Breathability

The blend of synthetic materials offers decent breathability overall, and it can be easily layered to provide extra warmth when you need it most.

Stretchiness

This jacket fits very well and offers a fantastic range of motion for the arms, shoulders, and back. Some found the lower portion to be slightly boxy overall, but the range of movement wasn’t hampered in the slightest.

Weather Resistance

Protection from the weather is where this softshell jacket really shines. The outer shell features a Rain Defender water repellent finish, and both the zip front and adjustable cuffs help to keep the water at bay. Add to that the wind resistance that is naturally offered by the synthetic shell and you have a great overall jacket for protection from the elements.

Insulation

In addition to providing great overall protection, this jacket also provides a moderate amount of warmth through the use of a bonded fleece lining. While it’s not the warmest insulation that we’ve seen, it certainly does the trick during the spring or autumn months when temperatures can fluctuate drastically.

Materials Used

This jacket features a synthetic blend of nylon and spandex with a polyester bonded fleece material. It is extremely lightweight overall and is a great addition to your normal layered outfit.

Summary

While we wouldn’t suggest using this jacket as a solo option during the colder weather, it’s a great addition to your layering options during the months when the weather can change from moment to moment.

Breathability

This triple-layer jacket provides fairly good breathability and allows for good ventilation without sacrificing too much in the way of protection. The jacket is surprisingly thin and allows for air to easily pass through.

Stretchiness

This jacket was found to be somewhat stiff in the torso and neck area but provided a great range of motion for the arms and shoulders. Some customers found that the overall sizing seemed to be a bit mismatched, since either the arms or torso fit well while the other did not. Ordering a size larger may solve this problem overall.

Weather Resistance

Overall this jacket provides for great resistance to the wind and water when fully closed up.

Insulation

This jacket is fairly lightweight, but still offers a triple layer design that uses body heat and space between the layers to provide for extra warmth overall. The fleece-lined collar and detachable hood also add to the overall comfort and warmth.

Materials Used

This jacket features polyester material and lightweight fleece material.
Summary

Overall this jacket is a great general field jacket that can provide a moderate amount of warmth and is excellent at keeping you dry. While the sizing issues were a bit of disappointment, if you find one that fits you well, this is one jacket you’ll probably use time and time again

Breathability

Overall the breathability of the jacket is adequate for most situations, but it certainly can be improved, especially in the chest and torso area. The ventilation in this jacket is provided through a special weave technique that provides for a series of microscopic holes that are smaller than most raindrops. However, they can quickly become clogged if the jacket becomes dirty.

Stretchiness

This softshell jacket provides a moderate amount of stretchiness, especially in the arms and shoulder area. Most people found that the jacket ran a bit small in the torso area, and the movement was somewhat restricted there.

Weather Resistance

Overall this jacket offers fantastic protection from wind and water with one notable exception. For many people, during heavy rainstorms, the zippers did allow a good bit of water in. However, the adjustable hood, wrist cuffs, and waistband did offer a good amount of added protection.

Insulation

One of the nice things about this particular soft-shell jacket is that it has a layered insulation system built right in. The outer and mid-layers are designed to pull moisture away from the skin while the innermost layer provides great warmth.

Materials Used

This jacket features a 100% polyester outer shell, a breathable membrane inner layer, and a super fine knit fleece layer closest to the body.

Summary

If you don’t mind a slightly tight fit and the need to waterproof your zippers, this tactical softshell jacket from Condor is certainly an option for everyday use. Benefits not only include good flexibility in the arms and shoulders, but a triple-layered insulation system that is hard to beat.

Breathability

Overall, there weren’t many things to complain about as far as how well this jacket allowed for airflow. The polyester material allowed for great breathability and comfort.

Stretchiness

While the jacket had a somewhat normal range of motion, most people found that it didn’t provide enough movement or stretch in the upper arms, shoulder and chest area, and was somewhat restrictive when fully zipped up. Also, sizes were shown to run a bit small overall, which contributed to the tight feel.

