Hybrids: the best of times or worst of times?

I just saw an ad for the new BD Dawn Patrol Hybrid Jacket . It's constructed as a hard shell on head/shoulders and softshell (Schoeller fabric) on the body.

Looks like a cool jacket. It could certainly work as long as you aren't out in a torrential downpour for extended periods (which for most will be pretty rare).

My question: what do you think about hybrids. Have you bought any & how did it function for you?

I'm not a fan of hybrids because it seems like you also get the worst of both worlds. I used to have a hybrid sleeping bag with synthetic on the bottom and down on the top. It never compressed as well as 100% down and when it got wet it was pretty useless. I like the down quilt idea better (or sleeping bags with the zipper on the bottom, etc.).

p.s. as technology improves the gap between softshells & hardshells is narrowing. You see softshells with a lot of water & wind repellency and hardshells with a lot more breathability.

I think it's very dependent on the make up the hybridization (i.e. what;s the fabric combo) AND how it's implemented.

I can see the merit in a hardshell on the "Top" edges of the body map since they tend to not breathe AND are where you typically see wetting out occurring first. One would have to test the piece to see how well it works in the real world though.

For me, I struggle a bit with things like the Nano Puff Hybrid - I think like you, I'm getting the worst of both vs the best of both. Without trying it though, I suspect I'm just blowing hot air. Many love the hybrid insulation pieces like the Atom LT.

I think the outdoorgeatlab review of the old and new hybrid touches upon a lot of the pro/cons of these sorts of pieces so it really does matter how the piece is designed.

While most soft/hard-shells are improving on their weak points and becoming more suitable for wear in all conditions, Hybrids are becoming more and more specialized. I hate hybrids less when I think of them as very specific tools for very specific activities and conditions.

The Nano Hybrid, on the other hand, looks stupid in all conditions - an excellent candidate for anyone's Dumbest Gear Purchase.

I love my Patagonia Mix Master shell, sat under a dripping curtain and I stayed bone dry.

Hybrids seem to make sense for cold weather garments where your chances of encountering prolonged rain are not high, but you may need to fend of some snow and sleet and the like.

Long before the term "soft shell" was even invented, I had a pair of Lowe Keeler Kneeler softshell pants, and I sewed a goretex patch onto the seat to keep my butt from getting wet when I was sitting on wet belays while ice climbing.

I agree that current hybrid garments seem more suited for niche conditions than as all-season, all-around clothing.

I'm currently testing the Montane Alpha Guide jacket. It's a fleece/puffy hybrid that looks like it may have potential as a more versatile part of my cool/cold weather kit.

montane.co.uk/range/men/ins…

ukclimbing.com/gear/review.…

theyll work ... in fact dead bird developed the gryphon in consultation military units for their LEAF line

which by the way the outlet store has on sale right now for 150 maple syrup dollahs if you live in vancouvah

However, the Gryphon jacket concept started out as the result of a series of conversations with a particular military unit, which started back in early 2007 with operational testing beginning that fall. The current configuration of the Gryphon you see here is the result of feedback on over 50 OCONUS deployed samples, and is actually the 4th generation of this design . None of the previous three versions were offered commercially, which is why they remained sight unseen. The lineage of the hybrid fabric construction of the Gryphon actually comes from the commercial Arc'teryx Alpha Comp Hoody in 2007 (no longer available), with its hybrid hard/soft shell construction.

militarymorons.com/gear/har… (search for gryphon)

incidentally the new dead bird down poofay line with synthetic coreloft in certain areas make absolutely no sense to me

one of the reasons i get a UL down poofay is to compress the shiet out of it in a small bag so it takes up no room ... if you compress any synthetic as much as you can and keep it that way for hours, itll wear out pretty quick

;)

I've actually owned the BD Dawn Patrol Hybrid for a year now. Think it's the 2013 model, bought it December last year on sale.

It's a great jacket for ice climbing, skimo and general alpine climbing/mountaineering. Had it out in a healthy mix of conditions: skiing East and West Coast, skimo in the Alps, multi-day Alpine routes, and wet Scottish skiing in May. It's fantastic for everything apart from 40mph driving rain in Scotland, where it wetted through in about 10 minutes.

Overall, I'd say it gives a good balance between water repellence on the hardshell parts, and breathability and stretchiness from those under-arm sections. The Schoeller fabric (particularly the 'hardshell') isn't great, I think this would be an awesome jacket if the hardshell part was Gore-Tex or eVent. All that said, I think the general concept of a hardshell/softshell hybrid is good for applications where you might encounter wet stuff, but you're generally moving quite fast, and you want flexibility and breathability (skimo, ice and alpine, basically). All that said, you definitely need to have a hardshell in your cupboard, and check the forecast before heading out.

Can't say anything bad about my BD hybrid jacket at this point. Keeps me dry, but if I'm anticipating stormy/very windy conditions I'd probably pack a true hardshell instead. I was surprised by how breathable the jacket is, wore it out splitboarding and didn't even feel the need to open it up for more ventilation. I was sweating like a pig in my neoshell jacket on a colder day earlier in the season.

Hybrids are definitely not the one jacket to rule them all, but they certainly have their place if you've got a few different jackets.

Thanks for all the feedback. I find my hardshell pretty breathable, so I don't think I'll be in the market for a softshell or hybrid jacket this season. Plus my wife says I have too many jackets...

I also have the Marmot Variant jacket with Thermal R insulation in the front and stretch everywhere else. It's slightly warmer than my micro-fleece with little extra weight, but the arm fabric catches on everything whenever I try to put a jacket over it. So if I had to buy it again, I wouldn't go with a hybrid and instead would by a R1 Hoody or something like that.