The lightest weight softshell falls somewhere on the border between shirt and jacket; no matter what you call it, it works great as a cover-up against the blazing sun and persistent wind that characterizes high-altitude summer conditions. We could also softshell fabric imagine wearing it on the beach as the sun sets and a stiff onshore breeze blows in. It’s very hard to get a sense of what this piece feels like from photos, so we highly recommend coming in to our store and trying it on if you’re in the area.When summer gives way to winter, these lightweight softshells are great for being active on a cool day. For a fast-moving winter day hike in the Green Mountains, you could wear a base layer or Power Stretch-type top for the forested portion of the hike, and then pull out a lightweight softshell when you hit the above-treeline winds.
This system works well for temperatures in the 20s and 30s; for more extreme cold, you might want to add a down jacket to pull on during rest stops.Midweight softshells are all-around performers, as you might guess from their name. They are a winter layer that you’ll wear all day, rather than take in and out of your pack. For hiking, cross-country skiing, or to just wear around town, midweight softshell jackets can deliver comfort and style. Common characteristics in this category feature a fabric and snow/sleet resistance.Packing everything from high-loft fleece linings to powder skirts, the softshells in this category are big and burly.
They are designed to deliver as much warmth as a softshell possibly can, with furry fleece inside and a heavyweight, wind-stopping fabric outside.For higher-altitude mountaineering endeavors heavyweight softshell jackets can be the cornerstone of a great layering system. Start out with a merino wool base layer, add a mid-weight fleece pullover, then put on a heavyweight softshell jacket and you should be good to go for a full day (and quite possibly, night) of climbing and mountaineering. A down jacket in your backpack adds extra warmth insurance for rest stops, taking summit photos, or hunkering down at camp.You will hear a lot of companies touting the wind resistance, water resistance, and breathability of their softshell garments.
It’s important to understand that all of these properties are correlated with one another. They sit together on a metaphorical seesaw, with wind and water resistance at one end, and breathability at the other. As one end goes up, the other generally goes down.Fleece garments, as you are probably aware, are not very wind or water resistant. They provide low-profile insulation that makes you feel warm and dry (not clammy), but the wind whistles right through them and they readily soak up water from rain and snow. Rain jackets, on the other hand, are totally wind- and waterproof but can leave you feeling hot and sweaty because the jacket’s solid waterproof membrane can’t diffuse the heat and water vapor generated by your exertion fast enough (some do a better job of this than others, as discussed in our Guide to Rainwear). In between these two ends of the spectrum are a number of technologies and construction techniques found in softshells.
