Stoic Welder Hi Softshell Jacket - Men's

I am 5'11" at 210 lbs. and I originally bought the Large thinking it would be fine. After receiving the jacket, it was a little too snug for my liking (little bit of a beer gut, in process of losing it). Even if I slimmed down to my objective weight 190lbs, there wouldn't be enough room for layering. Also the pit areas were really tight. I sent back the large and got the XL. This has a little bit more room but there wasn't a whole lot difference from the large as in terms of arm length, the mid area, or length of the jacket. Again, for whatever reason, Stoic has this weird cut where the pits are really snug, either that or I have really fat armpits!

The details about this jacket are amazing. The inner lining is warm and comfortable, chest pocket is nice, inner chest pocket, draw strings around the waist and hood to keep the cold out, pit vents! This is one of the nicest jackets I have ever purchased, just wish the pits had a little more room.

Would totally recommend this Jacket to anyone.

So I live on Baffin Island, for the geographically challenged, that's the Arctic. This jacket handles Arctic shoulder seasons really well. It's burly, it's warm, it's got nice trimmings and well planned features, it looks good and I like it.

That said - it's windproof to about 30 knots. With a thin layer under and 25°F and 30kts I was chilly standing still. Kept moving and I was ok.

It's waterproof as far as sustained (3hrs) light rain can tell - it wets out a bit in a few small places, still beads up everywhere else, but haven't found (after searching for) any wet spots on the inside - passes this test.

It's very fuzzy, almost as fluffy as a MH monkey man with the benefit of a very nice softshell on the outside. Keeps me warm below freezing w/o much wind and just a t-shirt if I'm not sitting. Wouldn't recommend for days above 60°F if you plan to be moving. This has become my go to questionable weather jacket when I walk out the door.

It is breathable, but not as much as I'd like - the hi-loft fleece combined with mesh covered pitzips keeps it from really flowing - it's not stuffy, but you do build up heat during active endeavors. Double edged sword here though - the hi-loft that might have you sweating to the top will keep all that heat in when you take a break up there in the wind.

Best feature of this jacket so far? Furry-lined hood. No more chip bag noise in my ears! Pull it up - synch it down - enjoy life again. It's silent, cozy, and feels divine.

I'm 6'2 170 Large fits well, only slightly loose. Waist goes just below my belt - sleeves between wrist and knuckles. Just what I wanted. Green is a vivd kelley green.

Bottom line: Stoic's take on the Arc'teryx Hyllus fleece. It's a solid choice to begin with and at the circa $100 price tag on S&C or Backcountry.com sale, you don't have an excuse. Pull the trigger - be happy.

5 of 5 - while it's not the perfect softshell, for the price point it's damn close.

I love the Hi-Loft Fleece (similar to Mountain Hardwear's Monkey Fur) as it is super soft and warm! I am a little sad that Stoic changed the front chest pocket to look the way it does now. I liked the previous version better, but it is still one of my favorite jackets!

Bought the jacket just before a haute trip in Europe. Customer service was awesome by BC and this one was recommended. It was a solid jacket but since I did the trip during spring conditions, it ended up being a little too warm. The fleece lining was super comfortable and and it held up well in windy and cold conditions but it was just too warm for it overall. Highly recommend the jacket as a lighter winter jacket. The armpit zips were great and zippers overall were solid.

Can't complain abit about this bad boy. It is comfy, warm and yes breathable. In the description it says the hood easily over a ski helmet? Let me check.......not so much! But I am 6'3". It seems it would work someone else if they were three or four inches shorter.

I'm 6'5", 215, got an XL and this jacket fits great. Hard finding an athletic fit jacket with long arms, thank you stoic for cutting all your items to fit taller and slimmer people. Incredibly soft on the inside with a durable shell. Great with a t-shirt underneath on cool days, or layer up on colder days with a base layer. I have bought 3, kept two and gave one to my dad. Love them, you will too, well worth the price.

Have the large, fits my 6'1" and 195 frame pound perfect, keeps me warm down to the teens and shrugs off the winds. The inside is so soft I sometimes wear it around the house like a sweater. Repels dirt and water really well and has stood up to the last two months of consistent wear and travel. Still looks brand new and I am hard on my gear. Get it. Enjoy it.

