Nitrox wrote:ExcitibleBoy wrote:...soft shell jackets have to be the most useless peice of clothing for mountaineering.
Also, light and breathable are far more important than waterproof in the high mountains.
Sounds like you have a love/hate relationship with softshells.
Much of the hate for softshells comes from abuse of the ill-defined term as a marketing buzzword. There are "softshells" which are fleece-lined 3-layer WPB shells - WTF?
A properly-designed alpine softshell is pretty phenomenal.
1) Even an eVent jacket with decent venting will get quite damp if you sweat much in it.
2) When covered in technical climbing gear, layering up and down or venting is not easy.
3) If it's much below freezing, you don't need a waterproof shell anyway.
In fact, you only need a waterproof shell if you're going to be getting wet in cold, alpine conditions. I have a Marmot Essence but would prefer a Super Mica (or Pata M10...) for alpine use, where you may encounter cold, driving rain unexpectedly. But, be honest... will you really be in a place where you'll be outside when a storm could come up and soak you, and not let you safely get back to your tent? The number of climbing trips where I've actually needed a hardshell sits at exactly... zero. There was one 30º day of ice climbing in wet snow and drizzle where it might have been nice, but I doubt I could have actually stayed much drier in a hardshell, with water running down my tools and up my sleeves, and blowing in my hood, plus I would have been sweating up on every pitch.
I rarely ever use a hardshell anymore. My
Patagonia Ascentionist has a great DWR finish which repels snow and ice and some water. It breathes many times better than a hardshell, and feels warmer to boot - the solid, plastic-y construction of hardshells seems to conduct heat rather well, even as they trap sweat. I was the first of my climbing partners to try a real alpine softshell, and they've all converted now.
Oh... and the prices are much better.