Soft shell vs puffy vest?

[patmeterson103]

Give me a pro and con for each, of just which you prefer!
Use case will be western hunting, backpacking for 3-4 nights at a time.

 

[PredatorSlayer]

I have a few of each. If the puffy has some sort of a decent outer material that is weather and tear resistant, I would do the puffy vest. If it is the lightweight material to shave weight, it would be fine under a jacket, but I wouldn’t wear it much without a shell while hiking.

 

[Bump79]

I've never found a place for a softshell. Bought and sold many - I've only ever had one I liked and it got stolen and is no longer made.

A breathable "active" insulation would be my choice as it will be layered.

 

[180ls1]

I prefer to have a mid layer + full puffy jacket.

If I am sitting, I want the extra warmth of the full puffy jacket.

If I am moving, a more breathable mid layer (Peloton 97) gets the nod if I need more than just my base layer.

 

[WyldGoose]

I prefer a puffy vest between the two. I’ve found that I have zero use for a soft shell jacket, they’re typically bulky, and too warm to wear while I’m moving/active, but not exactly warm enough while just sitting static in the cold.

Puffy vest takes up hardly any room when packed, doubles as a pillow, and adds nice additional warmth to core with some mechanical ventilation under the arms.

 

[Dennis]

I am a little confused by the question without knowing what if any are your other layers? At what elevation and temps do you expect? Dry or wet weather? My favorite layers are light wool or synthetic base layer with Peloton 97 weight. I love vests and some soft shells, but my default insulation layer for backpacking/backpack hunting 3-4 nights in the back country is a light weight hooded puffy for safety, glassing, cold nights and early mornings. I add a rain gear top if wind and or rain is expected or likely.

 

[justinspicher]

I am not a fan of soft shells, as I don’t feel warm in them when stationary and I do overheat in them when moving. I like the puffy vest option with a light base layer for moving around during the early rifles seasons and putting an outer layer on over it when I am static.

 

[Macintosh]

I feel like both soft shells and puffy vests are great layers, but less versatile than alternatives so probably not my choice for backpacking in most cases. Also, “soft shell” is such a broad term that I think its totally ambiguous what it actually means—some are highly breatheable, others breathe about like a garbage bag. You kind of have to specify which garment, theres that much variety.

Agree with others, outside of a specific narrow use case, if backpacking I would probably go with an active insulation layer, a hard-shell (a must-have to me backpacking, even if rarely used for rain) and a warm hooded puffy jacket. If I lived in a MUCH drier climate and had a good forecast and a short trip I might go softshell instead of a hardshell to be quieter and a bit more breatheable while covering any precip up to legit rain, but thats about it. Day trips I use a breatheable softshell a lot.

 

[PredatorSlayer]

Are you asking about soft shell vests or soft shell jackets?

 

[patmeterson103]

I feel like both soft shells and puffy vests are great layers, but less versatile than alternatives so probably not my choice for backpacking in most cases. Also, “soft shell” is such a broad term that I think its totally ambiguous what it actually means—some are highly breatheable, others breathe about like a garbage bag. You kind of have to specify which garment, theres that much variety.

Agree with others, outside of a specific narrow use case, if backpacking I would probably go with an active insulation layer, a hard-shell (a must-have to me backpacking, even if rarely used for rain) and a warm hooded puffy jacket. If I lived in a MUCH drier climate and had a good forecast and a short trip I might go softshell instead of a hardshell to be quieter and a bit more breatheable while covering any precip up to legit rain, but thats about it. Day trips I use a breatheable softshell a lot.

Do you have suggestions on active insulation layer? Or what material specifically?