This jacket is the best softshell that I own and I use it all the time for xc skiing, and scrambling in Canada. The hood works well when its windy with snow blowing around but a hard shell is too much. I have the The North Face Apex Bionic and Sentinel jacket in a size small but ended getting a medium in this jacket. The fit is nice with an athletic trim but the jacket is really stretchy too so I can wear the Sentinel or a 300 fleece jacket underneath without restricting movement. The only thing I would change about this jacket is maybe having a cord for adjusting the hood to cinch it up.

Other thing I would mention is that the description here says fleece weight of 200 but this is the thinnest jacket out of the 3 TNF softshells I have. I would say the Apex Bionic feels like a 200 and that is the thickest one I have. Its a really thin jacket and its windproof but has no real insulating properties if you are standing still. However, this jackets really shines when you are working hard going up a steep hill in the open.

Overall, I like this jacket so much that I would get another one if this one started to fall apart but so far after 8 months of use, the jacket still looks good.

Overall this jacket has a variety of nice features that make it a very versatile layering piece.

It holds up well in a pretty strong wind, however you will probably be chilled if you don't have at least a light fleece underneath or you cinch the drawstrings. As far as comfort goes this jacket is incredibly comfortable and the grey stretch panels provide a full range of motion. This jacket will fend off a very light rain at best. After ten minutes of a medium rain I started to notice major leaking. This jacket is great for running in cooler weather and for a dry windy day.

I've used this jacket for about a week now, commuting back and forth to class on my bike. It does a pretty good job of stopping the wind (65% or so) and keeps me relatively warm with minimal layers. When ordering, I would just be careful with the sizes. What I mean by this is to order a size bigger if you are taller (longer in the torso). The large fits me in terms of sleeve length, etc...but the torso of the jacket was too short so I had to order an XL. It fits fine now.

Ryan

This jacket is bomber. I bought the jacket for my bike commutes to work. It does exactly what I need it to do(dry and warm). Just wore it and a middleweight baselayer in a windstorm(60 mph winds)on Mt. Rainier and it keep me warm.

I went on a trip to Paris on a very windy and rainy day and the jacket kept me pretty warm.
The friction of the arms with the chest started to damage the nylon part of the arms of the jacket. I wasn't expecting this for such an expensive gear, though.
That is why is not excellent, just pretty cool.

I primarily use this jacket for running. It works in an incredible range of temperatures. Whether its close to the 50s and it looks like it may rain or its in the 30s and snowing, I grab my Cipher and go running. While not waterproof, it will keep you dry in all but a downpour.

The fit is slim/athletic. I'm 6'3" 175 lbs and I wear the large. The fit is perfect.

I bought this practically without thinking. It won the gear of the year award from Outside magazine last year so I assumed it would be incredible. I bought it the day before leaving on a 10 day glacier trek in the Wrangell range in Alaska. I really loved the feeling of this jacket, especially the parts made out of windstopper. In the field it breathed great and was a good outerlayer on clear, relatively windy days. I never once got sweaty in this jacket. I did however get wet. The apex fabric just sucks up water and takes a suprisingly long time to dry. This was the deal killer for me. Also it really wasn't windproof enough in stronger breezes. It cut maybe 60% but it really didn't kill the chill.

I am very content with this jacket, cause it can be used in spring, summer and fall. In winter you can use it under another jacket. It feels very comfortable and soft and is not heavy to wear.

Very nice product from TNF, But did not like the cuffs or the Performance fit. The jacket was just a bit too tight in the fore arm area and not quite long enough in body length for me.

I bought this jacket for an quick overnight trip to the top of Mt. Timpanogos and it was money! The wind gents nuts up there and it didnt bother me once with this on my back. Kept me warm and dry like nothing I'd had before.

I"m 6'2" tall and weigh about 210 w/ an athletic build and the XL Jacket fits like it was tailored fo me. Some areas of the jacket are thinner than I'd like for a windstopper, but for the Seattle area this jacket is perfect.

Love it. Sleaves are a little long, but other than that it is great. I live and walk a ton in NYC where the cold air rips right through the city and jacket def stops the wind.

Works better than expected for fall activities. It is sized large though so size down if you are used to a more athletic fit.

it s the perfect fleece..no doubt
size wise they pretty much slim cut but do protect and is very lightweight and confortable

I really liked the look and feel of this jacket. It's great for stopping the wind and keeping you warm for temperatures above freezing. It has an athletic fit, so I had to order a size larger than usual. The sleeves are pretty long; for me they went to about the end of my pinky finger. My main issue with it is it's lack of insulation and warmth. With 20-30 mph wind gust and wind chill around 20 degrees with a buttoned up flannel and t-shirt, I was pretty cold. It doesn't work well alone as a late fall, early spring jacket. It would also be nice if the hood was detachable or able to roll up in the collar, along with more pockets. Overall with decent layering, this is a pretty good jacket.

Maybe its good luck, but I have been nothing but impressed (for the most part) with my TNF products, particularly this piece. I initially had the Apex Kinetic jacket, which is all apex aerobic. It moved very, very well and was quite water resistant. unfortunately, it was not very warm and allowed for wind to cut through rather easily. The Cipher is a greatly improved Kinetic Jacket, with much needed Windstopper panels throughout the chest, sleeves and pack. Its perfect for cool (not cold) nights, active or not. The Apex parts work great even though there are no pit zips. I actually bought this jacket on a whim, but I am so very glad I did.

Wearing this on campus is great, especially while riding your bike. It lets in just the right amount of wind to cool you when you are working up a sweat.

This jacket has 1 fatal flaw: the lack of interior pocket. Add one ala Mountain Hardwear style with a headphone port and it would be PERFECT. The fleece weight is far from 200 though. Note: it is NOT an insulating piece, but a highly wind resistant ,breathable, stretchy soft shell.