Has anyone had any experience with soft shell clothing? After reading suggestions throughout, I have tried hiking regularly in rain paints during the winter, and absolutely hate it. I can never find the happy medium between being cold or sweating up a storm, which then just freezes on the inside. This would potentially also turn into camp wear in the spring / summer, along with rain wear, hopefully cutting down on clothing I would bring.
Browsing through backpackinglight.com, everyone there (editors and forum members) seem to rave about them. Any personal experience, likes, dislikes, etc. Are any materials better or worse than others?
EMS and several other places near me are having clearance sales, along with several items at Sierra Trading Post and ebay. While this is all well and good, the no return policy with ebay makes me kind of leery.
Any feedback appreciated.
Matt
I use and like softshells, but to think of them as rainwear is unrealistic. On the AT, you will have to carry a separate rain jacket.
Specifically, I use a pair of MEC Simplex pants (see http://www.mec.ca), which are made out of Schoeller Dryskin. This is a stretchy material, is very durable (overkill on the AT), breath well (not as good as normal nylon/polyester), and sheds water nicely, though wets out quickly in a sustained rain. The pants also pack more warmth than normal hiking pants and are cut about half way between tights and normal pants which I like. Moreover, they provide better wind protection than normal nylon/polyester. None of these things are super important on the AT, however (at least between GA and VT). However, when wet nylon pants give little warmth. The MEC pants provide some measure of warmth while wet and this has been important to me at times over the last couple of years.
I also use a Moonstone Evolution Jacket (no longer made, bought it close out 4 years ag), which is my standard hiking jacket between November and March. It is very, very durable and has gone all around the world with me, in addition to mountaineering stuff. It is not warm enough for stand alone insulation in camp, but it is perfect with a thermal top,sometimes with a light fleece, for hiking in cold weather. This arrangement is good enough for snowshoeing in weather in snow in the single digits. Breathability is good, and is all I need in misty type conditions. The material is no longer made, but was called Changeling. The durability of the jacket is important to me, as frequently I end up bushwhacking and really need something akin to armor on my upper body.
If you are considering buying softshells, I would highly, highly recommend you do them through MEC (see link above). Cost will be about half, and quality at least as good, as a brand like Marmot or Arc'teryx. If I was going to start an AT on, say, March 1, I would bring both as primary hiking wear, knowing that by April 1 or so I would exchange them for other gear that is more apppropriate for the humid, wet conditions on the AT. If I was hiking SOBO and happened to be out after mid October, I would probably pick them up them. I would always carry a rainjacket, however. I don't normally carry rainpants anyways.
tlbj6142
01-30-2005, 22:59
The other "problem" with softshells is that the entire category doesn't have any real "definition". Some folks think windshirts are softshells, some are waterproof, most are are water resistent. As such the how well they breathe (transport moisture from inside to out) varies dramactically. In the winter (about the only time you'd use a softshell), moisture management is a much higher priority than during 3-season trips. What happens if you end up with one of the less than breathable materials?
I'd make sure you have access to good well writen reviews before purchasing any softshell. And make sure you know what you want out of a softshell. Is it something you throw on during breaks? Or do you plan to wear it in 15F snowshoeing trips as your activewear shell?
Also, learn as much as you can about the various materials used. Unfortunatley, there are so many proprietary softshell materials that muddy the waters. Sierra Designs, Columbia, The North Face all make softshells as do high dollar crowd, Arc'Teryx, Cloudveil, Marmot, etc.
Good luck.