I ordered a bunch of stoic stuff and this is my second favorite, first being the fleece hoody. At 5'6, 130lbs the fit is slim and can only get a few light layers on under it, which is fine by me. The inside of the jacket is AWESOME, very soft and warm, though I think the cirrus lined one is a little warmer. I ordered the gray and orange and didn't like the color. At $240, it's worth it, but little more than I wanted to spend. I'll definitely keep an eye out for a red one on steep and cheap.

Got the Welder Hi yesterday, sent it back today. I am bummed. The jacket looked great, was comfortable in the torso, and well made. The problem is the arms were too tight. I am 6' 230 with a 48" chest. With just a t-shirt on, my arms were very constricted (shoulder down to forearm). No way to wear any kind of base layer should it be real cold outside. People with 48" chests buying an XL probably have good size arms to match. if you are tall or big in the chest with thin arms, this coat would be great.

Had there been more arm room, I would have loved this jacket. The lining was warm and soft. The shell was not stiff, and very quiet. The extra length in the back was perfect.

So here's the skinny. I bought this coat the 18th of November (I reviewed it below), had it all set to RMA before the S&C 30 day return. It was sitting in the bag. I was on the fence. I even brought it to the FEDEX place to return it, but something wouldn't let me go. The 17th, the temps dropped down into the teens. My old coat just was not cutting it. So I ripped into that return bag, and have been happy ever since.

Seriously. All I have been wearing is a tee and this coat during the work week. Today was some sledding with the kids (wind chill puts us at 14 F, 87% humidity). I was wearing some thin thermal underwear, jeans, boots, gloves and the Welder. I originally had my hat on but then just went to the Welder hood. I was toasty. My rear was cold but the torso was great. It breathes really well.

The key thing about this coat is it has excellent wind protection. Again, this is an athletic fit. Size up if you think you'll be in the sub-zero's most of the time so you can add a layer. But honestly if you are at all active outside I am beginning to think this coat can handle it.

5 stars (up from 4) because this coat seriously rocks. I am still concerned about abrasion resistance but time will tell on that issue. For the money (especially if you nab it off of S&C) this coat performs really well.

So before going any further this is my preliminary review having just received it and not been out on the mountain with it. First impression. . . it will be warm. That threw me off a little, the weight and build of this jacket puts it in the class of an insulated shell. I initially thought the insulation or loft whatever you call it would be minimal and subtle. It's there and it's there to keep you warm. Thankfully the jacket keeps a very low profile. I'm 6'3" 220 athletic, etc. and the XL fits. If it were a shell I would have to size up so I could get some good layers underneath. With the insulation I will have to rethink my layering approach. . . I'm a sweaty beast as soon as I start moving so I'm wondering how I will match up the layers with this on the outside. Hopefully with the insulation I can eliminate an under layer. If I wear a Calipene 3 fleece underneath everything is good except the chest movement and around the arm pits gets constricted.The construction is top notch but it also leaves room for improvement. I really want an interior chest pocket for an MP3 player LIKE EVERY OTHER JACKET IN THE WORLD. . . I believe the tags in fact mention this but alas it is not there. The drawstrings seem like an after thought. . . thin and small and the cords themselves seem very weak / cheap. The zippers also feel like they will be the first thing to go on the jacket. For the price I'm used to the quality and durability of the bigger brands. The drawstring for the waist is weaksauce and does not cinch down to protect. . . which to me was a big downfall as the jacket has no powder skirt.So I'm sort of on the fence for this one, I really want to like it I will just have to put it through some licks and see. I have a gut feeling I will be returning it, but I want to be wrong. Thankfully and as usual BC has a kick arse return policy and I always leave satisfied.Bottom line. . .needs improvements to make it really stand out and worth the money. If it stands up to the pow and breathes enough in the west coast blue bird days then I'll be happy. But again I think it might be too much jacket and the traditional shell and layer system could be what I go back to.

I would also like to see how the fleece holds up to washing and long term use. Something about it just reminds me of those old swim team parkas. Perhaps it would be better with one of those trimmed fleeces and not so much the monkey fur type fleece.

For real. I finally had to when my wife and I were making caramel, and I got some on the sleeve, and it came right off! The fit is perfect for a SLIM athletic build. I'm 6' 160 lbs and it's perfect. I can't want to get out in the nastiness with it!

This jacket is soft, warm, and cozy. I would have loved it if it weren't for the athletic cut, which is very snug around the torso (at least around my torso -- ahem, working on it).

This probably has to be the best jacket i've ever owned. The interior is warm enough that you can wear just the jacket and a tee and still be fine in 7 degree weather. Its waterproof and stylish, 10 out of 10.