Weather Resistance

This jacket provided great overall resistant to water and wind when it was zipped up, and the standing collar did a nice job of protecting the ears and neck from the wind and rain.

Insulation

This particular softshell jacket didn’t really have any separate layer of insulation but is still fairly thick. It has the equivalent weight of a sweatshirt, so it keeps the wearer relatively warm. However, once it gets wet, the heaviness of the material does become a burden.

Materials Used

This jacket features medium to heavyweight polyester material, adjustable wrist cuffs, and a stand-up collar. Closures include a front zipper and zipper pockets.

Summary

The Columbia Ascender Soft Shell Jacket is a versatile choice that can be layered with any number of clothing options for a warmer and more fashionable look during colder weather. While we were disappointed in the overall sizing concerns, this is a great go-to jacket for most people

Breathability

Overall this jacket provides decent breathability with normal use, but the wearer can become overheated with too much exercise or activity. However, for just daily wear and normal use, it is a very comfortable jacket that provides good ventilation.

Stretchiness

This particular softshell jacket provides some of the best range of movement that we’ve seen. The overall fit in most cases is snug yet flexible, and the upper shoulder area and back are well-tailored and stretch to fit a wide range of people.

Weather Resistance

While the inner layer of this jacket features warm fleece, the outer shell is designed to resist liquids and repel them easily. This is one of the few softshell jackets that we’ve seen that could easily survive a dash to the car in a sudden downpour.

Insulation

The inner fleece layer is bonded and provides a good amount of warmth that is perfect for the mid-range temperatures often seen during the spring and autumn seasons. While it certainly should be paired with another jacket or heavy shirt during the much colder weather, for the most part, this jacket can be a great solo choice in moderate temperatures.

Materials Used

This softshell jacket features a blend of polyester material and spandex for added flexibility and stretchiness.

Summary

If you’re looking for a softshell jacket that is fleece-lined but still durable enough to be worn with or without added layers, this jacket from North End is certainly worth a second look. It offers both protection and versatility that is difficult to match.

Breathability

This softshell jacket provides good overall breathability through the use of a certain type of weave in the material that creates tiny holes that allow air to pass through but keep water out for the most part. The only trouble is that these holes can get clogged if the jacket becomes too dirty.

Stretchiness

The same weave that offers great overall breathability also provides for great overall stretch. While some people found the sleeves and shoulder areas to be somewhat restrictive, most people were pleasantly surprised at how wide a range of motion could be enjoyed.

Weather Resistance

While this jacket does offer some protection overall from the weather, it’s nothing significant. It will do well on a hike through the woods or a run to the store, but don’t expect much if caught in a heavy downpour.

Insulation

This light to medium weight jacket doesn’t provide much in additional insulation but can serve well as a layer in a multiple-layer ensemble.

Materials Used

This softshell jacket features a combination of spandex, nylon, elastane and polyester material.

Summary

Overall this softshell jacket provides a fantastic amount of breathability and stretchiness, but only average protection against the wind, rain and cold weather. It’s a great choice for a quick walk to the store or keeping yourself warm during the morning campfire.

Breathability

Overall this jacket does provide for adequate air movement through, and the lining does allow for great heat retention overall. While it’s not as breathable as some we’ve seen, overall it’s good enough for the average person.

Stretchiness

The overall stretch and flexibility seen in this particular jacket are quite good, although we would have liked to see a tad more flexibility in the shoulder and elbow area. However, for hunting and hiking, it does allow for a good range of motion.

Weather Resistance

This jacket offers great resistance to water and is actually windproof because of the shell material, and the hook and loop wrist closures, and wrist gaiters. Wearing this jacket you’ll be hard-pressed to feel any substantial amount of cold.

