[Closed] Softshell jacket - endura or other?

I don’t have one but I think the Haglofs Geko is recommended. Might not be warm enough though.

Decathlon QUECHUA Men's Mountain Trekking Warm Softshell Wind Jacket Quechua 500 works for me. Has pit zips to ventilate a little. Lighter weight than some other soft shells out there. Good water resistance as well.

There's a lovely looking nukeproof one in CRC on offer

Do you have the physique of a pregnant man?
If so, the Singletrack will be a perfect fit.

I'm maybe 4 or 5 months or so pregnant if that helps? Do they come up a bit big or something?

I don't have a decathlon near me, although have bought an insulated jacket from them in store when I was in Oxford last year and was quite impressed with it for the money. Is it better than the endura one?

Alpkit Morphosis is quite cool, quite similar to the Rab VR stuff, but a lot cheaper. Has a very thin, zoned grid fleece lining in selected areas, very breathable, nice fitted cut for mountain biking if you suit fitted cuts. Lightweight rather than super rugged fwiw.

https://www.alpkit.com/products/morphosis-jacket-mens

Do you have the physique of a pregnant man?

aka the 'Howies cut', 32" chest, 42" waist.

I'm in the market for something like this, having just packed up a Polaris top for refund that didn't meet my requirements. Currently looking at the Keela Lynx, but no hood for you. They have some other items that might be worth your attention.

I bought a Rapha winter jacket which is basically a soft shell (Polartec fabric) in their sale for half price. Nice fit and well made.

Is the alpkit above kind of waterproof? I used a fox softshell the other day for the first time and found it very good.

Bit of a long post...

I've a Morphosis jacket, it's okay. Shower/light persistent rain proof but it's fragile. Mine has two small tears on the shoulder from pedal pins when I was lifting a bike over a gate/fence. It's also quite a baggy fit on me, Alpkit say the small is a 37" chest, I'm about 36" and it's definitely a loose fit/flaps about.

Also tried a Gore Rescue Shell, very lightweight and again an odd fit for me (size medium), probably been better with a small but the size chart said a medium. I've now sold this as I seem to be collecting jackets.

Trying a Montane Lite-speed as I'm keen to have a hood, although I keep returning to my ancient Gore Oxygen softshell which is falling apart and I'm keen to replace!

Is the alpkit above kind of waterproof? I used a fox softshell the other day for the first time and found it very good.

It's water resistant and reasonably fast drying, but not really waterproof. I rode for three hours in showery weather on Sunday and it was comfortable enough, but it's not waterproof, no. Mostly with soft shell you're looking at a sort of inverse relationship between waterproofness / resistance and breathability / comfort. Stuff using Gore Windstopper tends to be very water resistant - not proof because the seams aren't taped - but a bit sweaty when working hard. Stuff that's very breathable tends to be less water resistant. Stuff with membranes like Polartec PowerShield is generally, like Windstopper very water resistant. Don't know if that helps much, but in a nut-shell, the Alpkit does light showers, but isn't what I'd call 'kind of waterproof'.

+1 hagloffs ( boa has a hood ). Montane make a couple and you can pick them up from the eBay outlet for about 60quid. Lots of seams though, so won't be as useful in the wet.the one I have has 4 pockets and a wired good too. I prefer the hagloffs. Simpler, lighter. Could be improved if side pockets were higher up.

I’ve a Morphosis jacket, it’s okay. Shower/light persistent rain proof but it’s fragile. Mine has two small tears on the shoulder from pedal pins when I was lifting a bike over a gate/fence. It’s also quite a baggy fit on me, Alpkit say the small is a 37″ chest, I’m about 36″ and it’s definitely a loose fit/flaps about.

Yeah, it's quite a lightweight fabric. I don't seem to be that hard on stuff though, I've still got an original Rab VR Lite Alpine that's going strong bar some fabric bobbling from pack straps. Otherwise I've found the medium a really good fit on me and I'm a standard sort of athletic medium fit with broad shoulders. I guess it depends on proportions.

Yeah, it’s quite a lightweight fabric. I don’t seem to be that hard on stuff though, I’ve still got an original Rab VR Lite Alpine that’s going strong bar some fabric bobbling from pack straps. Otherwise I’ve found the medium a really good fit on me and I’m a standard sort of athletic medium fit with broad shoulders. I guess it depends on proportions.

I think the tears were more me being careless and not realising the shell was a bit fragile I'm more careful now. It's a nice jacket but I wish it was more fitted for me. The other thing I noticed was the sleeves (for me anyway) tend to become quite damp on the inside and take an age to dry properly, I usually have to turn the jacket inside out if I plan on using it again the next day. Might just be me though or a symptom of the baggy fit!

Cheers, maybe not what I'm after if it's fragile. I tend to run quiet hot so don't not lots of layers.

I had a Mountain Equipment Exolite one, which was a kind of stretchy double-weave almost-windproof with no extra insulation. I tend to just use actual windproof jackets now but if you want a bit more warmth then I’d recommend jackets like that.