Best Lightweight/Packable Softshell

Curious what people are into these days. I was looking at the BD alpine Start, Mountain Equipment Aerofoil, and Rab Borealis. Something by Arcteryx? 

Edit: Not into the OR ferrosi do not need or want zipper pockets under my harness

I love my alpine start(s)

Keeps the wind off, not very water resistant but very breathable.  It’s what I want as someone who runs hot with most climbing/skiing done when it’s not wet.

Packs up very small.  I am not familiar with those other jackets.  

Durability is not great if you do any chimneys/offwidth/cracks where you’re up to your elbows etc.  

By not good I mean that I primarily wear this rock climbing when it’s cool.  Mine has held up great but one offwidth that was about 15 feet long rubbed a bunch of small tears/pinholes in it.  

What I would expect for how thin the fabric is.  I could just see a climber getting mad about the “durability” but if you take it off if you’re gonna be thrutching or don’t do much of that style of climbing, like me it holds up great and I love how small it is.  

Looking at a marmot rom 2.0 bur its out of stock everywhere.. I wonder if its discountinued

I'd go with Rab Borealis. Very lightweight for a softshell that actually breathes. Pockets are up high - useful as long as you remember not to bend over while they're open, as objects tend to fly out if you do. Good as a sun layer in the 80s or as an ice climbing shell when it's single digits. 

The Arc Squamish is nice but doesn't breathe a ton

Big fan of the BD Alpine Start myself.

I think of it more as a a wind shirt, but it's way more durable than a Patagonia Houdini or similar since it is made of a light soft shell material as opposed to regular nylon.  Light, packable, clips to a harness easily, pretty good wind protection.  

The squamish used to be perfect, getting rid of the velcro killed the major appeal, was very breathable and had a bit of stretch. Will be replacing mine with a bd alpine start. 

I'm a fan of the Mountain Equipment Squall Jacket and the Rab Torque Jacket (previous version). The first is slightly more what you are looking for as it's lighter and more minimalist. The Torque is a fully featured softshell and therefore slightly bigger and heavier. I like the dual front pockets and reinforcements though.

+1 for the Borealis. Not the lightest but great shoftshell for any kind of climbing as it is much more durable than nylon windjackets and also great for skitouring as it is quite streachable. Also has a nice stuff pocket with clip in loop.

Has anyone who’s tried the borealis found it more weather resistant than the alpine start or aerofoil? It’s quite a bit heavier 

Bug Boy wrote:

Has anyone who’s tried the borealis found it more weather resistant than the alpine start or aerofoil? It’s quite a bit heavier 

What do you mean by weather resistant? If it is pouring or wet snow then the Borealis definetly isn't ideal. It has a bit of the DWR at the begining but it wears off quite quickly (as with most windjackets). But it blocks wind very well and still breathes ok but I mostly just open the chest pockets for extra ventilation as they have a mesh inner.

Can't compare them to the others.

For an almost hardshell which is great for weather resistance look at the Rab Kinetik Plus jacket. My favourite for iceclimbing.

I am very happy with the Arc’teryx Sigma SL Anorak for colder and windier conditions, which appears to have been replaced by the Gamma SL Anorak (9.2 oz).

The OR whirlwind hoody (now Astroman Sun Hoody?) is another anorak style soft shell worth checking out.  I believe the current version still packs into its chest pocket and can be clipped to a harness with a carabiner.  It is small enough that I don’t mind having it hanging off my rear gear loop.  This is the lightest, most packable softshell that I am aware of.  

I prefer anorak style soft shells to full zips, and these are both good anorak style options.  

I have a Squamish and love it, my go to jacket for pretty much everything. A windshell is what you need most of the time unless it’s raining. I’ve heard the OR Heliums are nice too, haven’t had the chance to get one yet. 

Jack Walter wrote:

I have a Squamish and love it, my go to jacket for pretty much everything. A windshell is what you need most of the time unless it’s raining. I’ve heard the OR Heliums are nice too, haven’t had the chance to get one yet. 

I have a houdini but don't love the lack of stretch (pulls up through my harness) and find it very slick for OW and chimneys. Went with a BD alpine start which is a little less stretchy than I would have liked but I think is a good balance of light weight, comfortable material and wind pro.

Karl Henize wrote:

I am very happy with the Arc’teryx Sigma SL Anorak for colder and windier conditions, which appears to have been replaced by the Gamma SL Anorak (9.2 oz).

The OR whirlwind hoody (now Astroman Sun Hoody?) is another anorak style soft shell worth checking out.  I have an older version.  I believe the current version still packs into its chest pocket and can be clipped to a harness with a carabiner.  It is small enough that I don’t mind having it hanging off my rear gear loop.  This is the lightest, most packable softshell that I am aware of.  

I prefer anorak style soft shells to full zips, and these are both good anorak style options.  

Have 2 older version Squamish (which I love), and the OR Astroman is what I grab when I want something slightly burlier.  

OR Ferrosi or bust

. wrote:

OR Ferrosi or bust

Gimme one without hand pockets!

Arc proton LT is phenomenal 

Pat Marrinan wrote:

Arc proton LT is phenomenal 

It also isn't a softshell

The Mountain Hardware Kor Preshell is probably the lightest softshell that isn’t a windbreak 140g(4.9oz). It’s much more breathable than my Patagonia Houdini and MH Ghostlite wind jackets but packs down to a similar size.  I personally really like the OR Ferrosi but it’s a lot heavier with 90/120D fabric vs the 20D on the Kor Preshell.   Not going to be the best option for grinding in chimneys and wide cracks but a good option for everything else.  I pair it with a Patagonia Houdini and it’s still lighter than the Ferrosi but it’s a lot more versatile.  But my Ferrosi(or something as durable) is still my go to for summer granite climbing and the Preshell for everything else.