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AND THE WINNERS ARE...
Helly Hansen Storm $120
The world's first breathable polyurethane coat is tough as nails and dirt-cheap.
Why It's Cool: Interface bW—Helly's house-brand polyurethane—isn't just stretchy and breathable. It also has what fabric-biz folks call nice hand, meaning that the material is softer and quieter than just about any other threads you'd find in an expedition-level garment. But the devil is in the details, and Helly nails these, keeping the weight down to 19 ounces by sonically welding panels together and adding rip-resistant coated nylon on the lower back, tail, and forearms. >> The polyester lining is almost as soft as microfleece, besting what you find inside other laminates. >> The shell is waterproof, so it will never need renewing via a spray-on DWR, and it's impervious to random scrapes. That means less coddling—whether you're on a weekend scramble or a 30-day expedition.
Hmmm... With no pit zips, chest pockets double as vents, and the hood won't pull over a helmet.
Patagonia Core Skin $249
Bow before the ultimate all-in-one, highly compressible lightweight jacket for cool-weather aerobic pursuits.
Why It's Cool: You'll find many versatile soft shells made of Polartec's two-layer Power Shield wünderfabric, but none that performs as well as the Core Skin (or, for that matter, that looks so deceivingly low-tech). >> The Core Skin is a nylon stretch-woven shell laminated to an interior fleece layer, but instead of your basic microfleece, Patagonia uses a more breathable open-weave version of its Polartec-made R1 insulation. The result is a 20-ounce jacket that compresses to the size of a cantaloupe and breathes like Lance in the Pyrenees. >> Lacking water-retaining Lycra in the exterior layer, the Core Skin dries quickly. During an autumn flurry, the jacket's Deluge DWR coating repelled water like waxed paper.
Hmmm... The awkward between-the-legs strap may keep the jacket from riding up on you as you climb, but we removed it immediately.
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L.L. Bean Ridge Runner $89
The Bean delivers quiet, soft-to-the-touch fabric in a piece that's ideal for high-action sports.
Why It's Cool: Although the 17-ounce Ridge Runner looks low-tech, it's packed with innovation. At its core is H2Off, a microfiber of tightly woven ripstop polyester. The result is a big stop sign to water molecules, even though the weave of the polyester is wide enough to let sweat escape. Meanwhile, the feel is quiet and super-silky—I could hear myself think (and huff) while cross-country skiing, instead of just listening to the maddening din of my outerwear. >> There's also a slick, roll-up hood that disappears into the collar without adding bulk, and a pair of hand-warmer pockets for your cash and an energy bar.
Hmmm... The weave of the mesh in the pockets tends to snag on keys without letting go. |
Patagonia Dragonfly $135
Here's an onion skin-thin fastpacker's dream shell—it's lighter than a stick of butter but far more protective than you'd ever guess.
Why It's Cool: Dragonfly? Try the mere wing of a dragonfly, that's how wispy this piece is. But it's no wimp. True, you can compress the three-ounce shell into its own hidden chest pouch (about the size of a Clif Bar) and shove it in your pants pocket at the trailhead as rain insurance—but don't sell this piece short. >> During a muddy, cold, and wet mountain-bike ride the nylon pullover's silicone-based DWR finish shrugged off wind and water, and when the sun emerged I stuffed the coat into the wee pocket of a CamelBak, delighted to find both the coat and my base layer bone-dry. >> The hood rolls up and a single strap holds it in place.
Hmmm... The trade-off of the weight-shaving half-zip is that yanking it on over a helmet is a minor chore. >> The inside pouch doesn't close tightly (only a small velcro tab holds it), so your car keys might bounce out on a run. |
Pearl Izumi Channel $200
The channel gives enduro jocks killer protection wrapped in a quiet fabric
Why It's Cool: On an ugly run that offered horizontal rain and sleet, the jacket's DWR-treated nylon beaded water like Turtlewax. The real story, however, is the lining's hydrophobic and oleophobic fabric, courtesy of eVENT. Oleowhat? That means this jacket's interior membrane repels oil as well as water. While both exit your pores when you sweat, the latter can eventually clog the membrane of a laminated coat. Not so with this three-layer piece; it keeps breathing while you keep running or riding. >> Speaking of which, the 11-ounce Channel's torso-hugging cut means it won't flap around in the wind during such pursuits. >> Also sweet: the microfleece collar, and reflective piping on the shoulders and back that lights you up in the low beams like a yield sign.
