{"id":1500,"date":"2013-11-18T18:45:58","date_gmt":"2013-11-18T18:45:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nikwax.wordpress.com\/?p=1500"},"modified":"2024-10-24T09:44:29","modified_gmt":"2024-10-24T08:44:29","slug":"soft-shell-101","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nikwax.com\/en-us\/posts\/soft-shell-101\/","title":{"rendered":"Soft Shell 101"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/nikwax.files.wordpress.com\/2013\/11\/softshell_blog1.jpg\" alt=\"softshell_blog1\" class=\"wp-image-1517\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the late 1990\u2019s, soft shell (also spelled \u201csoftshell\u201d) outerwear hit the marketplace with a bang. Almost overnight, the stretchy fabric became the telltale mark of \u201cserious\u201d outdoorspeople. Soft shells continue to excel as a go-to piece for outdoor play. Today we present: everything you\u2019ve always wanted to know about soft shell fabrics\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>1. What exactly is a \u201csoft shell\u201d anyway?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Any synthetic outerwear with stretch, moderate water- and wind-resistance, and high breathability can be considered a soft shell. As fabric technology evolves, the line between hard shell and soft shell gets murkier. Today, there are hard shells that feel a bit like traditional soft shells with high breathability and stretch. There are also membrane soft shells, which will feel like a hard shell with a bit more stretch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Recognizable ingredient brand names: Polartec, Shoeller and Gore-Tex Soft Shell, plus many branded options from manufacturers.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>2. What are the pros and cons soft shells? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Pros<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Breathability. Soft shells provide plenty of protection from (most of) the elements with greater breathability than hard shells. Excellent for aerobic activities like running and ski touring.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Stretch. When you need to have greater freedom of movement, such as with climbing or Nordic skiing, added stretch is a huge bonus.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Warmth. Soft shells are not sold as insulators, per se, but in moderate temperatures one soft shell can do the job of a hard shell and a fleece combo.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Cons<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Resistance. Soft shells can be slightly less wind and water resistant than hard shells.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Weight. If you require super light gear for your latest epic, soft shells generally aren&#8217;t as light as hard shells.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>3. Do soft shells require special care? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Nothing beyond proper cleaning and occasional waterproofing! The vast majority of soft shells can and should be washed in the home washing machine (always double check the label). Wash with <a href=\"http:\/\/nikwax.com\/en-us\/products\/productdetail.php?productid=268&amp;itemid=-1&amp;fabricid=-1\">Nikwax Tech Wash<\/a> &#8211; alone or with other gear for which Tech Wash is appropriate. As needed, do a secondary wash with <a href=\"http:\/\/nikwax.com\/en-us\/products\/productdetail.php?productid=251\">Nikwax SoftShell Proof<\/a> to revive your soft shell\u2019s water-resistance back to original levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>4. Do I need soft shell gear? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you can answer yes to either of the following questions it may be time to add soft shell gear to your performance wardrobe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Do I participate in sports where I\u2019m likely to sweat a lot?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>When I\u2019m outside, is it usually snowy or clear, as opposed to rainy or sleety?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s to fun, warm, safe and dry outdoor play!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the late 1990\u2019s, soft shell (also spelled \u201csoftshell\u201d) outerwear hit the marketplace with a bang. Almost overnight, the stretchy fabric became the telltale mark of \u201cserious\u201d outdoorspeople. Soft shells continue to excel as a go-to piece for outdoor play. Today we present: everything you\u2019ve always wanted to know about soft shell fabrics\u2026 1. What&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"iawp_total_views":327,"footnotes":""},"categories":[101,2440,2377],"tags":[393,2386,105,1043,2673,209],"class_list":["post-1500","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gear-care","category-history","category-product-information","tag-adventure","tag-cleaning","tag-nikwax","tag-nikwax-tech-wash","tag-soft-shell","tag-waterproof"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.1.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Soft Shell 101 - Nikwax NA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nikwax.com\/en-us\/posts\/soft-shell-101\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Soft Shell 101 - Nikwax NA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In the late 1990\u2019s, soft shell (also spelled \u201csoftshell\u201d) outerwear hit the marketplace with a bang. Almost overnight, the stretchy fabric became the telltale mark of \u201cserious\u201d outdoorspeople. Soft shells continue to excel as a go-to piece for outdoor play. Today we present: everything you\u2019ve always wanted to know about soft shell fabrics\u2026 1. 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