Men's Apoc Jacket

I was intrigued by the idea of a quality shell made of E-vent fabric as a more breathable alternative to Goretex. Being a compulsive researcher it was pretty tough not to stumble into Polartec Neoshell as a possibly even better option than E-vent.I bought a number of jackets with the idea of keeping only one. These included the Rab Bergen (E-vent hiking shell), the Rab Kickturn (E-vent alpine shell), the Rab Stretch Neo (Polartec Neoshell alpine shell) and the Westcomb Apoc (Polartec Neoshell alpine shell). I am 6-2", 180lbs, 33" waist and ordered large for all. Jacket comments for each:Westcomb Apoc-this is a gem of a jacket in Polartec Neoshell with a superb fit, traditional hand warmer pockets (and one Napolean pocket), pit zips, and light weight. I can easily use this for my athletic endeavors in nasty winter conditions. There is reasonable room for layering underneath. The only negatives are minor: a lack of a velcro strap to secure the hood when not in use and weak color options. I ended up with red which isn't bad looking. I would have preferred the blue if it was carried off as well as the Rab Stretch Neo in blue but the yellow zippers and placement of contrasted blue paneling was a bit odd looking to my eye at least. Functionally this jacket is absolute perfection and is still good looking for casual use in public. This jacket is a definitely a keeper.Rab Bergen- billed as a casual hiking shell, avoids the Napolean pockets in favor of more traditional hand-warming pockets. In indigo this is without question the best looking jacket for going out on the town. Tiny details like a cool looking embroidered logo on the front reinforce the good looks. Has room for layers underneath. Not exactly an athletic-type fit but perhaps a tad less boxy than the Rab Stretch Neo and the collar is not quite so extreme in height. I wouldn't want to attempt to use it for my outside racket sports that I play in the winter due to the fact that the E-vent fabric is stiffer (more crinkly) than the Polartec Neoshell. Hood when not in use is nicely kept bundled by an attractive velcro strap. I probably can not justify keeping this jacket but it is so good looking I have not been able to bring myself to return it, particularly considering the low price I paid. ** 1/24/14 kept this jacket and like the durability but the zipper jams far too much from the way it is sewn on**Rab Stretch Neo-a really nice jacket in Polartec Neoshell but clearly heavier and far boxier than the Westcomb Apoc (and not nearly as suited for my winter sports). Limited to Napolean pockets (make sense for climbers but I'm not one). Has no pit zips. Color in blue was really good looking. Collar height is definitely extremely tall- great I'd imagine for mountaineering but not for my pursuits and in-town use. Really long sleeves did not bother me. Sizing was pushing the plus side of large. I possibly could have considered medium but too many other negatives to try it.Rab Kickturn-I ordered this at a time when I only was considering E-vent fabric and was attracted to the pit zips that this jacket has. As things turned out I developed a bias towards Polartec Neoshell and against the Napolean-only pockets found on the Kickturn and many other alpine jackets. No doubt this jacket could be a great selection for those with heavy duty mountaineering interests but not me.

I just received this jacket and tried it on, and I'm loving it so far. I obviously haven't tested it in the field, but I'll hit the slopes hopefully next weekend.I've been wearing a Columbia Deep Ghyll shell for the past couple years, and it's been pretty good to me, but it's about as breathable as a trash bag. The Deep Ghyll shell is Omni-Tech which I've read has a rating of 10k/10k for waterproof/breathability. It's a thick sturdy material with a very nice amount of stretch. It has a good cut and nice features and has kept me dry in some really wet snow and rain (so I know that if the Neoshell lives up to it's 10k rating then it'll be waterproof enough for me). Aside from it's terrible breathability, it has thick storm flaps behind it's pit zips which bunch up annoyingly under the armpits and the hood is not helmet compatible.After a bunch of research, eVent and Neoshell both rose to the top of my list. Unfortunately, both fabrics are hard to find and expensive, Neoshell by far had the least options and higher price. I first ordered the Westcomb Mirage because I found it for a great price. The material is thick and super durable looking. I figured I could deal with going back to a hard shell with no stretch and super crinkly fabric, and I probably would have left it at that if the Large I ordered hadn't been so big. Even with a puffy midlayer underneath, it was overly large in the torso. I ordered a Medium but found that it was a perfect size, but only if I wasn't wearing any insulating layers. So I put them aside to think about a bit before I returned them.I considered the RAB Stretch Neo, but I really didn't like the idea of only 2 huge napoleon pockets and no pit zips.While I was mulling it over whether to keep the Mirage or not, I saw that Amazon had the Apoc for a pretty awesome price, so I ordered one and just got it today. The fit is great. The sleeves are slightly shorter than the Mirage, which is fine (I'm guessing since the Mirage has zero stretch), and the torso is a couple inches tighter (dia). Without a puffy it doesn't look ridiculous and with one it's a perfect fit. The material is much thinner and lighter than the Mirage and my Deep Ghyll. It has a softer hand, but I would never call it a softshell. The stretch is limited, but nicely noticeable when layering, not nearly as stretchy as the Deep Ghyll. Westcomb's hood design is pretty great, it fits helmets nicely and tucks back when not in use. I like the usable, but not excessive pockets (I've never had a need for the big mesh pockets inside most shells). The Vislon main zipper is pretty sweet, it's smoother than the standard watertight zipper. Unlike a previous reviewer, I like the Avatar Blue and the contrasting yellow zipper accents.As with all things in life, nothing is absolutely perfect. I don't love that the waist hem pull cord is in the pockets. You have to open the pockets to tighten the hem, and then reach up inside the jacket to release it. And I wish the barrel locks on the hem cord and the hood adjustment cords were a little bigger. They are absolutely unusable with gloves on. It would be a little bit nicer if the Westcomb logo on the arm was embroidered, but I assume they were trying to save a few grams with the ironed on logo. This jacket seems like the best option out there today for a waterproof/highly breathable shell. It lacks some bells and whistles, but it has grade A construction and materials, and a well thought out design. I can't wait to put it to a real test.

I haven't had a chance yet to test it "out in the wild", but I love the way it looks and fits. The hood is generously sized and should fit over even my large-sized helmet without restriction or loss of freedom of movement. I love the red contrasting color of the pockets and logo against the black shell. I feel that this is a handsome and tasteful shell that is more tasteful and understated than attention-grabbing and loud. The pit zips might be unnecessary if the coat breathes as well as advertised, but I bought this shell because I am prone to overheating when I hike to in the side country or bang bumps in bounds. Sweat is the enemy, so it's nice to know that the pit zips are there if I need to dump heat and moisture quickly to prevent sweat from cooling and freezing. The soft material under the chin should help with chafe on cold days. I am very excited by the idea that I will be able to fully exert myself without heat soak and without feeling like I need to strip after pushing myself hard just in order to breathe...Will try to update after using this shell for its first season. Loved the price I was able to get on this award winning coat. I have never had a bad experience with Amazon service.

It was a super rainy weekend when I took this out for the first time. I never got wet once which was key. I also never felt too hot with the jacket on and pit zips which was also really nice. I'm super happy with this jacket but have yet to put it through some intense activities. It started to saturate with water on the outer layer but I still kept dry on the inside. Pretty happy with the purchase.