Gore-Tex Soft Shell

[Lurch]

Has anyone seen this stuff yet? It is triple layer seem-sealed Gor-Tex in a soft-shell. I can't make up my mind if I should get a custom made jacket that uses Schoeller's WB-400 or an off the shelf jacket that uses Gore-Tex Soft Shell.

My concerns about going with the Gore-Tex is that it won't breathe as well as the Scholler. On the other hand I wouldn't need to pack a hard shell in case of bad weather.

[jonski]

Split the diff with an Arcteryx alpha comp hoody - gtx on the shoulders and arm, schoeller (i think) body... if your gonna go custom the costs prolly not much diff

[Lurch]

Split the diff with an Arcteryx alpha comp hoody - gtx on the shoulders and arm, schoeller (i think) body... if your gonna go custom the costs prolly not much diff

The custom Jacket with the options I want will only run me $300 at beyondfleece.com. I'm only entertaining the idea of the Gore-Tex soft shell because I have a certificate from North Face warratny department that would make the $500 Gore-Tex soft shell the same price as the custom jacket from Beyond Fleece. If I buy the jacket from beyond fleece I can use the cerrtificate to get a cheap hard shell from North Face to keep in my pack.

[Spats]

Going custom is so worth it. I've had my Beyond Fleece Windstopper jacket and pants for three seasons.

The close fit of custom means it will be much warmer: you're not heating a bunch of air and blowing it out the bottom of the jacket every time you move.

If you need something absolutely waterproof for emergencies, get one of these: http://www.rainshield.com/p_multi.html (go down to "Hooded Jacket"). It weighs nothing, packs down to nothing, costs about $25, and is much more breathable than Gore-Tex. I carry mine almost everywhere.