Haven't worn it in super-wet conditions but I wore it in temp range of 8-29 skiing at was comfortable throughout thanks to fleece and hood over helmet for cold temps and pit zips for warm. My eVent shell has been demoted to the wettest days only due to it's lack of windproofness compare to this jacket. Also the hood is great under my Smith helmet. Not the usual egghead look. One minor gripe is that the neck material could be more flexible to allow more mobility when hood is over helmet.

A fitted, no nonsense shell that is very comfortable, great style points, and practical.

I wasn't sure about this coat, and am still testing it to see how I feel. I really need some serious weather to put it to the test. It's pretty good for the water resistance, I needed something here in Central PA that would stand up to our miserable drizzle-freeze-yuck winters.

Don't expect it to perform in a downpour though, it appears that it will stop beading after a while.The overall build quality is very good, I don't see any flaws so far.

One thing that concerns me is the hood adjustments are easy to cinch down, but restoring them is a little bit of a pain because they use these foam stops that the pull-cord is threaded through. You pull and the pressure holds it there, so to 'undo' it you have to move the foam down, hold it and pull the string back to release the tension. At least, (unless I am doing something wrong?), this appears to be the case. No biggie though, just wanted to mention it. I also wish the zippers were top down, not bottom up zips for water reasons, but maybe I'm just being too picky?

Today was 27° F, 79% humidity, with a windchill of 22° F. I was wearing a tee, jeans, knit hat, gloves, hiking boots and my Stoic Welder. I went for a walk (4 mph) and at the end I was heating up a little but not sweating. So it seems to be doing what it is supposed to: Keeping me warm and dry without overheating. [Before I started the walk, I felt warm.]It's a little weird at first because the jacket is so thin (and yes very fitted. I am 5'11" 200 lbs athletic and got a large. I can fit a sweater and tee underneath but I lose some movement in the arms) that it really makes you question if it is going to keep you warm on cold days. The winds have not been violent yet, but on noticeably windy days I cannot feel it penetrate.The jury is still out. I want to see on a day in the 'teens if I can sit out side inactive for a bit and find out if this will keep me warm. Until then, I stand by 4 stars. Minus 1 star because I am just not sure of it yet.

[UPDATE] I have had this in the teen weather, gusty winds and it's amazingly warm. On another occasion I was out standing still for a couple of hours with only a light thermal layer and was getting a chill, I realized I had left the pit zips open. So, my concerns about keeping me warm have been assuaged, but I am not sure I am totally sold on this jacket yet so I'll keep the 4 star rating for now. There is room for improvement as others have mentioned and my new concern is abrasion resistance. I am not entirely worried about a zipper failing because of the lifetime warranty, but I am worried about a snag on a thorn ruining this coat, and with the winters we get here it can be really rainy so I am not sure under what conditions this will keep me dry.[/UPDATE]

Got this off SAC for a killer deal. The first thing I noticed when I tried it on was that it was much thinner and lighter than I had anticipated, but in this case it's a good thing because the insulation is effective enough to make me question my bulkier jackets that don't keep me as warm. The jacket breathes pretty well too, I never feel like I'm overheating in it, it's always just about right. I was biking the other night in 30-something degree weather with just a t-shirt underneath and was perfectly fine. The pit-zips are also very cycling-friendly for when you heat up, great feature.

Build quality is great, the fleece is super soft and is in the sleeves and hood as well, I like the TRON neon orange look a lot personally too. I'm 6'1" 165lbs and wear the Large, it fits perfectly. Haven't had a chance to test it out in the rain yet to see how waterproof it is, but will update when that happens.

Only a couple minor issues: I wish the hand pockets were lined with the same fleece that the rest of the jacket is lined with, and I feel like the drawstring around the waist area should be a little more substantial. Again, nothing major, just small wishes.

I guess another issue is that the jacket and fleece are cozy to the point where I start to fall asleep in it during my morning classes...

Definitely better than an Arc'teryx Hercules. I can't see any way to improve this jacket other than removing the sleeve pocket, just because I'm not going to use it.

Perfectly compatible with same-size Norrona hard shells.

Just picked the jacket up from SAC and so far impressed. The weather has started to cool off and I can hang out on the porch when it is 20 degrees and not worry about getting cold. This jacket appears to be well constructed (haven't truly tested it yet) and is definitely very warm. The pockets are usable and the hood is not obtrusive. The hood doesn't seem big enough to house a helmet, but it is adjustable and comfortable. The velcro closures on the wrists should be enough to keep the majority of snow out. I think that my main parka is going to get lonely this winter... I am also happy that stoic put the pit zips in. The material is breathable, but sometimes those pits just need some air! The put zips are mesh lined so you won't fill your side with snow when you eat it on those warmer days. The jacket seems a little heavy but it does replace 2 layers with 1 for backcountry play so it really isn't too bad.

