Soft shell jackets for skiing

[bauerb]

I own XC clothing. nothing is perfect. all I wanted was a lightweight.no frills "wind shirt" that negates the windchill on my core. I wanted the shirt for uphill sessions at the local ski resort where the wind is a Thing. I am frustrated at dropping $100 here, $200 there, and I cannot find the magical shirt. btw, its not just XC that is a decent place to look, Cyclists have clothing too.

[TallGrass]

Slightly off topic, but I’m curious if anybody recommends a good, breathable, very packable soft shell for backcountry XCD skiing. I have two from years ago that suck - not breathable enough, too heavy, way too bulky to be worth bringing on any trip. So I’ve been using Gore Tex as my outer layer. It’s an OR Foray with pit zips that go all the way down to the hem so it works pretty well for very cold, windy, and/or snowy conditions. But I’m contemplating trying a new, light soft shell (but would still bring the GoreTex as backup).

I’d like one that is very light, very packable, VERY breathable, preferably with a hood, and with some ability to keep me dry when it’s snowing. ... Oh, and I wouldn’t want to spend more than $150 or so.

Anybody have one they like that meets my (perhaps unrealistic) expectations?

"Unrealistic"? The "very packable, VERY breathable, ... and I wouldn’t want to spend more than $150" reminds me of

Car Mechanic's Sign: "We provide service that is good, cheap, fast -- pick any two."

It might help to think through what you're asking.

The mechanism behind GoreTex et al. is pores (read "holes") that are big enough for water vapor (steam) to pass through but not water droplets (liquid) which can work quite well until temps are below freezing (snow, solid). OR's Furio, Foray and the like work well above 32F for me, and below that water vapor usually condenses when it hits the shell that's around 32F and often is frozen below that. I'm ok with beating the ice/frost out occasionally.

If it can pass vapor, it can pass air. Whoever invents Adjustable (0-100%) Selective Air Direction Fabric can make a killing. Until then I've found it's a case of "pick your trade offs".

A simple plastic rain jacket by Ozark Trail (Walmart) is cheap, water proof (with hood), packs small (< 1 L), light, but is not durable nor breathable save for the back vent and front zipper.

There are several "light puffies" with hoods out there that turn inside out to stow in their stretchable inner chest pocket (< 1 L). I have a BD one that I got via their Outlet page years ago, and spotted a similar one (no hood, different brand, same light and stow-in-pocket) for around $30 at a thrift store. It's got to be pretty cold and or windy to use it while "kicking out the heat" and it otherwise for around camp, going downhill (less heat generated), or rest breaks. Generally, base+lightpuffy+shell, maybe with a fleece layer is all I need even on some windy winter mountain ridges in the dark.

There are also windbreakers (not stoppers) which fit many of your criteria along the lines of Patagucci's Houdini jacket.
https://www.patagonia.com/product/mens- ... 24142.html

I have tried for years to find it, but apparently breathable . windproof jackets do not exist. I am curious about the Goreware products...they make so many claims about breathability I almost want to believe them, but don't. zippers do not count as the source of breathability. if Man can make desalination membranes, you would think they can make a breathable jacket.

in this forum, it will take exactly 3 replies to direct you to wool( and possibly canvas)

Natural versus synthetic can "funk up" differently for different people and their own "chemistry." Some can't stand wool, others hate the feel of synth, to each their own.

I've even found a synth long sleeve with a 1/4-zip turtle neck paired with a V-neck wool sweater to work nice with a hard shell. The sweater keeps light wind from hitting the base layer directly yet is very breatheable to carry away H20 from the wicking base. If the wind picks up a bit, I toss on the shell with zips open (pits, torso vents, front, ...) to knock it down a bit, and zip it up as needed. This lets me incrementally shift the sweater from very breatheable to a dead-air insulation layer.

I also mix wool glove liners with leather-palm synth-shell (ala GT) over-mitt shells, and even thin wool-nylon blend work light gloves as I've found even if I cake the wool in powder, I can clap and beat most of it off and stay warm even while it's damp and drying out.

For any who haven't had the joy, stow any damp gloves against your body such as your chest or a jacket's inner drop pocket to keep them from freezing stiff.

IIRC, desal' membranes require pressure to force the water through, a trade off I don't see coming to sportswear.

In short, you're just going to have to experiment to find what works for you, maybe even stuff from other sports, and maybe look at thrift stores in mountain towns if you want to take the $ting out of trial-n-error.

Hey, at least you didn't ask "Should I carry a pack when out skiing, and if so what size and what should be in it?"

----
Whew, 90+ posts. Guess this one will get buried.

[bauerb]

if I buy a "packable" wind jacket, do I need to wear a pack to pack it? if so, can you recommend a breathable pack, ideally a breathable packable pack.

[mca80]

if I buy a "packable" wind jacket, do I need to wear a pack to pack it? if so, can you recommend a breathable pack, ideally a breathable packable pack.

[corlay]

modern, 1st-world problems...

[mca80]

@bauerb won't your core be warm enough regardless of wind when doing go-fast training?

I skied 8.4miles to town this morning (where I am now drinking beers waiting for my truck to be fixed), started a bit cool at 14F wearing wool tshirt, ultra lightweight wool midlayer, wool button down. 15 min in I was quite comfortable, except my hands--thin wool glove liners isn't enough in those temps I realized.

[wabene]

modern, 1st-world problems...

[mca80]

@wabene

[bauerb]

there is a point where even heat generated from go-fast training gets negated by wind. like 10F with 10mph wind, etc.

[snow-mark]

For those interested, I edited the original post with a short review of the jacket I ended up buying - the Rab Borealis. It’s pretty good for me. But for those who tend to run hot, it’s probably still not breathable enough.