sick ass soft shell jackets
hey, been looking for a decently water resistant soft shell jacket under $300, would love any suggestions from y'all. I really love the nanga and earth studies jackets but unfortunately they're both hard shells
17 Replies
I love my arcteryx soft shell.
@tman916
Are you using this for performance in any capacity?
Definitely will be used a lot for hiking, but nothing super technical. Pretty much just day hikes with minimal elevation gain in drizzly weather
I like wind jackets for that kind of weather
And then I grab an alpha fleece to wear under when the temps drop
But yeah that arcteryx double weave fabric is great
Pretty much all I wear for hiking pants in the winter
I’d definitely recommend something from a brand like Arc’teryx (Gamma), Outdoor Research (Ferrosi/Ultima), etc.
Not only will your product be backed by a warranty but their products are field tested by athletes which cannot be said about fashion first brands making outdoor gear.
tbh im willing to sacrifice some performance/durability for something more fashion forward. The terrain and weather is incredibly mild here outside of winter, and i've gotten by with t shirts/sweaters and an old patagonia rain jacket for years
I just feel like most fashion brands aren't using softshell fabric because it's not cheap or cool in non functional ways
Snow Peak might have made something in the past. 18east might have something you could use.
Arc’teryx might be the move since they’re at the pinnacle of fashion and function imo
Gonna pay for it tho
Definitely, hope that didn't come across as dismissive because those are genuinely great recs if you aren't a vain dummy like me!
They also don’t produce those things with the kind of fabrics outdoor brands use so OP would likely pay more for worse performance/mobility.
Not at all
We’re here to make recs, it’s your bread so definitely spend it as you see fit
Patagonia might have some cool stuff with fun colors on worn wear if retro granola is your thing
Also some options here, they usually stock fun brands at the intersection of fashion and function https://windthrow.store/search?q=Softshell+jacket&sort_by=relevance&options%5Bprefix%5D=last
I left them out but their stuff is top notch and their proprietary H2nO fabric holds its own against Goretex-Pro
Yeah I’m thinking he’s looking for something more like their polartec stuff
If you want something a bit more fun but still practical, I think the CMF slash soft shells are fantastic
Oh shit that's really cool