Mountain Hardwear Dragon Softshell Jacket - Men's - 2009 BCS

i spend most of my time each day skinning uphill. when the temps are cold i love this mountain hardwear dragon jacket. it's a warm winter softshell. it has thumb holes for that extra warmth. the hood fits around a helmet and has a great design and brim for when it's windy or nuking. today i wore a tshirt under it. i noticed the itchy material issue others have mentioned.. it's just material that doesn't feel good against bare skin, but honestly i've worn this jacket for a year and only felt it today because someone mentioned it.with this jacket on the uphills and a puffy in the pack for the downhills i'm set. not a deal breaker for me. the softshell material is some of the best i've ever seen. water droplets pill up and roll away still today and i've had it for a year.

Super comfortable, and breathable. The hood fits perfectly over a climbing helmet; but if you don't have one the hood is absolutely huge. The material can be a bit itchy if you have a T shirt on underneath. It is still pretty waterproof, but I still prefer a hardshell for wet conditions. Build quality of this jacket is superb, and also has really nice big pit zips for dumping heat.

this jacket took a good 15 maybe 20 minute down pour. i was dry when i took it off! softshell can do that??? how long it would take for rain to seep thru i dont know, but thats pretty impresive for only paying 146 bones. what can i do to lengthen the life of the dwr on this?

I got this jack at the end of the winter and first used it snowboarding first. While snowboarding in rain (Pac NW) i was suprised at how well this jacket repeled water. Then earlier this spring I put it to the test while rock climbing and found that the jacket breathes very well. My favorite part of the jacket however is the thumbholes that keep snow out in a hard powder landing and keep the arms moving with my body. I guess the only downside is that because of how light it is it seems as though it would wear out quickly. However mine currently shows no signs of exsesive wear after 5 days snowboarding and 7 days on the rock.

This jacket is awesome. Regulates your temperature very well and blocks the wind like no other. I use this primarily for climbing and stay warm in 30 degree weather with strong winds wearing only a mid layer underneith. Pitzips are great for dumping heat when you start to work up a sweat. I've tested the wind up to 120 mph on my motorcycle and it does not cut through. Truly amazing jacket.

This is a great layer it can be an outer layer on a semi cold day with light snow and the water resistant holds up well for a while. as a mid layer it has great breathability and vents like no other, the front pockets are a mesh so when you leave the zipper open it vents well. the hood has a heavy brim to keep the weather off your face. the only complaints i have is the body moves a lot if you dont tighten the waist draw cords where it sits when you raise your arms. other than that it is my fav soft shell !!!

I use this jacket for splitboarding, and its been great so far. The vents are great for the up and the windstopper makes it a great jacket for riding when the temps aren't too cold. The hood is great and works well. Its a tight fitting jacket which is good for layering (I use an Arc'teryx Sidewinder SV for my outer shell). Highly recommended!

Great jacket, the seams can get irritating. The seam in the arms gets annoying (around the elbow) when wearing a short sleeve shirt. The seams stick up a bit and not completely flat like arc'teryx
The competitor is the arc'teryx venta. If you have the money go arc'teryx, more durable and the seams are perfect. But for the price, this is dang cool.

Just forgot to mention-the arms are shorter than arc'teryx. When I lift my arms in this jacket, some of my wrist is exposed when ice climbing. This doesnt happen with the gamma mx or venta jackets.

...for the rain. bought the day it started raining and haven't looked back. awesome breathability and stretch. zweld is serious stuff. don't think i will have to worry about any wind. kind of expensive, but well worth it. I am 5'10" 165lbs athletic build and a large fits perfect. i can layer my synthetic down easily. i think the one here is last seasons because the chest pocket on my Dragon has the logo and the name embroidered on it. that is probably the only difference.

Initially hesitant about softshells in general, the Dragon has certainly made me a believer. The materials are super comfortable, fairly durable, and the design makes it extremely versatile. I've used this jacket several times in very wet snow in the 20s and even when the outside started to feel damp, the interior of the coat, and therefore my down layer, stayed nice and dry. Along with the Gore Windstopper fabric, the waterproof pockets and full-coverage hood really shut out the elements, but the pockets double as vents and the pit zips (also waterproof) open up wide to dump heat during the climb. The main zipper is very sturdy and easy to handle even with mittens. The rest of the construction is the kind of quality that makes Mountain Hardwear so durable (at least their top-of-the-line gear). I'd put my Dragon up against patagonia or arcteryx any day.The one point that may deter some people from this jacket is the fit. For me, it's perfect. I'm really very tall and skinny (6'4, 165 pure muscle hahaha). The Large really feels tailored for me, slim torso, and very long arms with thumb loops follow any reach. There's just enough room to layer a light fleece and thin puffy (MH nitrous) to make you stay toasty warm down in the teens or below so long as you're somewhat active. The helmet-compatible hood keeps my dreads tucked away, but may be uncomfortably big without a helmet (climbing, skiing) or a big hat. Overall I'm quite happy with this jacket made just for me, it just might not be for everyone.

