So what has Marc Almond been up to and more to the point what are the strengths and weaknesses of the three most popular 'soft shell' fabrics?
Remember Soft Shell? Whatever did happen to Marc Almond eh? We're
going to say hello to a load of soft shell test garments just as soon
as we wave goodbye to the savage heat of the northern summer, but if
you're considering venturing into the 'soft shell' market place, we
thought you might like a quick run down of the three main fabric
types out there with a quick take on their pros and cons...
What is Soft Shell
Really it's just a marketing concept. Waterproofs are obvious
right? They stop water, but soft shell, it stops water a bit, it
either stops wind completely or quite a lot, it usually breathes
better than waterproof things and, erm, it's sometimes stretchy for a
better, more technical fit.
In the end, the concept isn't that helpful, unless you think of it
as a garment that you can wear as an outer shell pretty much any time
when it's not really bucketing down. Though having said that, one
major brand have been talking quietly about a totally waterproof
softshell garment with taped seams... But isn't that just a stretchy
waterproof?
Three Types
As far as we can see, leaving aside windproof shells, which we're
not counting, there are three different varieties of soft shell
fabric commonly available and all have strengths and weaknesses -
Schoeller-type fabrics, Polartec's Powershield and Gore Windstopper.
There are other non-brand or 'own brand' variants about, but these
three seem to be the main contenders.
Schoeller-Type Fabrics - 'You'll Need A
Shell More Often'
Schoeller is a Swiss-made family of fabrics that's been around for
years, and popular with European alpinists, but's been dragged
kicking and squeaking into the soft shell revolution.
It's a tightly knit/polyester nylon fabric that incorporates Lycra
for stretch and is available with added bits for enhanced
performance. Dryskin Extreme, as used by MHW for example, has Cordura
strands to increase abrasion resistance and durability. Dryskin
Extreme with 3XDRY as used by Golite, has Coolmax fibres to improve
wicking.
It's very breathable and wicks well too. The pay off is that while
it cuts out a lot of wind, it's nothing like as wind resistant as
either PowerShield or Windstopper, but if your main problem is losing
heat rather than maintaining it, it's a great all round choice. It
comes with a DWR coating and survives light drizzle without
problems.
There's no fleecy lining, so it's not a great insulator, but
again, if losing rather than keeping heat is your aim, that's not a
problem. The stretch means it's great for mobility.
Schoeller is expensive stuff, but there are similar fabrics,
cheaper fabrics available from some manufacturers, notably Berghaus
with it's Cordura-based Fastrek Pant, TNF's Apex jacket and Helly
Hansen's own brand fabric.
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Breathable and stretchy with reasonable wind resistance.
Great for dissipating heat.
Significantly less windproof than competitors, less water
resistant too.
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Polartec Powershield - "Good
Compromise'
Powershield is a 98 per-cent windproof fabric which uses a PU
membrane to block most wind. It also has a light fleece backing, a
tightly woven nylon face and a DWR finish. It also has a fair amount
of stretch, though not as much as Schoeller fabrics.
The idea is that the minor sacrifice in windproofing allows enough
extra air circulation to significantly increase breathability at the
expense of ultimate warmth. We've been using a couple of Powershield
garments recently and we'd say that it works - the fabric holds off
the worst of the wind, but remains breathable enough even for
warmer-running individuals.
Again it's not cheap stuff - the Arc'teryx MX Gamma, for example, is
a mind-boggling £250 - but it's an excellent compromise between
toughness, breathability and weather protection. It's also available
in different weights including a new lightweight version that will be
appearing in the GoLite and Sprayway ranges early in 2004.
Particularly good if you find you run too hot for Windstopper,
which we do...
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Great balance between wind resistance and breathability -
that 2 per-cent makes all the difference.
Not as breathable as Schoeller, allows some wind to pass
through.
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Gore Windstopper - 'Alpine not
Fastline'
Windstopper Softshell, you'll be surprised to hear, uses Gore's
TPFE Windstopper membrane laminated to a face and scrim fabrics. The
membrane is 100 per-cent windproof and effectively waterproof,
although since seams aren't taped, it's more highly water
resistant.
Comes in different weights and variation from the light N2S
versions through to heavier, fleece-lined variations suitable for
extreme winter conditions. We've found breathability to be good in
high, cold, dry alpine conditions, but if you run on the hot side,
you may find it simply too sweaty in the UK's more humid, warmer
climate.
Gore say that ultimately their fabric is warmer than Powershield,
which is true, but if you're prioritising heat loss rather than heat
conservation, that doesn't really matter. If you run cool or mainly
in high mountain environments however, you may be better off with
Windstopper.
It also has less stretch built-in than either Powershield or
Schoeller-type fabrics, which means that the cut and construction -
incorporating stretch panels of other fabrics for example - is
crucial to mobility.
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Totally windproof and highly water resistant
Works better in high alpine conditions than in UK, hot
running bods may overheat too easily
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And So?
We'll be carrying individual tests once it gets cooler, but which
fabric works best for you depends on how hot you run and what
conditions you operate in. For general UK and alpine use, we'd say
that Powershield is a splendid compromise fabric. Schoeller is also
excellent, but not as wind resistant, while Windstopper is 100
per-cent windproof, but effectively hotter as a result. Too hot for
some people in UK conditions.
