This Is Soft Shell

'Soft shell', curiously the phrase rhymes with 'hard sell'. But let's put our cynicism aside for a moment and try to work out what exactly the latest buzz words in outdoor technical clothing actually mean.

Old Hat?

What the manufacturers seem to mean by soft shell - and there's a lot of it about - is a technical garment that replaces the conventional waterproof / breathable technical shell jacket and pants with stuff that's windproof and highly water resistant rather than 'proof'.

A secondary benefit with the new wave, is a technical cut that's snug but non-restrictive - new stretch fabrics and cunning cuts help here.

In one sense it's a new take on an established concept. Pile-Pertex garments from the likes of Buffalo and Montane do much the same job as insulated soft shells like Patagonia's Speed Ascent jacket, while non-lined ones are effectively sophisticated windproofs.

Why Now?

The old Pertex stuff was okay, but not especially water resistant, new windshell materials are getting closer to the combination of windproofing, water resistance and breathability you need to make a soft shell work.

Added to that, manufacturers have got wise - via a series of dreadful, clammy, windproof fleeces - to the idea that minimising scrim / lining materials and making them wick harder is the answer to upping breathability. In other words, they have the technology.

Why would you want it?

Soft shell is aimed at technical alpinists. If you think about it, mountaineers on high mountains don't usually have to worrry about rain. Their problems are wind protection and snow. They're often moving fast and generating a lot of heat, so even the best breathable waterproof kit produces condensation and dampness.

Marc Twight's book Extreme Alpinism asks 'How often are waterproof/breathable garments truly necessary? And concludes that most of the time a windshell will do the job and stop you soaking in your own sweat. Soft shell does pretty much the same as a simple windshell but with added technical features like vents, hoods and a more technical cut.

If you stop, the idea is to chuck insulation - possibly a synthetic belay jacket - on top.

Any use in the UK?

Although most soft shell has been designed for use in high, cold mountain environments, it's not completely useless in damper, warmer British climes. Patagonia's Regulator Speed Ascent jacket for example, performs a bit like a more sophisticated, cooler Buffalo jacket and actually works very well up to and including light rain. Where it's not happy is in a classic British deluge when you either need a lightweight waterproof shell or, say Patagonia, a second highly water resistant shell layer to achieve full waterproofing. So yes and, erm, no.

Hot or Hyped?

In alpine environments, we reckon soft shell is the business. Funnily enough, our hot tip for the stuff is as leg wear where it should replace any number of strange layered combinations with a single, highly breathable, relatively thin, non-restrictive garment. And no faffing about with layering systems.

In damper UK conditions, the benefits are less clear-cut, but if you move fast and are prepared to carry a lightweight waterproof shell as well, it's a definite option, particularly for Scottish winter use.