Do you have a favorite soft-shell jacket?

[Mac Attack]

I like my Triple Aught Design Stealth Hoodie LT although the they have gone up in price quite a bit in the 12 years I have owned it.
https://tripleaughtdesign.com/shop/stealth-hoodie-lt/

[Defaultmp3]

There is no reason for a righty to buy lefty products when they have the same capability to buy from their own side with an equal product. I do not believe that Arcteryx, Patagonia and other leftist companies have some secret space magic science to their materials other than a marketing name. They are all blends of polyester, cotton, spandex and other fabrics but given unique marketing names.

So, go ahead and buy from Arcteryx, Patagonia and other lefties but you are contributing to your own demise.

Do you have alternative brands that provide gear that is as good or better, especially non-military pieces suitable for every day wear? I have gear from Otte, Beyond, and Outdoor Research, and they're all quite good, but still not as good as my Arc'teryx pieces. Sizing can also be an issue, and Arc'teryx tends to have more options for me in terms of fit and size.

Beyond that, it's not just materials, but features. All the best fabrics in the world ain't gonna do you any good if the design itself is shit.

[SgtJBz]

Outdoor Research is my “go-to” brand for hiking m/mountaineering gear.


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[czgunner]

I like my Triple Aught Design Stealth Hoodie LT although the they have gone up in price quite a bit in the 12 years I have owned it.
https://tripleaughtdesign.com/shop/stealth-hoodie-lt/

Looks great, but the price seems high. I’m assuming they are built well since you’ve had it for 13 years.

[ST911]

There is no reason for a righty to buy lefty products when they have the same capability to buy from their own side with an equal product. I do not believe that Arcteryx, Patagonia and other leftist companies have some secret space magic science to their materials other than a marketing name. They are all blends of polyester, cotton, spandex and other fabrics but given unique marketing names. So, go ahead and buy from Arcteryx, Patagonia and other lefties but you are contributing to your own demise.

Understood, thanks for the perspective.

Politics tends to degrade threads, and discussions about tech and performance are much more substantive and interesting. Regarding those other brands you reference, could you comment on your experience with some of those alternatives, especially as the pertain to OP's question of a favorite softshell jacket? Talk about your use, the kinds of environments and activities you use your gear in, etc? What are your recommendations?

As another poster put it, there are some (jacket whores?) here, and we love to learn.

[Ventenberry]

Understood, thanks for the perspective.

Politics tends to degrade threads, and discussions about tech and performance are much more substantive and interesting. Regarding those other brands you reference, could you comment on your experience with some of those alternatives, especially as the pertain to OP's question of a favorite softshell jacket? Talk about your use, the kinds of environments and activities you use your gear in, etc? What are your recommendations?

As another poster put it, there are some (jacket whores?) here, and we love to learn.

My original purpose for my post was to alert fellow righty's that if they were spending their money on Arcteryx, Patagonia and other clothing, they were spending their money on leftist causes. I'm not really interested in debating which jacket has this cool feature or not, or did the U.S. government buy some of their product, etc.

Again, they are basically the same materials of polyester, nylon, cotton, spandex and other common fabrics that Arcteryx did not invent but use for marketing purposes.

I don't buy anything from Starbucks and other lefty companies and when I can I buy from somewhere else.

A softshell jacket is a jacket to me, only major difference is how thick it is. I don't care about a silly little dinosaur print. You people are as bad as Democrats trying to virtue signal, but in this case you are signaling a supposedly important "operator" status.

[TehLlama]

To some extent the Patagonia MARS, and Arc LEAF stuff is the result of DoD funding being thrown their way, to purchase some of the expertise they acquired as an organization being focused on making high performance clothing.

Then again, it's really hard for me to worry about how 'every dollar spent is a vote', because I'm finding absurd stuff like BetaAR's at Goodwill for $2.

[Corse]

I went with ST911’s recommendation for Beyond Clothing, but had to return it.

Construction was excellent, with excellent materials. Only issue was that from the elbow to the wrist, it was way too snug on me. I have Popeye-type forearms and the BC jacket was just too tight in that area.

Lucked out shortly afterwards and scored a Wild Things Tactical Lightweight soft shell for $140 NWT on Mercari, so that’s what I’m wearing.

Many thanks to the membership for all of the great information and recommendations, I appreciate it very much.

Happy Thanksgiving, Gentlemen ...

I bought 2 of Beyond’s foreign made jacks on Black Friday. They appear well made with no branding, which I like. No issues with my normal forearms, unlike some massif jackets.

[Disciple]

, because I'm finding absurd stuff like BetaAR's at Goodwill for $2.

That's amazing. Is this one particular store or area, or generally?

[themonk]

That's amazing. Is this one particular store or area, or generally?

Generally any rich ski town like Jackson Hole or Bolder will have amazing treats at goodwill. My brother picked up a pair of Beta Gore-Tex bibs that were maybe used twice for $25. Always worth your time if you are there on vacation especially in the summer when your only competition is the locals cleaning out their closets.