Product Review – Soft Shells

[carole]

I have been looking at these and trying to figure if they would suit me mostly for local, fast hiking in mixed weather. So far I have been disappointed. I don’t have stores nearby to try out different models so have only used mail order. I have tried two and am unsure if I’ll try a third.

The first, White Sierra Red's Edge Soft Shell Jacket (For Women), (I got black) was from Sierra Trading Post. It is a good price and seemed nicely made but I didn’t even trail test it because the underarm zips made the arm movement very uncomfortable. I wouldn’t even want to use it with a pack. So I sent it back – a plus for Sierra Trading Post is they send a UPS return label that is paid for if you take it to a UPS spot.

Next I checked out EMS’s 20 % sale and ordered EMS All-Terra Jacket - Women's on Sunday, received it on Tuesday and trail tested it today. The features and price were nice. I wasn’t too fond of the green color. Fit was comfortable. I wore it over a long-sleeve wicking shirt that I have worn on many winter hikes with just a fleece vest in 25-35 degrees, including wind and drizzle. So today I had the soft shell over this shirt in about 35 degrees and strong winds (maybe a bit colder at 1700’). For this it was somewhat adequate but I wouldn’t want it colder (although the ad says "Works great as a thin insulating layer for winter"), and wouldn’t want it wet. I was only barely warm in it. Adding a shell over it I think I would feel too constricted. Any warmer temps and I might find it too warm. I don’t see any time that I would use this on a longer hike in the mountains, and don’t feel it works any better than my usual shirt/fleece on my weekday trail workouts. I'll be near an EMS store soon so I'm returning it there.


Have you had similar results? Or have you found one that is more season spanning? Maybe others can share their experiences with soft-shells.

 

[hikingfish]

My experience...

Hi Carole,
I purchased a north face softshell last year and here are my thoughts on it:
It's a great *shell*, with very good breathing capabilities. Use it as such. Mine has a minuscule fleece layer in it and I never rely on it to keep me warm. I wear a fleece under if it if I expect to be cold.

I wore the shell in the Chic-Chocs last winter in -30C with strong winds and it did it's job well: Keep me dry in snowy conditions and keeping the wind out!

Also, it would seem the opposite sex seems to think the jacket makes me look rather sexy, but your milage might vary lol. I do like the look of softshells...which is why I often wear in town. Great in case it drizzles...

Now the bad:
When I wore it in great cold, I still managed to sweat in it and the fleece got very wet. After a while...the shell FROZE (yes, that's right). It didn't feel cold at all and it was still keeping wind/water out, but I had lost a significant amount of mobility due to the fact that my under arms were frozen.

I had comtemplated purchasing a more expensive shell (eg: Arcterix), but figured I'd stay reasonable. I do miss a lot of the features a more expensive shell would provide, such as: draw cords at neck / waist, pit zips (they breath a lot, but sometimes it gets a bit hot) and a hood!

I love my softshell, but I did also buy a goretex jacket a couple of months after I purchased the softshell. I've never been in a downpour with my softshell. I've also used softshell pants during the winter and I thought they were great, except for the fact that a small amount of wind would get through the front zipper.

Fish

Edit: As coincidence would have it, I just received a letter from the folks are beyond fleece (http://beyondfleece.com). You might want to check them out, if you're going to pay a decent amount for a shell, you can have it totally customized (fit wise and options wise). I've never ordered from them, but heard good things from other people.

 

[BorealChickadee]

I have a lightweight soft shell from EMS, no fleece lining, form fitting. I've only had it since April so it has no winter use but I was exceptionally pleased with it during the chilly, damp spring. For its weight it kept me more comfortable than anything else I own. Very stretchy, I especially liked it while canoeing & kayaking. Light blue color, I'm tired of forest ranger green.
The downside is it pills when I wash it. I'm happy enough with the lightweight soft shell that I'm looking to get a heavier one in a size larger to wear in the winter over a long sleeve more midweight shirt.

I've had schoeller skin pants, heavier weight with a soflty brushed inside, for several years that are da bomb for winter. Lightweight, comfortable, never gotten wet, breathable and I only paid $9.95 at a Bean outlet one summer.

 

[Rick]

Carole,
White Sierra is a lower quality mfgr (IMMHO). They have been around for at least 14 years and sell to variety sporting good stores like Dicks. I picked up a couple of their fleeces in '91 for around $6 each on closesout and I honestly think they were probably worth twice that, tops.
Glad you found out before you were stuck with it.
BTW< I have REI softshell pants and I really like them. If you order with store delivery, there is no shipping charge - Great if you decide you don't like them.
Rick

 

[Doc McPeak]

Cloudveil Ice Floe Jacket (I believe now Black Ice)
Cloudveil Symmetry Pants

I never leave home without them in the winter.

