SOFT SHELL - IS IT WORTH IT?

IT WOULD SEEM THAT EVERYONE LOVES A SOFTSHELL, ESPECIALLY A JACKET, BUT ARE THEY WORTH THE MONEY YOU HAVE TO FORK OUT FOR THEM WHEN A HARDSHELL DOES MORE? BILL TAKES A LOOK AT THE TECHNOLOGY AND PRINCIPLES BEHIND THE “SOFTSHELL REVOLUTION” AND BRINGS EVERYTHING INTO FOCUS!

Many years ago I worked full time in the outdoor performance industry for a great clothing and equipment company called Lowe Alpine, and at the time we were at the head of the pack with our own in-house fabric technologies and some pretty neat design solutions to boot! The company made clothing and packs for every part of the outdoor pursuits community and we liked to think of ourselves as being a bit “rogue” in the industry as we liked to do things our own way… namely the way that we felt worked best for the end user and gave the very best “bang for buck” in all ways!

At this time, hardshell, both laminates and coatings, were the name of the game, and although there were some excellent other technologies available, it was all about the Triplepoint Ceramic, eVent, and Gore Tex. Each had its own distinct properties, and my life at the time revolved around moisture vapour transmission rate and hydrostatic heads (breathability and waterproofness basically…), and how best these could be balanced to create a first rate, high-performance garment that was durable enough for use in the widest environments and conditions.

Around this time though, everyone in the outdoor industry started to rave about a “new thing”, something that would give high levels of water resistance, be incredibly breathable, provide huge levels of comfort, and yet still be durable enough to stand up to mountain-level abuse. At the time the outer face fabrics were far softer than those offered in the dedicated wet-weather jackets, so for want of a better description they became known as “soft” shells.