February 28, 2011Hardshell Softshell: What’s the difference? or Hard vs. Soft: Mark’s guide to loving

Wonder what makes a hardshell a hardshell and a softshell a softshell? Well, look no further as Mark Altitude has seen it fit to educate you with this primer. So listen up! And if you're not listening to this as I am with a Stephen Hawking-type vocalizer, please read attentively. Thank you.

Hard vs. Soft

People often speak of a boat that apparently does not enjoy being rocked. Unfortunately if you were on said boat whilst reading certain comments I made in my last review (found here), specifically referring to the comparison between Gore-Tex and Windstopper, then you may be feeling a tad seasick. Hopefully the dramamine has taken effect, because I would like to continue a-rockin’ if I may. I don’t want to focus simply on Gore membranes, so let’s just talk about Hardshells and Softshells:

Gather ‘round children, it’s time to learn.

To get everyone on the same page, the difference between the aforementioned does not end at the suppleness of their exterior fabrics. Softshells were not invented for princesses and French Dukes who did not want the rugged, abrasiveness of a Hardshell against their delicate skin- that’s why velour was created.

Hardshells

Plain and simple a Hardshell is waterproof (and thus windproof), and if you are ready to invest, breathable*. Furthermore Hardshells come in a wide variety of “grades.” The spectrum ranges from those $50 bright yellow plastic jackets you see fisher(wo)men with to those gorgeous $650 Arcteryx jackets you see well-off fisher(wo)men with. Both are 100% waterproof. No rain, snow, sleet or any combination of the above will pass through these jackets. So why the price difference? Why does a Toyota Yaris cost $15,000 while a Ferrari 599 cost $315,000? They are both cars that can get you from point A to point B, so why on Earth would anyone buy the Ferrari (trick question)?

Why is a Hardshell amazing? Because it is waterproof. Why is a Hardshell limiting in the outdoors? Because it is waterproof. Once a jacket is waterproof, water can no longer pass, and before you call me a simpleton, you need to realize that this works in both directions! Meaning that if you decide to go run a marathon with your Hardshell because it is drizzling, the sweat (once in liquid form) will not be able to pass through the jacket- and trust me there will be plenty of sweat.

Everyone has experienced this with their waterproof and “breathable” shell when hiking on a hot day in the rain or ascending even in cold temperatures. You start sweating and mysteriously you get wet from the inside and not out. Time to return the jacket I guess, right? Wrong. Breathable jackets are breathable, but not that breathable. Water vapour can certainly pass through, and this is what makes membranes like Gore-Tex so magically delicious, but droplets can refer to that scene in Lord of the Rings where Gandalf screams, “You shall not pass!” As the amazing mountaineer Andy Kirkpartick humorously surmises on his fantastic site pyschovertical.com, if you want to buy a waterproof/breathable product go buy an umbrella. Cue the music: And thus was born the Softshell!

No, not that type of softshell!

Softshells

Softshells are the solution, and are here to save the day! But do they? They are a world apart from their above mentioned counterparts, yet intriguingly always associated with and/or shown alongside due to the suffix ‘shell.’ It’s a love/hate thing, I think. And I am tired of the hate. I just want the love.

Softshells get their name from the texture of the fabric. It has a much softer (less noisy) material and usually feels better as an outer layer (disregarding the cut of the jacket obviously). These jackets/pants are the bee’s knees because compared to their Hard counterpart they breath incredibly well. But why not just wear that old fleece you have lying in the closet behind your Thighmaster? It breaths better than any Hardshell! Wear fleece on the summit of a gutsy snowy peak and you will eat your frozen words. A Softshell is an important arrow in your outdoor quiver because it blocks the wind (almost) completely and resists snow and water to a surprising degree.

Its optimum utility is for highly aerobic sports where you will be creating significant body heat, such as snowshoeing and cross country skiing. It’s cold, windy, snow is falling and all you want is to get to the fast food joint on the summit with minimal perspiration so as not to offend the other customers. Throw on that Harshell and people will be giving you the old stink-eye! A Softshell will minimize perspiration because of its ability to evacuate humidity quicker than people off the Titanic, but all the while blocking the wind and snow.

Am I criticizing Gore-Tex? no. The stuff is way better than those plastic bag jackets that I can buy at the dollar store in terms of weight (Paclite), durability (Guaranteed), and heck you are even allowed to iron Gore-Tex. Try and do that with your plastic bag shell! Go for a walk in a plastic bag and go for a walk in a breathable/waterproof membrane. The difference in cost will be made evident.

Have you ever been hiking in the fall on the West Coast Trail only to have it pour rain on you for a week straight? I haven’t, but if I went I wouldn’t bring a Softshell. I would bring a Hardshell because the former would wet through after a few hours and I would be grumpy. Do you see where I am going with this?

All you need to know is that both Hard and Softshells are useful. Do they each have benefits? Yes. Do they each have drawbacks? Yes. I’ll show you why with a Battle Royale Review. I will pit two products against each other in a battle to the end, Star Trek style. As some of you may know I like my outdoor equipment like I like my Lederhosen: expensive and well-made. Accordingly, it will be the illustrious Artceryx Sabre pant pitted against the infamous Arcteryx Gamma SK pant. Hard vs Soft. But you will have to come back to read them…