Sounds a great jacket - how about a hood though?
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But I wonder how this soft shell compares with Gore Windstopper.
Both are based on PTFE. As mentioned so often, eVENT uses a PTFE membrane coated with an oleophobic and hydrophobic treatment. Windstopper is based on gore-tex (PTFE + PU) but without PU so it's actually a pure PTFE membrane. This was mentioned in an article on Outdoorsmagic earlier this year ( http://www.outdoorsmagic.com/news/article.asp?SP=&v=2&UAN=3283 )
And since following graph ( http://www.verber.com/mark/outdoors/gear/breathability.pdf ) shows that pure PTFE performs better than eVENT, Windstopper should perform better than eVENT. And still, while Windstopper is generally rated as unsuitable for UK conditions, an eVENT soft shell seems to be OK.
Am I something missing here ?
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 Interesting graph - seems to suggest my £45 Lowe Alpine Rush could be more breathable than a Goretex in most situations?
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 Gore soft shell has ridiculous breathability ratings, you can get waterproof jackets for less than £100 that are more breathable than the Gore Tex Soft Shells. That's all I know- based on figures, not experience.
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 Matt - my thoughts exactly.
How many times have manufacturers got to be told that hoods are needed?
Even if they wont believe your average punter, then you'd expect that they'd listen to people like Andy Kirkpatrick etc?
Obviously not.
Si
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I would have thought the majority of people who buy and wear softshells have no need for a hood - most are worn around town. It depends if Montane want to make stuff for real end users or get more sales by appealing to the masses.
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 what's wrong with hats?
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 I can't say I see the need for a hood on a non-waterproof short jacket. I wear a mountain cap with my Windstopper. If it's wet enough to need a hood instead, then IMHO it's time to wear a full shell...
As to breathability of Windstopper, whilst I'd be dubious of a full Windstopper jacket in my experience with a Macpac Vapour, the Windpro fleece side/under arm panels give the jacket adequate breathability when I'm walking fast (can't comment on MTBing or Climbing as a shoulder of metalwork still prevents such activities).
Looks an interesting jacket though.
Richard
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I agree with Julie and Richard.
For me a useful softshell should be light and not bulky, so no hood. I can carry a hat for warmth and a light weight hard shell (e.g. a paclite smock or similar). If it's really nasty I'll use the hood on the hard-shell.
That said, that's just me and many do prefer hoods but I wouldn't say that the distinction is between those who wear the gear on the hill and those who don't (my Buffalo has no hood, but I'd never wear it in the street).
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A softshell should have a hood (imo) because it is designed to replace a waterproof in all but the wettest weather (imo).
A hat does not make an effective seal with a jacket. Which may be why buffalo (and montane) have made hoods that attach to their smocks / jackets.
This jacket seems to be of the type that will be marketed as "waterproof apart from the seams" in a similar vein to the MHW Tempest SL - which is available with a hood.
Having little or no hair, perhaps I find the need for a hood before others in wet weather - but I've seen plenty of other write ups and comments on threads about softshell jackets that seem to agree with me. They cant all be bald - surely!
Si
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 I quite like having a hood on a softshell. As far as the relative breathability of Windstopper softshell and the eVENT softshell goes, all I can really tell you is how they perform for real and so far, though I'm willing to be proved wrong, the eVENT one has been better.
I'll take a Windstopper top out tomorrow for a direct comparison :-)
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one problem....what do you do with the hood when it's not raining? Quite bulky to roll away.
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Jon - how much do you think breathability of membrane softshells depends on the membrane material and how much on the design/material used on the sides? I certainly wouldn't want a full Windstopper jacket without fleece side panels - you might as well wear a Gore-Tex shell.
I haven't tried Event yet, but if the membrane itself is more breathable than Windstopper, it sounds like a very interesting jacket. If you want a second opinion on it's performance I take an XXL in Montane ;-)
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 I really don't get what manufacturers seem to be doing under the "soft shell" banner these days, apart from lots of clever marketing!
I get the concept - "let's have clothing that isn't totally waterproof but will repel all but the worst weather, but that is much more breathable than standard shell clothing. The idea is to be more comfortable most of the time and only use a waterproof when you really have to." Fine.
I've used clothing that adheres to this idea, more or less, without actually labelling itself as soft-shell, over the years - Buffalo, various lined windproofs, even Paramo - they all share a lot of the concept.
But how can it be (significantly) more breathable to take the same waterproof membrane you'd use in a waterproof, stick it in a jacket, not tape the seams (must improve breathability no end?) and call it soft-shell. I'd call it a leaky waterproof!
Am I missing something?
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 Why do you need to get rid of/hide the hood when it's not in use?
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Keep in mind if GTX windstopper is w/o a PU coating it will have durability issues, this is why they use the PU coating - NOT for performance. I don't know the specifics of windstoppers technology. Julie good to meet you in ambleside for the montane meeting, tell paul hello.
hats are cool
Dave
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If you're moving faster - bike/run etc or just on really windy days, the hood can flap about. Hoods are a potential minefield, a bit like marmite - love em or hate em. If you don't put them on then all the hood lovers miss out, if you do put em on then all the hat lovers/hood haters get annoyed with a flappy hood. If it's raining that hard that you need a hood - wear a (hard)shell.
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oh hi Dave btw. :-) good to meet you too.
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 Then the facility to add a velcro or popper hood, a la Buffalo or Paramo seems to be the way forward?
I understand that this has implications for collar design, etc, as a hooded design generally uses a wider neck aperture than a hoodless design.
Alternatively, a tie-down strap works fairly well; there's one on my Litespeed...
Andy K and Ian Parnell seem keen on hoods on soft shells, as does Dave Hunter at Rock&Run. I don't see how a 'soft shell' can be a 'shell' without a hood...
I note that hoods have largely been purged from your non-hardshell designs...
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Yeah removable would be the way forward so that you can still have a proper collar, but when they're grown on it's difficult to get a good seal around your neck to stop the elements getting in. Just out of interest what situations would you use a hood? I obviously know when I'd use one, but it's always good to know other peoples experiences.
A lot of our lightweight garments we deemed it unnecessary to have a hood. It can get to the point when you have a hood on everything..midlayer,windproof shell, waterproof shell, synth insulation and you just get hood overload. Sometimes it's better to have the most important hood - waterproof or warm. But then that's not always the case and everyone has their preferences. The old cliche you can't please all of the people all of the time comes into play quite a lot with hoods. We always look at each garment separately and if there are features that we don't think are 100% necessary we don't put them on. Which is why you'll not find a Montane jkt with 6 pockets!
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