I bought this jacket for my boyfriend for Christmas and he absolutely loves it. He is very slender (5'9" 140 lbs) and wears a medium in this jacket. He wore it all winter for skiing and ice climbing with different types of base and midlayers under it and he was warm and comfortable all the time. The jacket is water RESISTANT, not waterproof. The hood fits over a ski helmet and a climbing helmet. The only worry my boyfriend has with this jacket is with tree skiing - he's afraid that a branch might reach out and tear a hole in his favorite jacket. Since it's a softshell, he doesn't think it would hold up well to abrasion.

I enjoy the `1 piece does everything' mentality but in outdoor recreation this is very hard to find. The dragon though is one of these pieces. It has great functionality for climbing and alpine activities but it's also a great piece for hiking and trekking. On a recent trip to the Smoky Mountains i used this piece exclusively. Fit great carrying 50lbs on the back, its abrasion resistant, definitely windproof, perfectly laid out accessory pockets, and a great fit.. Never even had to bust out my Arc' hardshell. A few weeks later i used it skiing. It was 15F, i had a Pat4 base and a midweight fleece with this jacket on top. Plenty of mobility with the stretchy fabric and the windproofness was great. Most recently i got caught in a rainstorm while on a run here in the city (chicago). Complete downpour. i popped the hood, slowed to a walk, and the Dragon bead the water right off, didn't get a drop through the fabric. And the rain was hard for 10 minutes then spent another 30 minutes with a lighter rain/misting before making it home. I took the coat off and looked on the inside, no water. Like i said, it does everthing and with the pitzips can be used for high aerobic activity as well.

Looking at the specs, I was hoping that the Dragon would be like an MHW Alchemy on steroids (adding pitzips, hood + thumb loops) but I'm pretty disappointed. The Dragon doesn't have the fleece liner that the Alchemy jacket has, and it's just not quite warm enough to use unless it's above freezing.

I'm a huge believer in layering to retain & shed heat as needed. I use a Patagonia R1 as a base layer, with my old Alchemy jacket over it. That keeps me warm down to 0 degrees and if it's snowing hard I'll throw a MHW Typhoon coat over it all to keep me perfectly dry. I was hoping that the Dragon would replace my Alchemy in all conditions, but even with the R1 under the Dragon, it wasn't quite warm enough at around 20 degrees yesterday.

I have a MHWtransition Hoody from before in large and loves the WS fabric and moistmanagement of the fabric. The transition though is not very sturdy and has a tight fit runners-hood. I wanted a super WS softshell thats more like a shell, but soft and light and breathable as a fast-forwardjacket. The Dragon in Jungle is supernice in color and fabric, but its quite big in size L for me (170cm 75kg muscular built) even though the transition hoody is good fit in Large. I tried the Mediun in transition and its very tight. Had to give the Dragon Large to my father as a gift and has ordered a new in M to me.

I use this jacket as an outer layer in MN every season except summer. For fall (<50F), a sweater underneath and you're set, as this jacket does not have much for insulation. Completely kills wind and light sprinkles of rain. It will get wet in down pours, however, so a light rain jacket is the only better layer for rainy days. In winter (<32) I stop worrying about rain, and start worrying about windchill, but not anymore. A sweater and tee underneath for mild winter, or the MH Zonal jacket or other micro-synthetic down jacket is all you need. This softshell is perfect for all winter sports. I ice climb, ski, snowshoe, backcountry camping, and rock climb; this jacket is durable enough for everything. But watch out for campfire sparks, as I've melted a tiny hole in the outer layer of the fabric. Luckily, the synthetic material simply melts together and won't rip.

For sizing, I am a slim 5'10" 150#, and I bought a large to be long enough in the torso to keep my back covered while skiing in the winter. It's a little baggy on me, especially in the fall when I only wear a tee underneath. But in winter, it's perfect for layering a synthetic down jacket or sweater/sweatshirt underneath. I tried the medium, it was a perfect fit if I wasn't putting thick fabrics underneath, but it was a little short and tight with a sweatshirt on.

I recommend buying this jacket for 3 season layering when heavy rain isn't an issue. Couple this jacket with an insulating midlayer, and you can go anywhere and do anything down to 0 degrees.

