Rothco Special Operations Soft Shell Jacket
Recently, I came across the Condor Summit Soft Shell Jacket on another forum. Several members had purchased the jacket and were quite happy with it. One member mentioned that Rothco made a similar jacket at a slightly lower price point, but no one was sure if the two were identical or just similar.
Always up for a reason to buy new gear and in need of a new fall jacket ... I decided to order one of the Rothco's.
As it turns out, the two appear to be identical with the exception of the brand tag inside the jacket. Both jackets are knock-offs of Triple Aught Design's Stealth Hoodie (MSRP $355 - $359). The Rothco jacket was $74.49 on Amazon. The Condor runs $85.00 on Amazon.
Initially, I ordered the Rothco jacket in men's medium (my usual size). It arrived quickly and I tried it on. The jacket was too large and the sleeves were too long (see photos, below).
So, back to Amazon the jacket went in exchange for a men's small. The small is a MUCH better fit. So, be warned, if you're looking to purchase one of these jackets, order a size smaller than you usually buy.
The jacket is made of a 100% waterproof polyester fabric and lined with a lightweight, breathable, moisture-wicking fleece. The collar has a zippered pouch that hides the hood when it is not in use. The hood is large enough to fit over most helmets.
There are two internal, zippered pockets, two zippered pockets on the left arm, one zippered pocket on the right arm, two zippered pockets on the chest and a single, wide pocket on the back with two zippered openings. If this was a hunting jacket, the pocket on the back would be where I would stuff my upland game birds.
In addition to the zippered pockets, each armpit has a zippered opening to allow heat to escape in warmer weather.
Here are a few pictures.
Front of Jacket
Back of Jacket
Interior of Jacket
Zippered Sleeve Pockets on Both Sides with Loop Field for Morale Patches
Small Zippered Sleeve Pocket on Left Sleeve
Chest Pocket
You'll notice that each of the two larger sleeve pockets and the chest pockets has a square, rubber tab with an X on it. These tabs provide an opening through which you can run the cord for a set of earphones or anything similar.
I do have a couple complaints.
First, it seems that the hood would route water down into the zippered compartment in the collar drenching the wearer. I haven't proven this, but there are no storm flaps on any of the zippers to prevent water ingress (another complaint).
Additionally, the zippers are not of the highest quality and don't slide very easily. This isn't a big deal on the check pockets where you can use both hands, but it does make utilizing the sleeve pockets a bit of a hassle.
Finally, the drawstrings for the hood came with absolutely no toggle of any kind. They were simply tied in a square knot to keep them from pulling back through the grommets.
Of course, I can't leave anything alone so I've added a few improvements.
Toggles for the Hood Drawstrings
ITW ZipLine Alpha Zipper Pulls
I also added a Fastex Aerowave Cord Lock to the main zipper that opens and closes the jacket. The Aerowave incorporates an emergency whistle into the cord lock (pretty nifty idea).
Yesterday, I had the opportunity to wear the jacket out in some fairly crummy weather. The temps were in the 40's, the wind was howling with 35-40 MPH gusts and there was a light, steady rain falling. The jacket kept me warm and dry for about 15-20 minutes out in the weather.
All-in-all, for a $75.00 jacket, I'm pretty happy. I didn't purchase the jacket with the expectation that it would be a truly "hard core" piece of outerwear so I'm not overly disappointed in the lack of storm flaps on the pocket openings. I'm also not much of a hood wearer so I may never find out if the hood routes water down into the zippered opening in the collar.