Hmmm... Combine very high exertion and warm, muggy drizzle and the Channel can get clammy inside. >> In a deluge, the elastic cuffs get wet and stay wet. >> A hood would be handy. |
Arc'Teryx Sirrus SL $300
This piece is ridiculously light and slim fitting, yet burly enough to provide all-season protection.
Why It's Cool: The 12-ounce Sirrus impresses with what it lacks. No, it's not just that it's light for its class, but how it got so trim. Sure, you've got bomber, fully waterproof two-layer Gore-Tex XCR through the shoulders and chest to resist abrasion from pack straps and close encounters with boulders, and weight-shaving Gore Paclite everywhere else. The Arc saves precious grams by joining the materials with only a 1/16-inch overlap, then puts that overlap inside rather than outside the coat (and tapes it) so it can't snag on talus as you scramble toward a summit. >> Narrow seams on a jacket can form an unwanted skeleton that resists free movement, but not so with the Sirrus—reaching for a fistful of granite during a 5.7 lead didn't mean fighting the framework of my coat as well as gravity. >> Watertight zippers are also appreciated, as are one-pull elastic cords for adjusting the hood and waist.
Hmmm... There's no way to stow or roll the hood. |
Sierra Designs Bora $99
Proof that storm- and soft-shell technology can work together to make a highly weather-resistant piece.
Why It's Cool: The 18-ounce Bora demonstrates the old outdoors maxim that warmth trumps absolute dryness. Exhibit A: an hour-long cyclocross race that offered dumping rain, pedal-deep puddles, and—thank you, fellow racers—rooster tails of muddy water. While the Bora's stretchy, polyester twin-weave liner (an SD proprietary fabric that also peeks through on torso and elbows) wicked away sweat and kept me comfortable, the coat's silicone-treated Hyperion ripstop shell arrested rain and wind. >> During the competition the stretch-woven shell material kept me warm rather than clammy—and by race's end I was damp but not sodden. >> I also appreciated the drop tail, which kept muck off my bum.
Hmmm... There's no hood, and the motorcross fit is too snug for multilayering, so you need to be working at least moderately hard to stay warm. |
Marmot Oracle PreCip Plus $150
Marmot makes a jacket that performs admirably in a broad range of weather conditions—for less.
Why It's Cool: Marmot's nylon PreCip fabric was already highly breathable, thanks to its proprietary waterproof urethane coating, but the company upped the transpiration factor even more by figuring out how to widen the material's pores. The result, PreCip Plus, is more than just a catchy name: Whether I was running, cycling, or hiking in the 17-ounce Oracle—in weather that varied from low 50s and rain to low 20s and snow—I couldn't overwhelm the piece with perspiration. >> Huge chest vents help broaden the shell's useable temperature range and, unlike pit zips, can be opened easily while wearing a pack. >> A very intelligently cut hood with a broad brim won't block vision whether you crank it down over your bare cranium or expand it to top a helmet.
Hmmm... A ribbon of fabric is sewn into the chest pockets/vents, which keeps them breathing better. But the trick also creates a hole atop the pocket that could liberate your car keys.
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Oakley Trap $200
The kings of board-style create a comfortable—and, all right, fashionable—jacket for colder days.
Why It's Cool: Here's a very technical piece that doesn't look like a dirtbag built it. The fluidly draped if slightly baggy cut makes the 21-ounce Trap a style-conscious
winner—a coat you can grab for a chilly morning run or a quick dash to the Home Depot. >> The Trap is so sharp, it nearly hides its eminently useable tech—a three-layer laminated product from Sympatex called Windmaster. This stretchy, silky fabric stops even the stiffest gales, and yet during a panting, sweaty, two-hour road ride, the waist-length Trap kept the moisture buildup to a minimum. Is it totally waterproof? Nah. But for highly aerobic activities, it offers adequate drizzle protection in a very breathable package. >> I really dig the no-fuss Lycra cuffs, which are snug but not tourniquet-tight. >> The Oakley is roomy, especially in the shoulders, so adding layers doesn't hinder movement.
Hmmm... Baggy means heavier, of course, which is less ideal for some pursuits, like fastpacking. >> The zip-off hood lacks adequate cinchability.
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Mountain Hardwear Recon $280
This rugged, waterproof-breathable shell offers technical features that best some heavyweights.