Bought in the summer I've been using it on the bike commute each morning: perfectly suited.
However in its first real soaking (normally I've foreseen them and taken a specific waterproof) water did come through on the arms in about 15mins (body stayed dry tho).
The windstopping ability however totally makes up for that. So far I've found found a dozen uses that it's perfect for (anywhere with wind!) and I've still not used it for my intended purpose - ski/snowbaord touring.
It's a tight fitting garment - so I'm mainly using a Patagonia R1 under it, and it seems fine down to freezing at least. In the winter I'll probably layer above it if really cold.
Overall - love it

First of all, I have only tested the Dragon in three seasons Spring/Summer/Fall. However these three seasons were in Alaska so conditions will differ up here compared to the states. Overall the jacket does great. In the beginning of spring it sheds wet snowfall effortlessly and with the welded zippers keeps items in my pockets dry. Summer conditions are a bit trickier with this softshell. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it for tremendous downpours, it just can't handle the load. For light to moderate rainfall it handles it well shedding most of the water. Over time some water will start to absorb due to quantity. In the fall months many of the same principles apply, except for the cold factor. Temps can definitely drop in Alaska in late September to the end of October when many great trips are available. I bought my jacket in a Medium and being 5'10 and 185 pounds I do have some room for a t-shirt and a medium weight base layer. The dragon itself provides a fair amount of warmth, but I wouldn't rely on it solely.

A little looked at feature that I'm very pleased with is the hood. It has a draw string on the back to truly adjust to any size noggin out there, making it that much more comfortable for long use. Additionally, the brim is very rigged and keeps rain out of your eyes.

Overall I gave this jacket a 5/5. My only real complaint with it is the inseams in the sleeves. When your first try this jacket on, I bought online obviously, the inseams protrude and can be very irritating to uncovered fleshy parts of your arm. I've found after a few minutes, 5 at most, this feeling dissipates and is as comfortable as the next jacket.

I have to agree with the reviews that talk about the material that is irritating to the skin. I bought this jacket and when trying it on realized that the fabric in the forearm area was quite scratchy. Other than this the jacket seemed well made, and since this problem does not seem to be the case for everyone, it may just be based on what your personal experience is. I sent the jacket back because I could just not tolerate the irritating material.

I love this Jacket! Its form fitting, wears great with a big pack, throw on some layers and snowboard all day! I ride my bike every morning here in New Jersey and even in the winter this jacket plus underarmor and im set down to 20 degrees no problemo. The huge pit zips are great halfway through to dump some excess heat. Only complaint is that the zips are well sealed so zipping them while on the bike can be an issue (two hand job), but a good trade-off knowing that when there zipped tight not an ounce of wind will get through. Ive been in some pretty nasty downpours and stayed dry (i just wouldn't want to be out all day without a better rain jacket. For the weight and versatility this is definitely one of my favorite weapons in my outdoor arsenal.

It appeared to be a well made jacket. The product sizing is awful! The cut is too form fitting and leaves no room for mid layers. I returned it immediately. I bought an XL knowing that my Windstopper fleece is an XL and fits fine.

I honestly tried to get used to this jacket, but the longer I have it, the less I like it. There are a few things that bother me. One is the material, though it's thin and stretchy which is good, I have to wear long sleeves under this jacket b/c it feels ridiculously scratchy on the inside. Two, the cuffs don't have a velcro or snap for adjustment, instead they have a little sleeve with a thumb loop. The thumb loop is too small for my thumb and the cuffs feel flappy around my wrist and, of course, cold air goes right up my arm. Three, the outside chest and inside mp3 pockets are uselessly small AND sewn on top of each other, so if I bring my mp3 which barely fits into the mp3 pocket and I put my small cell phone(forget about fitting a blackberry in there) in the outside pocket, I look like I have one giant left boob. So overall, the material is not ideal and the design is not well thought thru. And it's made in China so considering the huge profit MH is making on this jacket, they could have done a much better job.

I used this jacket primarily in the summer. It was great for riding around the city on my scooter and lightly layering, but the thin material made this jacket weak during the odd cold nights in San Francisco. It works well for commuting on bike, but outside of constant activity, this jacket fails to keep me warm. I brought it on a trip to Japan this past fall and paired it up with a Sugoi pullover fleece and it barely survived the cold and was merely acting as a weird softshell. I say weird softshell because of the fact that it cannot be called a hardshell since it takes on water quite easily. I was expecting a good all around jacket, but for the meantime it's isolated to semi-dry days and being properly layered.