This jacket is an awesome softshell.... Not a %100 windproof but if you are looking for a jacket with a little breathability, I would recommend this. It fit me pretty well in the extra large, I like it a little baggy though and like to layer. I am 160 about 5'11"

As an Alaskan I tend to look for warmer jackets. This is the quintessential softshell to handle -20F temps for most activities with only a base layer. I have yet to take this beauty out into nature, but it has held up amazingly well so far. I took it out and played pond hockey for 2 hours straight in -15F with only a UA Cold Gear shirt on underneath and was more than warm enough the entire time. The lofted liner adds tons of warm to the jacket and I love that it is also in the hood (and how soft it is). I don't expect it to be a beast in brutal winds or the dwr to hold up forever, but that's why I have the Marmot Zion. It could be more breathable. The pit zips don't open up the liner either, so I think I'd sweat up a storm in it if I took it alpine snowshoeing in 20F+ temperatures (but I do sweat easily).

I'm 6'3", 185 lbs and the large fits beautifully but doesn't really allow for a down jacket layer underneath, although I can squeeze a UA CG shirt and a sweatshirt under it.

I picked up this little gem off of SAC a year ago so I might have last years model but it looks the same. I'm 5'10" 195 lbs and the large fit me perfectly and gives a very athletic fit. If you plan to do any layering underneath this piece you want to size up. The fleece lining is super soft and feels great. This jacket seems to breathe pretty well and works great in 20-30 degree weather. The pit zips are awesome and I don't think that I would buy another jacket without them.

When this stoic welder hi reached my hand.
I just took off my Asics jacket, made by less 100-gram primaloft and the Asics is far thinner than this stoic.
Then put on the WelderHi. After several minutes, I couldn't feel as warm as the Asics does.
And then i took a careful look at the inside of this stoic, Oh, god, the sewing is too poor. The sewing alignment is not so neat or parallel, but so crooked.
Compared with my Mammut softshell jacket, the stioc's manufacturing is terreble.
Maybe it's level is in the same with Nike or Adidas or worse than them.

I wanted a winter-weight softshell for rural living and snowboarding. This one gets the prize. The fabric is soft and moves really smoothly, with no pull at all at the armpits or elbows. Even lifting my arms up and waving them about, there's no lift at the waist. I'm 5'7, 140, the M fits me perfectly. The high loft fleece is super-soft, I can barely tell I'm wearing it. Sleeves are a little long, but the velcro at the wrists solves that problem for me (EMS Fader felt almost as nice, AND no wrist velcro).

Haven't tried it in water yet, but outside in this and shorts, with low exertion in 30 degrees, I was comfortable. Not too hot, not even cool. Perfect.

Feels great on. Very free movement.
6' 1" = Large
Great athletic fit.

For me the nly downside could be the the pit vents are alined with mesh and aren't very long. I tend to sweat on ascents and have to be careful of gear that won't let me thermoregulate generously.

This jacket is pretty much everything I was looking for. Super soft fleece on the inside, flexible shell on the outside. I don't quite understand why they choose to weld the seams instead of tape them. It seems like everyone else has taped seams. But with a lifetime warrenty why question it?

I have yet to fully test the jacket. As of now I've just been wearing it around town but it's the most stylish softshell/fleece I've ever had. Only thing I wish it had were wrist gaiters. Other than that, with this thing on sale, you can't really go wrong. Although when I first got it I kind of said to myself, I paid 200 bucks for this? but slowly it keeps proving me wrong.

Great jacket.

I've never reviewed anything I have purchased in my entire life because I never found it worthwhile. This coat changed that. I'm 6'2" 175 (188cm 80kg), ordered the Medium and it is the best coat I've ever worn. Completely waterproof (worn in heavy rain), provides warmth that keeps you comfortable and not baking alive, and has a great fit. It's a slimmer fitting jacket, but being a tall skinny guy, I can appreciate it. One of the biggest upsides is it was constructed for us longer limbed and long torso folk. Also has a longer tail in the back to help keep out snow when I'm out boarding with it. Simply put, this coat rocks and I would (and have) recommend this coat to anyone looking for a solid piece of gear.

