soft shell clothing

[fuzzy]

good morning

I am looking into getting some soft shell clothing. I am not concerned about camoflage what so ever. Jackets must have hoods. my wife has a an older North face jacket which is the kinda stretchy material im looking for.i heard some good things about Condor Outdoor and Tactical products does anyone have some experience with them. i plan on using this with my crappy Browning Prevent jacket as a hard shell for when the weather turns sour.

As far as pants i am interested in maybe a logger type pant, i seem to remember pants that were slim fitted and stretchy as well. i also think that the knees might have been slightly padded as well.Obviously i wont need anything with kevlar or full on chainsaw safety pants. I have no idea where to even begin looking for this type of pant.


thanks

Fuzzy

[sako_300]

If you have a waterproof hard shell I'm assuming the soft shell doesn't need to be waterproof?

Budget?

Anything from Arcteryx, Mountain Hardware, North Face, etc. will serve you well. The Sitka 90% is also a good soft shell camo jacket but $$$.

http://www.arcteryx.com/Product.aspx?Mens/Jackets/Epsilon-SV-Hoody#Hardfleece

Don't know much about soft shell pants as I typically wear long johns/hard shell when it's wet.

[fuzzy]

i would prefer for the softshell to be water proof so that i dont always have to take my browning jacket but its not absolutely necesary.

thanks


fuzzy

[troutseeker]

Arcteryx is pretty hard to beat for quality and toughness. Price is high though... But if you live in or around Vancouver, they sell factory seconds at their shop, some great deals to be had.

[Hunt'n Guide]

I've got a few different softshells from different makers. Never had one that I'd call "waterproof". Water resistant, yes but not waterproof. With soft shell fabrics you have to rely on the DWR coating on the fabric and the material's water replellent properties as there is no membrane to bar water from passing through. With hunting gear the DWR gets dirty and doesn't work well for long.

[Tikatack]

As far as I know, there's no waterproof soft shell out there. I can't find any with Arcteryx. Soft shells are typically made for high aerobic activities in fair whether as opposed to downpour for days on end. Maybe Sitka has some, but for the money I'd go with a mountaineering jacket. But if you want to layer, soft shell and pre vent should be OK. What's wrong with your Browning rainwear?

[fuzzy]

What's wrong with your Browning rainwear?

I just dont find it to be a high quality jacket, it was a gift, it has a button in liner which is absolute garbage, the liner is super loud, distracts me in the bush as well as the fact that it doesnt have enough attachment points and rides up if you reach over your head or are scrambling up a hill or just being active. i find the jacket to be poorly thought out. The hood doesnt protect your head and face from the elements the way it should. Also it has velcro down pocket flaps, garbage. hmm let me grab my binos riiiiiiiiiiiiipppp. i grew up snowboarding and always shopped around for gear and i can honeslty say my 8 year old Burton snowboarding jacket is superior for hunting in absolutley every way camo be damned.

just my .02cents

fuzzy

[Alpine85]

Not to sure what exactly your after but take a look at some pants made with "schoeller" fabric, great stuff. Buddy used a pair of Mammut pants made with schoeller this year on our hunt, was very impressed.

[Yamnuska]

Not to sure what exactly your after but take a look at some pants made with "schoeller" fabric, great stuff. Buddy used a pair of Mammut pants made with schoeller this year on our hunt, was very impressed.


I use shoeller for alpine ski touring and mountain climbing. Also for rock climbing. I can tell you that it is fine for 90% of winter conditions including wet snow. It is good in the rain for awhile. It breathes fantastic. It is not warm however. In -20C I have worn schoeller pants and long johns and been warm. However I was ski touring and skinning uphill. If you stop to dig a pit you will start to get cold and need to layer up.

I wear my schoeller pants (just MEC pants) hunting. Work great.