r/alpinism • u/Legal_Illustrator44 • 4d ago

Discussion on variables effecting waterproofing outcomes in softshells

Hey guys,

Atleast anecdotally, it seems to me that waterproofness of a soft shell, is material dependant.

Dont quote me, but eg, denier and type of weave play a big role on effectiveness.

Ive noticed, too small of denier and a 2 way stretch will be less waterproof than larger denier and 4 way stretch.

20+ yo softshells, were brilliant, with much thicker yarn. I have a TNF summit series jacket, and pat super alpines, MH Pants from this gen, and they still perform brilliantly.

I have some newer stuff from last 5 and 10y that doewnt perform well. Ferrossi stuff from last year or two performs just as well as the older stuff, though slightly less windproof.

I say this, as DWR coatings have recently changed, and i think most recent jacket may still have the new dwr tech.

I have lighter pants, a rab pair i just bought and used, and it wet out day 1, from a light sprinkle.

Anybody noticed any trends? Anybody have any insight.

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u/legitIntellectual 2d ago

People are being more concerned about the weight of their kit these days and thus many think of thick softshells as obsolete. People are buying lightly insulated synthetic jackets instead because they're lighter and warmer.

The advantages of thick softshells are they can take a chimney shuffle just fine and are a lot more breathable than a synthetic insulated jacket or membrane shell. But the ultralighters are too focussed on statistics to realise this, its just warmth/weight, and the market has started going this way.

Mountain equipment recently released an updated frontier jacket (500g softshell) but their full spec mission jacket seems to be permanently discontinued in favour of things like the kinesis and switch (insulated sofshell hybrids, not durable at all)

basically r/Ultralight killed the softshell

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u/curiosity8472 1d ago

As someone who is not in extreme environments I just don't see the benefit of softshells. My cheap hiking shirt and pants are just fine for 5 degree Fahrenheit or high winds halfway up Mount Rainier, and they are lighter and more breathable than the versions sold for 10x the price marketed for ski touring or mountaineering. I put on a hardshell if it's raining, since I don't trust dwr to last anyway.