Insulation

This softshell jacket features a lightweight fleece lining, that provides great warmth overall, provided that it remains dry. However, like most fleece, if it does manage to get wet, you’re out of luck when it comes to warmth.

Materials Used

The outer shell is a combination of polyester and elastane materials that help to provide a great deal of flexibility and protection from the elements overall. The lightweight fleece lining is surprisingly warm, and the added welded zippers provide another level of durability.

Summary

The Yukon Gear Softshell jacket is a great overall choice when it comes to a jacket for hiking or hunting in cool or colder weather. It is designed to keep both moisture and cold air out, and if worn properly, does so beautifully. The fleece lining can become problematic if allowed to get wet, but beyond that, there not much that is worrisome about this softshell jacket.

Breathability

This jacket is extremely easy to wear and offers great overall ventilation. The blend of both natural and synthetic material allows for a great combination of protection and ventilation overall.

Stretchiness

Overall this jacket provides for a full range of motion, but nothing more than you would expect in a zippered hoodie or sweatshirt. It should be noted that there are some compression and tightness by design in the chest and shoulder area and that this jacket is not well suited for people of a wider girth overall.

Weather Resistance

Despite its relatively thin nature, this jacket is surprisingly good at keeping both water and wind at bay. While we wouldn’t suggest trusting it to survive a heavy downpour, the outer shell can often withstand a light sprinkle or a brisk wind with ease.

Insulation

Instead of using traditional insulation, this lightweight jacket features infrared technology and design to help you retain as much of your body heat as possible to keep you warm, and the superior outer shell to keep you dry.

Materials Used

This jacket features a blend of cotton and polyester material as well as an inner lining that is specifically designed to retain your own body heat. The front zipper is magnetic in design, so zippering up is somewhat easier, especially for those with arthritic hands.

Summary

This softshell jacket from Under Armour is a great and versatile choice if you want something that is both lightweight and functional. While it may not fit well for larger individuals for the average person it can work quite well

Breathability

Using a special blend of synthetic fabrics this softshell jacket provides wonderful breathability and flexibility in our opinion.

Stretchiness

The material used in this jacket and the style of weave provides stretch in four different directions and extra range of flexibility in the shoulder area which helps when working outside or taking on those more challenging slopes.

Weather Resistance

This jacket features a water repellent finish and the polyester and spandex blend shell provides a moderate amount of wind resistance as well.

Insulation

The insulation in this jacket is fairly lightweight, and the jacket isn’t really suitable for weather colder than a crisp autumn day. It can be considered to be a medium weight jacket that can be easily layered to produce a warmer effect.

Materials Used

This jacket is made entirely from synthetic materials including polyester and spandex. While synthetic fabrics might not be always preferable, in this case, they certainly get the job done.

Summary

If you’re looking for a softshell jacket that is versatile, offers superior breathability and flexibility, it’s hard to top this one. While we feel it could have used a bit more insulation, overall it’s a great jacket for the price.

Breathability

This jacket provides a moderate amount of breathability and is very comfortable to wear overall. It features a breathable membrane material throughout that works quite well.

Stretchiness

The polyester blend of this jacket provides for a great level of flexibility and movement. Some customers found it to be a bit tight in the shoulder and upper back area, but overall most had no significant complaints.

Weather Resistance

The outer layer of this jacket features three layers of protective material that offers true protection from the wind that is almost comparable to that seen in a quality windbreaker. In addition, this softshell jacket also provides some protection from the rain but can be quickly overwhelmed in a sudden downpour.

Insulation

The inner portion of this jacket features a layer of micro-brushed polyester fleece material that adds a great layer of warmth to the jacket.

Materials Used

This softshell jacket features polyester material with a breathable membrane material and a permeable fleece material added for overall warmth.

Summary

The Kirkland Signature Softshell Jacket provides a great way to keep warm during cooler days for a fraction of the cost of the other choices on this list. While we found that the water-resistance was somewhat lacking, overall the fit and comfort left us with few complaints.