Up next? A soft shell review

In the early part of this century I purchased a set of clothing that while not new to me made a big impression. It was a Gamma MX top and pants from Arc'Teryx made from Polartec Power Shield. Likely one of the first really popular soft shells in North America.



Certainly not the first soft shells available though as I had been climbing in wool blend Schoeller materials since the early '80sthat came from Europe via Canada. The Arc'Teryx gear offered similar performance and a lot more stretch. The stretch is what impressed me the most. All of the garments have proven themselves durable even in the nastiest limestone off widths.



A few years climbing it the Polartec products had convinced me that I never wanted to be without that "action suit" again in the mountains. So I bought spares on sale and put them away for safe keeping.



Today my spares sit unwrapped in the closet and I have for the most part moved on from soft shells. The one strong hold is pants but even there my soft shell pants have gotten lighter and more breathable than my original Gamma MX gear. Gamma AR maybe. The GammaLt version I use a lot winter and summer. Or the NWAlpine Saloppettes.



But the newGamma MX hoody...hangs unused for good reason.



An Arc'Teryx Gamma MX Hoody on Curtain Call, .



The reason I mention all of this is I am about to start a new soft shell review. So to get much traction the newest soft shells have a lot to live up to. I have climbed and skied a lot in different versions of the older models. And I have indeed gone on to products I think work much better in a winter climbing environment, like the Atom LT and Nano Puff. We'll see if that still holds true from all our gear testersthis time around.

What the newest versions can do differentand better is worth looking into.



Here are the hooded jackets I will or want to be testing in this review. Currrently the listis stacked in Arc'Teryx's favor. No intentional just what I have easily available for comparisons.



Arc'Teryx:

old Gamma MX

old Gamma SV

new Gamma MX

new Venta MX

ACTO Hoody



Patagonia:

Knifeblade



Outdoor Reasearch:

Albi



Mammut:

Gipfelgrat Jacket



RAB:

Alpine Jacket

Baltoro Alpine Jacket

Baltoro Guide Pro Jacket



Eddie Bauer:

First Ascent Hyalite



I am open to any suggestions for any similar garments.



And if anyone has a contact they are willing to share at Mammut USA I could use some help there.





Photo courtesy of Dave Searler and Ally Swinton on Pinocchio, East Face of Tacul, Chamonix.

The kind of place a good soft shell garment excels.