Why It's Cool: Do you need a $500 premium parka? Not when the 24-ounce Recon—a seam-taped, smart-featured three-layer coat with a waterproof-breathable membrane (Conduit, a nonporous, breathable urethane laminate) can be had for less than three bills. >> I appreciate the jacket's shorter hip length for easier movement while mountaineering and scrambling—Mountain Hardwear assumes you'll be wearing rain pants when you need to guard your lower half. >> Zipper flaps are pared thin so they can't get caught in the teeth, and the snow skirt is welded on, rather than sewn in place, to save weight and prevent tearing. >> The brainiest invention might be a built-in neck gaiter that cinches snugly, keeping out the most chilling gusts.
Hmmm... Huge pit vents provide gobs of natural A/C, but because Mountain Hardwear uses flapped
zippers rather than watertight ones, the mass of fabric under my pits proved uncomfortable, especially while wearing a pack. |
REI Liberty Ridge $240
This three-layer wonder functions like a thermostat but won't give you heatstroke at the cash register.
Why It's Cool: The Liberty's big sell is its so-called phase-change property: Pores in the Elements fabric (the co-op's own waterproof-breathable laminate) open and close as body temperature fluctuates, keeping heat in or bleeding it out. But the piece also reacts to ambient temperatures, breathing more above freezing and less below that mark. >> During a cold afternoon hike, the 24-ounce Liberty won out over the other shells in my pack for feeling the least like a refrigerator, holding in body heat until I was toasty, and then, remarkably, cooling off just when I thought about reaching for the vents. >> It's inexpensive but doesn't stint on bells: hip-to-elbow pit zips, four oversize pockets, drawcords to seal the bottom of the coat and the hip, an articulated hood, and microfleece around the rim of the hood and at the chin. >> An internal MP3 player pocket and pass-through could also accept a small hydration reservoir and hose.
Hmmm... The hood fits well with a hat or helmet, but cinch it down on your bare noggin and you'll feel a pinch of seam tape and drawcord lines; leaving the lines slack compromises your peripheral vision. |
Columbia Flexi-Alpine $300
For the price of some other bare-bones parkas, Grandma Gert gives you the kitchen sink and then some.
Why It's Cool: Pit and chest vents; waist and hip drawcords; a big chest pocket for goggles, a water bottle, or skins. Hey, I'm just warming up here. >> Did I mention the oversize zipper pulls, which are great for use with gloved hands? The fully adjustable hood, the full seam taping, the stretch panels on the arms and shoulders, and the reinforced nylon swatches on the hips to fend off attacks from metal snowboard edges? Add it all up and the 29-ounce Flexi Alpine is so overbuilt that even an ick-fest Northeastern ice storm couldn't put a dent in its two-ply laminated waterproof-breathable membrane. For all those gearheads who beat on their toys till they beg for mercy, you've met your match.
Hmmm... Waterproof pit zips are great, but Columbia still put a flap inside the coat, creating bulk; magnets (rather than Velcro) close the front zipper flap, adding weight to an already porky coat. |
Cloudveil Koven $365
A three-layer coat that breathes more as your heat rises.
Why It's Cool: The Koven's Cloudburst phase-change fabric reacts to heat and moisture condensation (the more warmth and condensation, the wider the laminate's pores open), but the reverse is also true: When temperatures fall, the pores let out less heat, so the cold doesn't penetrate. >> This 22-ouncer also has four-way stretch properties—which beats the usual high-crinkle, no-give formula of expedition-weight coats. When I was slogging up an oh-no-where-did-the-trail-go boulder scramble, I really appreciated fabric that didn't fight my reach. >> Massive chest pockets double as vents and complement pit zips. >> Oversize pulls for the hood make a positive grip easy with a gloved hand.
Hmmm... Watertight zippers are great because they razor off precious grams, but the trade-off is stiff action—the Koven's require a mountain man's strength to open and close. |
Cloudveil Prospector $135
This fast-drying summer-weight jacket costs less than it should.
Why It's Cool: It's light and priced right: The 11-ounce Prospector boasts many of the same features found in pricier soft shells made with super-stretchy Lycra, but Cloudveil heads off sticker shock with its house-brand flexy fabric, called Inertia. >> The DWR-coated fabric dealt with moisture—both sweat and light rain—better than any other soft shell we tested. >> While rock climbing in Colorado's El Dorado Canyon, the laminated cuff tabs were easy to adjust with gloves; the alpine cut and the higher pocket placement proved harness-friendly.
Hmmm... Inertia's trade-off? Flexibility. It stretches in only two directions. >> For a jacket that prides itself on moisture management, you'd think there'd be more ventilation options than one chest pocket. |
The North Face Apex $150
No-frills yet versatile, here's a worthy all-purpose soft-shell debut.
