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Posted: 1/4/2011 1:41:27 PM EDT
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Review – Wild Things Tactical Softshell 1.0
After looking for a softshell jacket for general wear and being kind of turned off by the TAD stealth jacket price I found the Wild Things tactical offering. Wild Things has been around for awhile, they make all their gear in the US and are based out of New Hampshire. They’ve been making gear for a long time to include military contracts etc. They’re an extremely popular brand in the outdoors circles and this would be referred to as a “technical” jacket. (Certain people use the word technical like folks the same as us use tactical) I was able to get the jacket in Coyote Brown for 208 shipped with their sale and an additional 10% LE discount. 
The jacket has all the tacticool goodies that one would expect from this type of jacket. 
Forearm and shoulder pockets plus 2x3” Velcro for IFF and provide ample storage. 
Pit zips provide great ventilation for when you’re running hot and as seen in the first pic there’s hand warmers which also give access to the interior pockets. 
Close up shot of interior pockets, which can be accessed from top of mesh inside of jacket or from exterior hand-warmer pockets. Also has a spot for the operator’s ID to be written. 
The high neck collar also provides a small tab to stop the zipper from chaffing your neck which is incredibly thoughtful. There is also a zipper which contains a lightweight hood that does a great job of keeping your head dry. 
It is nice and lightweight and keeps your head dry, the TAD stealth jacket offers a different style of hood whereas this jacket does not focus around the hood as much. So how does it work? Here’s a couple pics of me using it out shoveling after the blizzard in 28 degree weather. 
Overall I was nice and toasty, I was wearing a lightweight under armour t shirt underneath, but I was moving around quite a bit. For colder weather I would suggest wearing a warmer base layer and you would be all set, something like a TAD sweater would probably be ideal. The jacket has tighter fit to it but with a 5.11 button down and under armour T shirt underneath I could still conceal my 1911 in VM-II as well as a spare mag. I could also access my weapon well enough, but the band on the waist is a bit tight (YMMV on this one) 
Not trying to be a toolbag by posting pics of me shooting, just trying to give an idea of the fit and how the jacket handled. The sleeves extended well with my arms but you can see where the jacket hung up on my spare magazine which is evidence of its bit of tightness. Ok it’s a soft shell so how “Soft” is it? Well its certainly comfy and the outer shell does hold up to rain but don’t expect it to hold up to long in the rain. 
These pics were taken after 25 minutes of being out in a heavy rain. The water did bead off for a little while and then the jacket began to wet out. I stayed dry underneath but the fleece did start to get a bit damp on the inside, mostly in the corners of the shoulders. It seems like treating the exterior with a water repellent would likely be a good idea. The jacket took much longer to dry then it did to get wet. However I took the jacket off and once I put it back on I noticed it did get dryer much quicker. I felt colder once the jacket started to really get wet but I was yet again in just a lightweight under armour t shirt. The hood stayed nice and dry and kept the water out of my face. Overall the jacket kept me completely warm and dry, and with a proper base layer it should be sufficient for all operating temperatures. I’m quite pleased with it for the money and highly recommend it. The customer service was great, the Wild Things staff was very helpful and patient with all of my questions. |
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I work for a small department on a seaonal basis, that jacket is a large and I believe it is a 35" sleeve, 43" chest and 43" waist
I emailed them about it and provided proof of that and then called them with CC info, they have more colors then what they list on their site. |
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Roger that. I checked out your post on LF as well and got your measurements from that. From what I read, I'll probably need a X-Large. I checked their site and they only have MC, and they charge $335 for the same one you got in CB! Damn! that's alot of coin! I'll just wait till they get their new LE line and see what offerings they got then. ETA: nm just checked their site and they have the new sale price of $268. still alot of coin! |
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