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We didn't put the Goat logo on the Backcountry.com Men's Shift Composite Softshell Jacket until we'd tested the hell out of it and knew we'd rely on it for our own backcountry adventures. We at Backcountry.com used Polartec Power Shield fabric, which blocks 98 percent of the wind yet lets enough air circulate that you don't swelter during your spring mountaineering journey. With four-way stretch fabric and an athletic cut, this water-repellent softshell moves with you and doesn't make crinkly, shuffly noises like hardshells do. An MP3 pocket and a hidden security pocket that holds your keys and cell make the Shift Composite practical off the mountain, too. Oh, and did we mention this jacket costs half what a comparable branded jacket does?
Bottom Line: Whether you love to ski, alpine climb, or hike, the versatile, affordable Shift Composite Softshell will quickly become your favorite jacket.
This is the every day jacket. I protects from the wind just enough that you can wear it getting in and out of the car running around town, but it breaths enough that you can wear it under a shell on cold days and be comfortable. I wear this thing almost every day ever since I got it. It repels water like it has scales, and fits great.
I gotta say... I start to overheat after about 10 minutes of brisk walking in 25-40 degree temps with this jacket on. It might be okay for colder weather, but I really don't think this jacket was designed for intense aerobic activities like running.
I wouldn't call this a bulky jacket, but I doubt that you would be comfortable running in this jacket in the Spring - it might be OK for the winter depending on warm you get while running and how cold the winters are. I would say that this jacket is probably better for activities more along the lines of cool/cold weather hiking than running. Personally, I'd look at something more like the Mountain Hardwear Transition Jacket which a real light-weight windstopper shell for your purposes.
I wear this jacket every day to work,to kayak,to ski,to bicycle,and even been known to sleep in it.Wind proof water proof feels great fits great and is quite warm for fall in the Adirondaks.
I've been going through a long and arduous search to find the perfect 3 season softshell jacket, to wear by itself in fall and spring, and as a layer in Minnesota and Montana winters. I've been living with The North Face Apex Bionic and the Mountain Hardwear Alchemy for a few weeks, and when the Shift Composite popped up on SAC I decided I might as well try that too.
I'm definitely glad I did. It is my favorite of these jackets. The fit is great, very similar to the Alchemy except that it moves with me better because of its stretchiness. There also isn't as much extra room in the shoulders and arms, which helps retain warmth. I'm very partial to the material of the Shift. It's not as crinkly or "hard" as a lot of softshells I've seen. I've worn the Shift in moderate rain for about a half hour and nothing got through, but it's hard to tell if the softness and stretchiness of the fabric has a cost in waterproofness in significantly wetter conditions.
The Shift is lighter than either my Alchemy or Apex Bionic, but feels just as warm, if not warmer. I was getting chilled in 30 degrees and windy this weekend with the Alchemy, but walking to work in the Shift today in 20 degrees and breezy was perfect, if not a little too warm. The only problem I've found is that the neck of the jacket is pretty tight when it's fully zipped up. I would definitely have trouble zipping it up around a hooded midlayer or a turtleneck.
A couple of other notes: I find the blue color to be similar to the top picture (the main picture), but the gray chest area is actually like the detail images (lighter gray, with a darker gray chest pocket). The turquoise is a pretty strong color, but in a cool way IMO. I've also not been able to find any "hidden security" or wrist pockets that the product description refers to. The jacket has two normal hand pockets, an internal Napoleon pocket for an audio player, and an external chest pocket just above the audio pocket.
The Shift is a great jacket. I wouldn't pay full price for it, but that's because I'm a cheap bastard. This is definitely a competitive alternative to the other name brand softshells at a great sale price. The Shift Composite has earned itself a permanent place in my closet.
Recieved my jacket, seems to be very well built and much warmer than I antisapated even though it's so thin. I wear mine with 2 thermal layers underneath and large fits me perfect, I'm 5'10 200lbs.
Works perfect for me under my ground technical shell.
Got this jacket and the regular shift, which doesn't have the thinner polartech stretch panels. I'm keeping this one because of the color (black/gray instead of my red shift), and am overall happy with it for climbing / walking around town. It's stretchy enough for climbing easy long routes. I took it to Red Rocks in December, and found it to be adequate with two thin base layers and a wool mid-layer underneath, in 35-42 degree weather on a multipitch climb.
pros:
- really excellent athletic fit. looks great. if you're in shape, you won't find this jacket too baggy like a lot of other softshells.
- nice and stretchy and waterproof
- extra pocket inside the main right-hand pocket, good for keys or ipod
- goat logo
cons:
- forearm pocket isn't in a great place, and is unfunctionally small
- the power stretch panels ARE colder than the rest of the jacket
Unlike most BC.com products I found this in a XL to be true to size and the length is right too. It even sticks out a tad from under my BC.com Stoic shell. Still have the long arm issue but I think this is going to work great. I'l check back in after I take it out a few times.
This is definitely my go-to jacket. It's lightweight and incredibly durable. I recently took this jacket on a trip to Northern Washington. The temp was around 8 degrees and even with incredibly high winds I was able to stay warm with only one cotton base layer (long sleeve tee). It got a bit chilly when we walked about a mile to the store with little activity, but doing anything strenuous would keep you warm in sub 10 degree weather. I am amazed at the versatility of this jacket. I rock it everywhere! Great job BC.com
I was a bit dissapointed, I thought the Backcountry.com Shift Composite Jacket - Men's was a warmer, more fit for the cold weather of Colorado. I have used other jackets like Outdoor research and North Face, and they are warmer, keep the warmth in the body better and seem to be a better fit against very cold climate like we get here in Fort Collins in the winter time.
