This is what softshell is for

By pchorl Ranked #1471 - Men's Softshell Jackets May 1, 2006

I've always thought that softshell jackets had very limited use. (And I'm not anti-softshell, I have a jacket, and a hybrid jacket, and two softshell pants, one of them hybrid as well.) But with an extended outing, or any outing where the weather could turn bad, you have bring a real shell anyway, so consequently, my softshell jacket stayed at home in the closet more often than not.

Until I started thinking softshell shirt, which is what this is. I wear it has a single layer when hiking in warm weather (55-70f). A brisk wind comes up, no problem. A light shower, no problem. A deluge, well, it gives me time to get out my Marmot PreCip shell before I get soaked. And through all of that, it maintains a comfortable body temp. If I get a chill I might put on a very light base under it, like a Mountain Hardwear Wicked-T. If it's colder still I might throw on my Windstopper fleece, either over or under it.

There are hardly any products like this on the market. Arc’teryx has a softshell "shirt", but it retails for $150. I wish the fit if this one was a little more snug, it's kinda billowy at the bottom, a straighter, more athletic cut would have been better. And there’s a little zippered hip pocket that doesn't seem to be of much use to me. I will probably remove it.

View Details: The North Face Apex Zip Shirt Jacket - Men's

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