Bottom line: I'm impressed and I have started recommending Stoic clothing to friends. I have been looking at their other products for something that I like so much I could convince myself I need it.

Just got this jacket off of SAC for a killer deal...definitely pumped about that! The fleece on the inside of the jacket feels like a blanket of sweet nectar soothing my frigidly wind blown skin back to life after a day of rippin' it up. Best part is, the hood is lined with the fleece and it definitely feels awesome! Run a bit slim fitting, but looks slick as hell.

Just got this jacket off of SAC for a killer deal...definitely pumped about that! The fleece on the inside of the jacket feels like a blanket of sweet nectar soothing my frigidly wind blown skin back to life after a day of rippin' it up. Best part is, the hood is lined with the fleece and it definitely feels awesome! Run a bit slim fitting, but looks slick as hell.

So It's a pretty darn good jacket in tech specs. The XL length is great for my 6'3" 210lb self, but the arms are made for stick figures and the torso is a little baggy. I tried an L first and between it and the XL i think the arm hole diameters are the same (small).

I have been on a desperate search for "the perfect soft-shell" for about 3 months now. So I made a list of all the things that I wanted the jacket to have: Heavy fleece, windproof, water resistant, velcro wrists, hooded (but small hood because I don't wear a helmet for anything but motor-sports, and I hate having a useless hood, but as far as I know the hood does accommodate a helmet also), chest pocket, pit-zips, zippered pockets, full length zip, overall weight around 20 ounces, and in parenthesis was (possible snow-skirt).

I have been eying arc'teryx's Hercules for a while now because it is the only thing that came close to what I wanted, but I hated the jacket, it fit funny, and didn't have pit zips to shed some heat. So I pretty much gave up and was waiting for another jacket to come along, and then not even a week after I made the list POOF! The Stoic Welder Hi Softshell jacket shows up on SAC with every one of my requirements except a snow-skirt, which was the only optional requirement I had made.

Oh and for people looking it fits true to size, I have a Large and I am 5'10", 185lbs, 44 inch chest, 35 inch sleeve, athletic/built. And there is only enough room for a relatively slim base-layer, like a t-shirt and an ice-breaker merino wool long-sleeve and the like, but that is the whole reason I bought the jacket, living in Fairbanks, AK it is nice to be able to simply toss on the jacket over a T and head out the door when everyone else is running around looking like the Michelin Man and their down parkas.

Conclusion: Perfect for me, thanks Stoic and backcountry.com for their awesome service.

I was a little on edge concerning a few details of this Jacket. I had wanted the old Backcountry branded welder but never pulled the trigger on it. They changed to Stoic and I had some concerns on how I would fit in the new label. I was also concerned that the liner would make me feel like I was wearing a teenage girls jacket (generally reserved for weekends only). My last reservation was the color choice.

So, the answers are: the fit is exactly like the sizing chart/ old backcountry brand. The liner is warm and doesn't look as outrageous/teeniboper as I fear/suspected from the pictures. The color looks good, not bad.

I haven't been able to really push this thing through the weather gamut but it seems fine so far. I'm recovering from epic backflip fail right now.

Suggestions for improvements: More color choices!! This jacket is very unique with the orange piping. There needs to be more color choices. I also would LOVE a recco sensor. This is the biggest shortfall of the softshell market. Avalanches can happen when wearing a softshell.

Wanted to keep this jacket but there is no room for a helmet - maybe a light-weight, low profile, mountaineering helmet. The construction seems excellent and the fit is stug but comfortable allowing good mobility. I am 6 ft 185 lbs and the large seemed to be the right size. Not alot of room to layer but the high loft fleece is very warm and comfortable and probably doesn't necessitate a lot of layers. Love the jacket, wanted to keep it but the with the helmet issue got to send it back - got too many jackets anyway.

I got if off SAC and so far it's been great. The material is so soft inside and out. It feels like another fleece jacket yet waterproof and wind resistant. Definitely recommended.

I just got it from SAC and first impression is awesome. I was amazed at how soft it is inside and out. I've worn it around the last 2 days and gotten complements everywhere I've gone. However, I'm starting to wonder if I should have gotten the L instead of the M. I'm 5' 11" 165 lbs and it's a fine fit with just a t-shirt on under it, but you can't fit much more under it. Regardless, it's an amazing classy jacket.

This jacket looks great on the site and it looks and feels even better in person. I just got mine and I am very pleased with the quality and feel of the material and construction. I haven't had it out in the elements yet, so I can only hope that it performs as well as it looks. Based on the other Stoic and backcountry.com stuff I have this should be another great jacket. Score another one for backcountry.com.