking cute with these old school sweatpants. And despite the name, “Steady State”, the material is exactly the same as the women’s Scuba hoodies. The one big difference, however, is that this men’s hoodie doesn’t have thumbholes (something that comes standard in women’s Scuba fleece hoodies!!).

hoodie (s) | jeans (27) | boots – in green, or black | bag | hat

Despite the lack of thumbholes, I do adore the old school vibe of this hoodie – even with jeans!

SIZE NOTES: In terms of fit, I found that going with my usual size worked best. It’s men’s sizing, but the size small still fit how I wanted it to fit (and the XS was too small). The result is a perfectly slouchy, only slightly oversized hoodie This is the one piece that *may* have shrunk in the dryer…but only the tiniest little bit (I keep debating whether it actually shrunk or not, and it was only that first wash that I thought mayyybe?).

hoodie (XS/S on left, M/L on right) | sweatpants (s) | slippers

Lululemon’s Half Zip hoodie is a fun, new piece (that gold zipper!!!!)…but with strange sizing: XS/S, M/L or XL/XXL. I found that a couple of different sizes did fit me, it just depended on the vibe I’m going for. I’ve been leaning to pieces that are slightly oversized, so I ended up liking the larger size better, especially when styling it with my usual pieces (leggings, jeans, etc).

hoodie (XS/S on left, M/L on right) | leggings (xs) | boots | hat

The one area where the quality seems quite different from my old Lululemon hoodie are the zippers. These zippers on both of these half-zips would get caught in the material behind them, and one of the half-zips wouldn’t zip up all the way. Once I took it off and really worked the zipper up (bending/pushing the fabric behind to stay out of the way), it functioned better. While these zippers still feel luxurious, they just don’t perform quite as well as they used to.

hoodie (XS/S on left, M/L on right) | jeans (27) | boots – in green, or black | bag | hat

SIZE NOTES: If you are between sizes (or want a slouchier fit), go up one. Otherwise, your usual size should work.

hoodie (XS/S) | jeans (27) – also here | bag | UGGs

One of my favorite pieces in this entire try-on was Lululemon’s new Scuba hoodie. I love this twist on their old favorite – the shorter, boxier shape, and the light gray color. Gray can be a tricky color to get right, and this one is so pretty.

This zipper also had some trickiness to it, but once I pushed the fabric back, it worked consistently.

SIZE NOTES: I tried on both the XS/S and the M/L, but this piece – oddly enough – fits very TTS.

tank (m) | sweatpants (S on the left, M on the right) | slippers

These sweatpants come in three different inseams (28″, 31″ and 34″) but I have RARELY seen the 28″ actually in stock. So I’m wearing the regular inseam (31″).

I know Lululemon is calling these sweatpants ‘mid rise’, but I have a long(ish) rise, and these were close to being high-rise on me. Which, frankly, is what I want. The last thing this mama needs is some mid-rise bullshit squeezing in where I don’t wanna be squeezed. Ya know?

That said, I’m glad I tried on the size medium. The small looked cute, but in reality created strange creases around the, uh, crotch area, and, when pulled up high enough to be comfortable on my midsection, went riiiiight up my tush.

tank (m) | sweatpants (S on the left, M on the right)

The medium size (above, right) still has a flattering bum, without creating a dreaded wedgie. And despite the additional fabric, the overall matching set is still reallllllly cute:

hoodie (XS/S) | sweatpants (S on the left, M on the right) | slippers

Gahhh I love it.

SIZE NOTES: If you have a longer rise and/or carry your weight in your midsection, I’d size up one size. Otherwise these sweatpants fit TTS.

All in all…it looks like Lululemon’s Scuba fleece is juuuust as freaking good as I remember. And sooooo cozy, too.

xo,

S