The Shell Game - The Race To Build The Perfect Stealthy Shell Jacket
Way ahead of its time, the Adventure Tech Silent Strike Viper Jacket from about five years ago. It has a soft microfleece exterior, Gore-Tex, and a hanging mesh liner like the Cabelas MTO50 Quiet Pack Jacket except better because it also has water resistant main, pocket and pit zippers and a very nice drop hood. Too bad it is no longer made because it is exactly what many of us are looking for.
I have a dream. It is not a big dream. In fact, I think it is a fairly simple little dream. I just don’t seem to be able to make it come true. For years I have sought a shell jacket for hunting that is as good as the ones that I use for skiing, mountaineering or backpacking. The designs, features, technology, colors and fabrics are all out there and available. They just aren’t all in the same jacket.
I have written about this many times in various places and based on the number of comments I have received from you, I am not alone. What is it that we want? A waterproof, breathable, jacket with a modern technical design in earth tone colors or camo that makes as little noise as possible. That is it. That is the elusive dream shell we seek.
Oh, there are some great shells on the market that come close but none that hit the center of the bulls eye. Either they are in the right colors but don’t have all the right features or they have all the right features but not the right colors. And that is the purpose of this article. I want to influence the market by encouraging some industrious, leading edge company out there to bring all these components together to satisfy that segment of users wanting first rate protection and stealth in one jacket. My opinion is that the market for this type of jacket is much bigger than anyone figures. Most people I pitch the idea to, like Arcteryx for instance, think that it is just for hunters and they don't really want hunters as customers. Well yea, there are hunters that would like to have this jacket and I believe their numbers alone are sufficient to justify production but there are other people that want it too. Who? Military special operations, backcountry law enforcement, naturalists, birders, wildlife biologists, and wildlife photographers not to mention all the hikers, backpackers, climbers and skiers that prefer muted, natural, environmental colors. Hey, some people don’t want to be seen, they just want to blend into the scenery.
Since the Adventure Tech Silent Strike Viper Jacket isn't available, I would like Wild Things to modify their Alpinist eVent Jacket to be just as quiet and make it available in a good multi-purpose camouflage pattern. And if I can’t have it in camo then I want it in sage green or coyote brown. How tough is that? I don’t think that is a lot to ask but apparently it is a big deal because I can’t get anybody to do it.
The truth is that I have been working with Wild Things on doing just that since April of 2008. I tested the Alpinist and liked it very much, we talked about my little dream shell, I sent them my specifications and a couple jackets to use as examples, and they said they would make it. The deal was that they would make ‘em and I would promote ‘em which I thought was pretty good for everybody. I touched base with them periodically and they told me that they were working on it. Then they told me that they had picked MultiCam as the camo pattern. MARPAT Woodland is my favorite but MultiCam is nice and it would certainly work. Then they told me they were getting a new curved hot press machine to do the hood brims. Finally, in November, I was told that I would have the completed jacket before Christmas and I was so excited I could hardly contain myself. I am not a patient man so to have to wait 8 months for something I wanted so badly was a herculean challenge but I did it. I waited. Patiently even. Every day, like clockwork, at 12:30 the UPS guy would show up with packages from the biggest and best names in the business but all I was looking for was that Wild Things logo. And every day I was disappointed. Christmas came and went and still nothing from New Hampshire.
A week before I was to leave for the 2009 Winter Outdoor Retailer show I sent a message to Wild Things asking if they were going to be bringing my jacket to the show. I was told yes and that it had been a big hit at the SHOT show. Yes! Finally! Wahoo! Wait a minute. What? SHOT show? Are you kidding me? You mean to tell me that my dream jacket is finished and I have not seen it but it has already made the rounds at the SHOT show? This was bad. Not only was I pissed, I was crushed. It was like getting married thinking your honey was a virgin and finding out on your wedding night that your new bride had already earned her spurs at Meet-The-Fleet week.
Alright. I am a professional. I can handle this. I got to the show, started at one end of the Salt Palace and walked the floor scanning every exhibit just like I always do. I had almost forgotten why I was so anxious when I came to the Wild Things booth. There they were. A small group of casually dressed, fit, 20 something males huddled around a short dark haired woman holding a MultiCam camouflage jacket. My MultiCam camouflage jacket to be precise. They had their grubby little mil-spec mitts all over my jacket. They were definitely special ops guys. Not good looking enough to be SEALS. Too tanned to be Force Recon. Not enough hair to be Delta or DEVGRU. Too young to be Special Forces. Too much meat on their bones to be PJs. Must be Rangers. Had to be Rangers. Yep, they were Rangers.