The SHIFT, COMPOSITE and ELEMENT are three of four different Men's softshell jackets made bye Backcountry.com.All are comprise of Polartech materials, primarily Powershield (which is 98% windproof and very water resistant). To my limited knowledge, the regular SHIFT has the heaviest fleece backing of the three, making it appropriate for winter sports, colder and lower exertion activities than the other two. It includes the wrist pocket and a number of other pockets exclusive to it.The COMPOSITE is essentially a a SHIFT designed for higher exertion activities, such as nordic skiing or running. Its made of panels of Powershield and Powerstrech, which give it an ultimate range of motion. The Powerstrech material lacks the weather resistance of the Powershield, but offers more mobility. The ELEMENT is the "casual" cut jacket, being offered in a single color, something that many city dwellers prefer. Like the SHIFT, it is made entirely of Powershield, but has a lighter fleece backing, making it more suitable for warmer climates. Its truly a perfect Spring-Fall jacket, if you live north of Utah. The same could be said of the COMPOSITE, while the SHIFT is the ultimate Fall-Spring jacket, even sufficing as a 4 season jacket in norther areas like BC and Alaska.I have worn all three of them (I happened to spring for the Shift Welder due to it having a hood) and would say that all are definitely made with excellent construction.The BCC0164 is the 09 SHIFT, and the current ELEMENT is brand new. Also, I am not aware of the newer Composite, although I could be wrong. I hope this helps
Excellent...the first two days I wore it in 50 degree 30mph winds and steady rain at Oktoberfest in La Crosse, WI. Couldn't feel the wind and liquids like rain and beer bead up immediately. My main use will be my midlayer skiing so when sub-zero hits I'll let you know what I think. Fits great, looks great and well constructed.
A small water bottle maybe. You might consider a small hydration pack. Some are just a bladder with shoulder straps, not obtrusive at all.http://search.backcountry.com/?i=1&q=camelbak&t3=Camp%2FHike--Backpacks--Hydration+Packs+-+Small&u1=q&u2=t3&x=0&y=0
I just bought this jacket online and was super excited to get it in however, I was very sad when I tried it on. The jacket is super short (hits about 3/4" above my hips), fits like a box and has big baggy arms. I will certianly be returning it tomorrow. I am 5'1" 120lbs with a petite frame. Unless you have an abnormally short torso, a box shape and really big arms, I don't think you will enjoy the fit of this jacket :(.
this jacket is POWER SHIELD material, a very different material than the fleece powerstretch.
Power shield is a laminatiion, with a two layers of fleece, bonded to a inner laminate. this is a complicated process to build this 3 layer laminate, but the benefits are then far more water resistant, wind resistant, warmer, and yet breathable.
both the tahoe, and the lighterweight panels are powershield. the gray may be a little cooler, as it has a thinner and softer face fabric.
Polartec Power Stretch is basically a very soft, plush material. It's a fairly thick material and really is super soft. The portions of the jacket which use that material are the gray parts of the jacket.
I don't see how this jacket could be any better for me. I'm tall and thin 6'3", 185# with a 35 in inseam. What can I say, someone finally made a jacket for those of us with really really long arms. I wore this through a rainy concert earlier in the summer, climbing 14'ers, fishing, motorcycling, and on the town. It looks great, fits better, and does everything as advertised. It's not as thick as some soft shells, so not really for sedentary activities in sub-freezing temps, but it really blocks the wind which is the main reason I end up putting on a jacket most times anyhow. It's light weight and made in Canada!! My only advice is to buy 2, which you can afford to at this price, because if your girl is anything like mine she'll be stealing this one off your back every time you pull it out of your pack.
Will the pockets fit skins? Or rather, can you get skins in and out of the pockets (assuming they are large enough to fit them) without trying to "put a square peg in a round hole"?It's a deal breaker question.
the pocket openings are zippered, but will easily accept skins. I also require this functionality, and usually put one skin in each pocket. the pockets are large, like 6inch x 17 inch, so a skin folded in half, and then in half again is usually a good fit.
This thing is great for bluebird days, also layers well. Use it on my motorcycle too in the spring and fall to keep the wind off, caught in the rain a couple times and stayed dry for the most part, even behind the zipper.
I'm primarily a snowboarder out here in the midwest, we commonly get 10f degree(or colder) days here. I'm looking at wearing this under a ground adverse hard shell. I also travel out west 2-3 times a year to ride\backpack\mountain bike. ThanksYou guys think this setup will work out for me?
I'm a Mid-west farm boy and go form here(Utah) to MI a bit and it works well in both places. Being used to the cold I'll usually just use the Shift out here unless it get real deep or cold. Winter in MI, down to about 0, I'll use the composite, over a Backcountry.com merino crew with a shell over that and keep comfy even out on the sleds
Does the Tahoe color look pretty true to the first pic...can I get some other photos up close since the other question said the detailed pics were not the color on sale? Thanks.
the tahoe in the main picture is an accurate image of the shift composite in tahoe. subtle differences can occur in screen color calibrations on your computer
The blue in the "detailed views" is actually a different color than the Tahoe thats on sale.Wurst, I would call it more of an aqua to teal blue, like the brighter blue in the Keep Tahoe Blue bumper stickers. Hope all is well out East-The Guy that used to pop up across cubbies all last winter.
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