my favorite softshell

By Benjamin Refling Ranked #23 - Men's Softshell Jackets November 3, 2009

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.

View Details: Backcountry.com Shift Composite Jacket - Men's

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