Mammut is the other brand in that league. I scoured and found them for about $225 for the pair! But at full price ($500 or so) they would be well worth it. Hardshell in winter??? Might as well wear an animal skin wrapped around you! (Except of course for the windiest of above treeline conditions)

 

[HighHorse]

i got a patagonia ready-mix recently, and the thing's been crushing. but it sounds like you want something insulated, and trust me, the patagonia ain't it. i've gone with the mid-weight base layer, fleece vest, and the shell, and it's been great for me. i was surprised at first how thin it was, but it turns out i like it. fits great, feels great, but one complaint. they did that wack thing where the front pockets are supposed to be the ventilation (the jacket doesn't have pit zips). another big thing it has on other softshells is that it has a hood, and the hood is awesome, comfortable, and really well-designed. for a more insulated shell (without the hood unfortunately), try the rei one jacket. my sister has one and likes it a lot.

 

[mavs00]

It ain't insulated, but it ain't bad.....

I have the EMS Men's All-Terra and used it all winter last year, both in the mountains and for local stuff (x-country, snowshoe, etc), and, so long as I base-layered well and was active, I found it more than adequate for temps around 5-10 or so. I did some stuff below that in it too and again, if I was moving well, I was fine. That said, I wouldn't rate it the greatest for the REALLY cold stuff (nor is it really designed to be), and I certainly wouldn't consider it an insulating layer (even a thin one). However, I did find the fit more comfortable than my other options (Hard shell), so I tended to take it along whenever I could get away with it. Also, the material is REALLY durable, I did some good whacking last winter and spring and bumped many a tree , it held up fine.

The pants however are the greatest. I LOVE THEM. Comfy and very non-restrictive. I used them on even on the coldest days, I would just put heavyweight thermals, fleece pants and the shell and most of the time, for anything other than standing around, that was fine. I even bordered on TOO HOT when I was really active.

For the top, I never noticed too much of a problem with wetness or wind penetration, but then again, I never really pushed those conditions to far in it. I pretty much used it for the middle of the road winter stuff. It sure wears better and you can't beat the comfort (compared to my other shell options). It was great for what I needed it for. My wife has both too (top and bottom) and she likes hers too.

Bottom line, for some things, I found that the top more then fit the bill, and it certainly an attractive option for the price. As for the the pants, I LOVE them, and can't wait to start wearing them again.

 

[Lovetohike]

The endless quest. Carol, I've been searching for exactly the same thing, without a lot of luck. Just settled on an REI ultralight jacket, made with their "Elements" material. Can't wait to try it. Very comfortable to try on, great hood, pit zips, etc. It ran a little large so I had to go down one size. Even that's a dilemma, you don't want to swim in it, but you need enough room for a decent fleece underneath. I will need to trail test it in wet and cold weather to feel comfortable going without my Marmot PreCip waterproof jacket (more of a hard shell that I only will wear in the rain or snow).

Up till now, I've always brought a pure wind shell plus various weight fleece layers (patagonia my favorite) and a waterproof shell and pants for rain and snow. That has worked very well. We'll see if I can really get it down to one all purpose jacket that isn't too hot for fast hiking.

Will give feedback once I test the new jacket. Looks promising though.

 

[ajtiv]

$129.95 for this
Cloudveil Ice Floe

 

[NYBRAD]

I have the Mens Apollo Jacket Polartec Powershield from RAGGED MOUNTAIN EQUIPMENT out of NH. I can't say enough good things about it. This womens jacket looks nice. Hand Crafted my friends!
http://www.raggedmountain.com/proddetail.php?prod=102510&cat=95

 

[WCTDave]

I got the Mountain Hardware Synchro shoftshell at EMS 20% off. Took it out once in 35F with just a thermal strech layer underneath. Kept me plenty warm, too warm actually. I had both unzipped the whole trip, even through 2 foot drifts. A lot of snow falling off trees and being water "resistant" kept me dry. Biggest complaint is not having a hood...they make a version with a hood but I didn't find out until after the fact. Verdict, good for fair weather day hikes below treeline. Though if it had a hood I would wear it in almost any conditions. I've heard complaints about the generally short cut of MH apparel but it doesn't bother me.

 

[Jasonst]

I bought the EMS Apollo jacket & pants last year and they work awesome. Love the pants especially. Look for a brand that uses Schoeller WB-400 material (or equivilent.) I used my jacket in -20 last year and was quite comfortable.

 

[Charly]

I actually have a Beyondfleece.com Cold Fusion softshell. It's the Schoeller WB-400 fabric, with zip off hood option.

I love it. Works well thoughout the seasons for me.

I only have two complaints. The cuff closures are just elastic, I'd prefer a combo of velcro/elastic and the barrel-locs for the hem etc. are all in the the fabric itself, so they are great for one handed tightening, but loosening is a bit of a PITA.