Why It's Cool: Instead of opting for Power Shield or one of the other stretch-woven fabrics on the market, TNF made its own. I was skeptical, until it started to rain. The tightly woven Duckback DWR-coated material, called Ozo Apex, fended off the elements, and the soft-brushed polyester interior kept me warm and dry—not clammy—as I scrambled up the Flatirons, just west of Boulder. >> The cinch-cord collar sealed out drafts with a tug and came in handy when the wind picked up, while the fleece-lined chin guard prevented chafing.
Hmmm... The Apex did not breathe quite as well as its contemporaries. >> The weight and price-point cops apparently did away with extraneous features—this piece is a bit bare-bones. |
Ibex Breakaway $178
Built strictly for speed, the wool-blended Breakaway is a slimmed-down—but not meager—shell.
Why It's Cool: With clean lines and an athletic cut, Ibex apparel is technical but also fashion-conscious—and on the stylish 17-ounce Breakaway, it shows. >> Four-season runners and bikers will love how the chest panel's Climawool Lite (an Ibex-only blend of Schoeller and merino) blocks out the coldest early-morning winds. On the flip side, no matter what my heart-rate monitor was registering, the velvet-soft, 100 percent wool back banished sweat, keeping me cool but not chilled. >> The small chest pocket will swallow an MP3 player, Gu, and Chapstick, while the rear stash pocket, thoughtfully ringed with reflective piping, is just big enough for gloves and a hat.
Hmmm... Although the athletically cut size L fit my six-foot-two frame perfectly, taller folks might have a coverage gap up front. |
Marmot Super Hero $225
How many different performance fabrics can be crammed into one jacket? Would you believe six?
Why It's Cool: A showcase of newfangled materials—largely from technical-textile giant W. L. Gore—kept me warm and dry as I hiked along in flurries at 12,000 feet. The chest panel of Gore-Tex N2S WindStopper rebuffed 40-mph gusts, Gore's Triton fabric shrugged off the light snow landing on my shoulders, and the company's tough Fitzroy fabric protected my arms from abrasion. Meanwhile, a slice of Polartec Wind Pro stretch fleece was keeping my back cool, and a few choice cuts of Power Shield Light offered my bony joints decent elbow room. Finally, a swath of DuPont's CoolMax mesh sewn into the underarms kept air flowing through the whole shebang. >> Whew! That's a lot of thread in a 19-ounce package, but everyone pulls together here: When the weather heads south, your Super Hero will save the day.
Hmmm... All that technology and just one measly chest pocket? |
Arc'Teryx Alpha Comp $290
With good looks and a lean cut, this lightweight jacket excels in cool, damp conditions.
Why It's Cool: Soft shells aren't designed to fend off heavy rain, but when my Alpha Comp and I found ourselves caught in a bona fide downpour, my shoulders and upper arms stayed bone-dry. Why? Arc'teryx thoughtfully added Gore-Tex XCR to those areas of the piece. >> Pocket zips are watertight, while the front zipper is protected inside by an inch-wide wind flap. >> Like all Arc'teryx pieces, this jacket is stylin'. >> I liked the super-soft "doeskin" collar lining—actually, it's closed-cell nylon foam—that practically sucked moisture off my face.
Hmmm... After an hour of hiking in steady rain, the DWR-coated Schoeller Dynamic fabric in the chest and back did begin to wet out—remember, folks, it's a soft shell!—but the notepad I stashed in one of the two hidden chest pockets remained dry. |
Mammut Laser $299
The climbing-inspired features and Ninja-like styling make the laser a good choice for chilly-day ascents.
Why It's Cool: Constructed entirely of Schoeller's new WB 400—a bomber, three-layer laminate of nylon and fleece with a bit of Cordura for toughness and Lycra for stretch—the Laser can handle life's hard knocks. >> Its high-volume fleecy lining serves as a middle layer—on a cool day in the Rockies, I was comfy with just a T-shirt underneath. >> The Swiss have stayed warm in Mammut soft shells since 1984, and the company's experience shows in features like the abrasion-resistant textured shoulders and arms, a balaclava-style hood that fits snugly with or without a helmet, and thoughtful thumb loops for keeping my wrists and hands warm as I scrambled up a favorite crag in the Indian Peaks Wilderness.
Hmmm... The Laser is the first soft shell with welded seams, which—at least in storm shells and tents—have proven to be highly durable and water resistant. They look cool, but will they hold up in a stretchy garment? |
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