Anyone have a jacket made of this material? Thoughts? Looks pretty breathable.

Yes, I use it for backcountry ski touring. It's made by Rab. In general, Neoshell is excellent for any high output aerobic activity where you still want a mostly waterproof jacket. It will start wetting out after about 1.5-2 hours in consistent rain.

Not a jacket but the MTHD anorak from Tactical distributors.  It’s cut a little tight but I love the fabric. I haven’t worn it in rain, but I’ve been prone in wet snow with it for quite a while and never got wet. Kicking myself for not buying the matching pants when TD was blowing these things out.

I’ve read some reviews of neoshell garments on backcountry type of forums and some people claim the fabric isn’t very durable. I haven’t had mine long enough or used it hard enough to pass judgement on that aspect. There doesn’t seem to be very many pants in the fabric.  There’s a few more options for jackets in neoshell but still not a whole lot. Seems like it was popular for snowboarding/skiing clothes and some motorcycle gear too, for a while anyway. For some reason it seems like the fabric is kind of a dead end unfortunately, I really like my anorak. Maybe it’s too expensive or hard to work with sewing, I can only guess.

ETA: reasons I like the fabric - it’s thin and lighter than other soft shell material, quiet, breathable, with still a high degree of water resistance. Blocks wind well too.

I just bought the parka from TacDis on closeout for $69.

That’s a heck of a deal. When TD launched that MTHD line all that stuff was $200 or $300 if I remember correctly. The pants are sold out in my size and it doesn’t look like any of it is ever going to restock.

I see that the jackets are still available on sale. What pants go with them? I work in the rain a lot, and have been looking for water resistant non-rubber pants.

@sdwornicki I got my wife a pair of the pants to use as snow pants and they’ve been awesome.  I should’ve gotten myself a pair too.

@sdwornicki

Can you expand on the "tight" sizing a bit?  Is it tight in the shoulders/chest/waist?  How is the sleeve length?  I generally need a "XL/Long" garment, but sometimes an XXL will do.

I would almost describe it like an “Italian cut” shirt. The anorak is slimmer than a jacket in the waist. For reference I’m 5’6”, 168, probably a 32” waist and I have a medium.  When I put it on I have to unzip one side pretty much all the way up to the armpit to get it on. I can’t get it over my shoulders like a hoody to put it on without doing that. Sleeve length is fine, I’m short so regular length sleeves are a tad long on me anyway and these are no exception. It’s also longer than most softshell jackets I have. I doubt a long version would be necessary BUT that’s not a problem I’ve ever encountered. Once it’s on it’s great, it’s just that getting it off and on is a little tedious. Chest and shoulders seem to fit pretty true to the size.  I can still fit insulating layers underneath it.

TYVM!

Based on above advice (although it is for a pull-over Anorak), closely looking at TD pix, and consulting the TD sizing chart, I bought a Parka in FDE in size XL.
What I may miss with the Parka is lack of Pit Zips which come in very handy during hot weather.

We'll see how it fits after arrival.  NO returns, so if NG fit, I'll sell it or give it to a friend.

FDE Parka arrived, and XL size is an OK fit for me.  Oddly, there Is a 3" x 3" area of dk brown lettering at top of left rear shoulder; basically a description of the Parka.  Should be on the inside, not the outside.  Oh, well, Now I know why it was marked down so heavily.  Not a deal-breaker for me, but others might object.

ETA: The lettering on the upper left back shoulder is actually visible in the supplied photos, so apparently it is common to all the Parkas.

Parka has NO venting (which I knew from the test/pix on vendor's site), so no telling how it will do in hot weather.

@sdwornicki

How do the pants run in size? The reviews seem to be for other products. Some saying they fit large, some say athletic (small). Does the waistband flex enough I should go down a size?

I wish I had a pair and could tell you, I would get a medium but they’ve been out of stock for months now.  I think it’s @bdover who might be able to answer

@cadukgunner
@sdwornicki

Wife has the small pants and I’d say if your a 32 you could squeeze into them.  I’m a 32x32 and the waist was ok, little snug.  Length is about an inch shorter than what I want in snow pants honestly.

ETA i could prob wear a thin Merino layer under the smalls but no real bulky layer at all.

Having "Rain Pants" is always a useful option; probably more useful for "Field" use than everyday use, UNLESS multiple days of Heavy rain are projected.  If multiple days of heavy rain are common in your locale, then for sure get decant rain pants.  Pants Side zips are highly useful for donning/doffing such pants.

ALWAYS buy rain pants with capability of having a "loose" waistband, and such pants being secured by suspenders.  Reason for this is to allow "loose" waistband of pants to vent moisture, such venting will be prevented by wearing a tight waist belt.  

Your rain garments, especially in hot climates, need to have as much venting as possible.   It's a system and needs to have as many well-designed vents as possible.

My Patagonia Rain jacket, with Gore-Tex innards, bought many years ago from thrift store for cheap is still GTG, after being [i]properly[/] cleaned and sprayed with DWR periodically.

Anyone can do the same with GI or aftermarket rain garments.  I'm certainly not a genius, nor am I original concerning re-vamping such garments.  Search the Internet.

In general, the NeoShell material is great. Depending on your layers, it's a great spring jacket, or winter outer layer. Can't speak to it regarding torrential down pours--I live in the desert.

The MTHD Anoraks are awesome. I questioned the sizing, but the clearance/coupon code price is hard to beat. I ended up getting my size, and a size up just in case--figuring I could sell the other NWT if it didn't work out. I ended up keeping both.

My actual size is slightly athletic fit, and works great for spring, or cool early fall.

The larger size one will be for winter where I'm wearing thicker layers underneath.

The mods I have done to mine which make it much better are:
1. Cut the neck material underneath the zipper down about three inches, or about one inch under the bottom of your chin. Cut it in a "rounded" pattern. The "collars" will still hold structure and not sag, and you won't have that piece of fabric covering your mouth. (If you want mouth protection from the wind, just zip it up)
2. Remove the hood shape stiffener. Cut a small hole with a razor, and you can push it out--it's just a 2mm diameter plastic rod. You can always put it back in, but it really does nothing other than make the hood lay oddly when stowed. With the stiffener removed, when you don the hood--it's fine. You'll likely be wearing a hat anyway.

@raf

When you say OK fit, what does that mean? How does it compare to other things? I bounce between XL and XXL based on the manufactuer so I'm curious.

Thank you.

Columbia has been the most consistent sizing for me YOY with multiple product lines.

I normally require an XL-Long jacket.  The XL Parka I bought fits fine.

I bought an XL and it's considerably more tight than a Columbia jacket, etc. I would most likely wear it under a chest rig, as I don't think it would fit over.

Thanks raf.

Thank you. That's good info.

They are having a 20% off sale right now. Applies to clearance items also.