Under normal circumstances I would have been thanking these guys for their service and offering to buy them a cup of coffee but not this time. I was in no mood. I hovered intensely until they were done groping my masterpiece and then swooped in and confronted her. Is this it I said? Of course it was dumass, what was I saying. I was so giddy with excitement I couldn’t even be mad. They had made a few changes but it was pretty much what I had asked for. It was not as quiet as I would have liked but it was a top notch technical shell made with eVent and in MultiCam. It was beautiful. So what was the deal? Is this mine or not? Not. It wasn’t even my size.
She explained that they had started out making the jacket for me and that my specs had pushed them to finally get the eVent fabric in camo. They were working on it for me when they learned about a request from the Department Of The Army Ground Applications Office for a new 12 piece extreme cold weather system printed in MultiCam. That friends and neighbors is when my jacket became their prototype Level 8 Hard Shell jacket for the Army. So no, it wasn’t mine and it wasn’t gonna be mine. They had bigger fish to fry and I did not rate. There were no harsh words. No raised voices. No threat of legal action. I just shrugged and went on to cover the rest of the show. I thought I handled it all pretty well considering. Hey, they picked the U.S. Army over me, what am I gonna do. Have a chilled shot of Crown, kick the dog, punch the clown and move on. That is about all I could do. I don’t know the current status of the project. They haven’t returned any of my subsequent messages but they did send my sample jackets along with one of the finished prototypes.
I still have the dream and I would love to be the one that finally made it happen but who else could scratch this itch? Well, I used to recommend the Cabelas MTO50 Quiet Pack Jacket because for a long time it was the best game in town. It is well built, uses Gore-Tex, is very quiet and comes in several different camo patterns. However, despite my best efforts, Cabelas has yet to update this jacket and it has been eclipsed by the Sitka Nimbus Jacket which is not as quiet as the MTO50 but it lighter, has a more modern design and feature set including pit zips. This is the jacket I am currently using and recommending but I think it is a stop gap between what they were offering and the much anticipated Gore-Tex clad Stormfront, Stormfront Lite and Coldfront Jackets of the 2009 line.
TAD Gear now makes the excellent Predator and Raptor Hardshell Jackets using eVent as their waterproof/breathable laminate. They are not available in camo but they do come in gray, foliage green and multi-environment brown. The only thing that keeps the TAD Gear jackets from being the best in this class is the noise factor, otherwise they are outstanding products. However, I do have one suggestion for TAD. I am not a fan of the Duck Pocket. Yes, it is unique and innovative but I cannot for the life of me figure out what to put in it so I say get rid of it and save a fews ounces.
Integral Designs makes a couple of great lightweight eVent jackets, the hoodless Cruiser and the popular Thru Hiker. Camo is probably too much to hope for with them but something in a sage green or coyote brown would be nice and I think they would be a big hit especially with the guys who keep their shells stowed until it rains or snows.
Right about now you are probably wondering which waterproof, breathable product is better. The venerable Gore-Tex or General Electric’s eVent? That is a good question and one that I have been investigating myself for months now. I was raised on Gore-Tex and I have been a fan since the late 70’s. It works for me and has served me well but despite my loyalty, I have to remain open. I have to tell you that the eVent stuff that I have evaluated from Wild Things and Integral Designs is very good. It “breathes” very well and so far it has been water and windproof. Is it better than Gore-Tex? That is not a simple question and I am not prepared to answer it yet but there is a reason I used the Wild Things Alpinist as the basis for my dream jacket. There is a reason I want TAD Gear to offer those jackets in camouflage. There is a reason I am pushing Integral Designs to add a stealthy color or two. There is a reason that I am evaluating products from RAB, Westcomb and REI. That reason is eVent.
Sitka, TAD Gear, Integral Designs, and Wild Things all make great gear. Will one of them be the first to build the perfect shell for stealth loving outdoorsmen? Or will it be somebody else? Maybe Cabelas, LL Bean, Otte Gear, Browning, Under Armour, or Propper (Adenture Tech)? We will find out soon because I think we are closer than ever.
EDITORS NOTE - I have received dozens of email messages alerting me that I am still recommending the Wild Things Alpinist Jacket on the Shell Layer section of this site. Thanks guys but I know. It is still there for a reason. I am still recommending that jacket because it is a great piece of gear. The fact that my deal with Wild Things didn't work out doesn't change that. I use and promote great gear, not just great gear made by people that I get along with.
I didn't tell the story to bash Wild Things, I told the story because it was interesting and indicative of how things work in this business.
UPDATE - Despite innovatiove new products from leaders of the pack Sitka, Kuiu, and Wildthings, this jacket would still be a very strong competitor in 2011. It would be a little heavier but quieter and more durable thanks to the soft microfleece exterior. It is right there Cabelas, what are you waiting for?
Thanks.
Wade Nelson
Editor
Sorting through the fads and fashion of the outdoor equipment industry to identify and promote the very best wilderness gear for high end recreational users, backcountry professionals and government agencies.
Hardcore Outdoor is dedicated to those who won't or can't turn back.
Comments