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OK, I placed the order for this jacket the day before Christmas eve and got the jacket via UPS on or about the 30th of December, I found this to be acceptable delivery time considering the time of year. TADgear's folks have been polite and informative every time I have called with questions and they did a great job moving a ton of stuff in a very short period over the holidays.
I have not had a chance to test it's water repellant properties due to our current weather conditions (reminiscent of the Gobi Desert only with more fire and fewer Mongolians) I will say that the Schoeller Softshell fabric does stop wind remarkably well.
The Jacket is overall very well made, I find it to be cut a bit slim in the torso, but not uncomfortably so. For my purposes (and due to my cold nature) I prefer to layer underneath the softshell in any temp below about 45 degrees. I do not find it to be the warmest thing I own in and of itself, but it is an acceptable outer layer for most anything I will be doing.
The handwarmer pockets are located a bit higher than normal to allow use while wearing a rucksack waistbelt, my only complaint about the handwarmer pockets is that when they are opened to warm hands, they allow a draft straight through the thin mesh lining of the pockets and into the torso area of the wearer. There are plenty of pockets on in this jacket, one on each shoulder, two handwarmer pockets (with smaller internal pocket in each that fits a Swiss Army knife perfectly) on the front and a small pocket on the left wrist for carrying lightweight, thin items such as IDs or Keys. There are Velcro patches on each shoulder for displaying your logo of the moment if you so desire.
The hood is very unobtrusive when stowed and quite low profile when used. The thumbholes in the wrists are kind of a mystery to me, I find them awkward to use and they allow a draft when not in use, I am sure there are those who like them, I personally do not particularly care for them.
Basically, if you are looking for a well made, lightweight, weather resistant outer shell, this is a good way to go. I find it to be comparable in price to similar products from Cloudveil, The North Face, etc. and constructed every bit as well if not a bit better than mainstream products. I also like to be a bit different and the limited production numbers of this softshell always cause gear heads to wig out and ask questions when they see it. (Always draws a crowd at REI and Backwoods)
That is all for now, Speak up if you have questions
Good times,
blake
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