Stealth Hoodie & RANGER HOODIE impressions

[flakbtg500]

Hello all,
Does anybody here have any experience with Stealth Hoodie & RANGER HOODIE jackets?
Comments, impressions and suggestions are appreciated.
Also are appreciated vendors websites.
Thanks
flakbtg500

[silveykyle]

My buddy has a stealth hoddie. I wore it skiing a couple times, I liked it but I don't think it warrants the price tag. I bought a Arc'Teryx gamma mx hoodie for around $200 which was a steal. I like it more than the Stealth hoodie and it its cheaper.

[Delta11]

Full review in here:

http://www.militarymorons.com/gear/clothes.4.html

[Hollis]

The guy seems to have forgotten how to shave.

[aaronlow]

I too am a big fan of Arc'Teryx. I've used my Sigma SV for quite a few treks and have never been let down. I picked up a Gamma MX this summer and really like that too.

[Polygon]

Ack, wish people would refer to these as "hooded" shirt/sweatshirt/jacket as opposed to "hoodie."

[scrybe]

The guy seems to have forgotten how to shave.

Shaving sucks. I don't blame him.

[Waterman]

A former co-worker of mine has one of the TAD jackets(there is even a photo of him in it on the TAD gear website), and thinks it is just great. I think it is a nice jacket, but.....


My personal choice however has been Beyond clothing custom fleece and softshells (http://www.beyondclothing.com).

I am a hard to fit size (broad shoulders, long arms, small waist, short torso-I either end up with jackets that have arms that are too short but fit fine in the body, or sleeves that fit right but the body is too big/too long), so the appeal of a jacket that was custom cut to my measurements was what drew me to them.

Their stuff is not cheap (but comparable to other major upscale outdoor brands-Patagonia, etc), but when you consider that you can custom build your jacket with the features that you want and get one that is custom cut to your measurements and fit needs, it is well worth they extra money. I got my first fleece from them about 6 years ago and was impressed enough to buy another fleece in a different style and then a soft shell a few years later, and all three have held up under hard use. I highly reccomend them to everyone I know.

With the TAD jackets, they are unfortunately frequently out of stock, but a Beyond jacket you can have in your hands in a couple of weeks with no problem, since custom outerwear is the focus of what they do.

I know this may sound like an ad for them, but I am not affiliated with them at all, except for being a very satisfied customer.

[Scrim]

I have a "Stealth Hoodie" and must say I have worn it more around town than I have in the field. I get compliments on it all the time, wich ive never experienced before. Its a nice jacket and I like it very much.

Im still not exactly sure what a "soft shell" is supposed to be. They are fairly tight fitting, so you cant really wear much under it, and its not fully waterproof so you still need a rain shell of some kind.
Personally I just dont think soft shells are that great for extended field use. Great for a day at the range or a day hike, everyone has their opinion, thats just mine.
I wear it all time, but if I were to buy a jacket for field use I would go with the new Predator they've got.
http://www.tadgear.com/x-treme%20gear/apparel%20main/tad_gear_predator_hardshell.htm

Oh heres a vendor if TAD is out of stock on anything
http://www.alaskagun.com/access_listings.php

[herman30]

@ scrim

Many times totally waterproof garments are very hot to wear when it doesn´t rain. This is where the softshell comes in. More comfortable when in an inviroment where the chance of rain is not that big.

Softshells focus more on breathability and windproof and are not meant to be waterproof. So yes, you do need extra rainshell, too.

I have a Ranger hoodie by TAD. Very good breathability, it has no lining, just the fleecefabric. Because of that it has minimal windresistance but that is how I like it. I sweat very easy. When weather gets colder I just add more layers on or underneath the hoodie.

[flakbtg500]

Thank you all guys!!!
flakbtg500
:)