I have an extremely hard time finding jackets that fit me well. I'm 6ft 160lb and apparently have a long torso as no mediums are ever long enough. I'm right in between medium and large and since a sales rep told me that stoic are slim and long I went with the large. It has great length and the body is not bulky. The 3-D ergonomic fit is incredible, I can move my arms in the wildest ways with no tug or pull anywhere else. It is a little roomy in the gut area actually but it doesn't feel as though it is, very cool. Aside from the stellar fit this jacket is comfy as heck. The shell material is soft and the hi loft lining is even more so. This was a great combo to eliminate a Patagonia R2 and a light shell which didn't get much use alone, so now I've got them both essential in one jacket. I should also not that the hand pockets are fleece lined as well and keep your digits toasty warm. On top of all that it has style for days. Highly recommend this jacket!

I ordered a medium. I'm 150 lbs at 5'8". It fit me like a glove. It is warm and easy to move in. It is very water-resistant. I already went out in heavy rain. The water just beaded off of it.

The jacket looks good as well. I get a lot of people asking me about it. Two of my friends are dying to get theirs.

I'm 182cm 77 kg. Long torso. The large fits me perfect. The jacket breaths wonderfully and water simply skips off the outer shell. Highly recommend.

The most amazing thing about this jacket is that it is one of the few that combines everything I was looking for into one great package.
The fit is athletic, not bulky and actually I think it makes me look better than I do without it on.
The softshell is both highly water resistant(tested in light drizzle) and breathable.
The lining is extremely soft and warm so you will never want to take it off.

I was so impressed with this jacket I bought a second in another color and the women's version for my girlfriend whom always complains of not being able to find a form-fitting and warm jacket.

Probably one of the most reassuring things was putting it on right after I bought it and one of friends said that is an awesome jacket and he tried it on and was blown away by the warmth. He said all it needs are pit vents and it would be perfect. I said well i guess its perfect because it has great mesh lined pit vents.

The fleece lining is very soft and comfortable. It has some great armpit vents as well. The jacket is very form fitting. I have a 30 waist and a 38 chest, 5'8" height, 150lbs. A medium hugs me like a glove. The water resistance should hold up against light rain. It's very clean looking and stretches with your movements. Zero complaints so far!

I bought this piece for use just as casual wear (I'm not big into soft-shells for the backountry, I stick to down and gore-tex) and it's great! It's solid and looks good. It is warm enough for walking around town in winter, although I haven't worn it in cold temps yet. It did keep me dry in a downpour while I was walking -- I was probably only in the rain for 20 minutes, but it was POURING and the water all beaded off like crazy. I'll update my review when I get to put it to some cold-weather use.

It is nicely cut -- athletic but can fit layers under.

Sweet jacket. The close fit is Very comfortable but it is long enough that it doesn't ride up on you. Looks really nice and keeps you at just the right temperature. I can wear in in 60 degree weather all the way down into the 30s. It is the softest jacket i have ever put on. Only thing I don't like is the material feels as if it could tear really easily.... haven't had it very long so I will have to see how it holds up. all in all a very nice jacket to keep you warm and keep some of the weather off you.

I've had this jacket for a year (looking forward to wearing it for another NE winter) and I love it. It's super warm, it almost beats my ECWCS parka and liner (Gen II Level VI).

It's pretty wind resistant, but there's this spot on the left arm where the wind just cuts right through it. I need to contact BC and figure out what's going on there.

It's also pretty sweet looking, bonus points there.

I've got last year's model. As with all Stoic outerwear, it's made for tall, slim guys like me. Close, athletic fit with very long sleeves & enough length to go a bit lower than my waist. I'm a lanky 6'5", 215 lbs & the XL fits like it was custom made for me. I can fit a lightweight fleece shirt underneath for really cold temps, but I haven't had to deal with that yet - the jacket is very warm for it's weight. Breathability is good. Depending upon your activity level & wind conditions, it's comfortable from about 50 degrees to around 15 degrees. It's got pit zips with mesh backing to keep snow out of your pits if you take a digger while surfing pow. (IMO, the jacket is a bit too short to use for skiing - it doesn't have a powder skirt like the Bombshell).
It's windproof & water resistant (good for dry Rockies snow, but I wouldn't wear it out in more than a light drizzle) and the soft fleece lining is warm & buttery! It's got pockets for all your gear & an excellent hood that cinches down very effectively to keep your dome warm in cold, blustery conditions - much warmer than a just beanie.
This has become my go-to piece of winter outerwear - I'm selling my Patagonia R4 jacket because this fits me better and is much more versatile.