Windshirts: 2012 State of the Market Report – Part 1: What is a Windshirt?

I love my Boreas for skiing and short runs – but it does gain weight in rain. Would the softshell material approve of a round in the washing machine with Nikwax TX-direct? Or is that only for wb/b materials?

Well, you guys have convinced me that a windshirt can largely replace my Gore-tex hardshell, which is aging and now sports a variety of holes both large and small. Since I usually wear it for added warmth and don't see much rain, the windshirt should be suitable. I tried on a Verto, on clearance at REI, but decided to order the Stoic Luminous Thrive instead, as it cost half as much (also on clearance)and the Verto didn't fit that well. It arrived today! And it fits perfectly. I can hardly wait to try it out!

Thanks Dave, this looks like another very usefull review. However, I want to reiterate what Neale pointed out in his July 13 comment in case you missed it: you are reviewing an obsolete, discontinued version of the Houdini, which is no longer available. If at all possible, you should switch and review the current model in Part 2 of your report, otherwise it will be a "state-of-last-year's-market" report.

The new model weighs less and is supposed to be more wind resistant. Don't waste your time (and your readers') writing about a model that is no longer available.

The Boreas has become one of my favorite pieces of backpacking clothing. It goes with me on every trip where the temps might dip below 60 degrees during the day. It breathes incredibly well, blocks enough wind on chilly days to keep me cool (I prefer to hike cool, not warm) and handles light drizzle well enough. On my recent Sierra trip, I wore it a few times with great success – I didn't sweat while hiking (which is unusual), and I didn't need to don my rain top for the light rain we got a few days of the trip (it took much harder rain before I got the Haglofs out). Yup, it weighs more than most wind shirts, but I love it, and don't even carry a 'true' wind shirt anymore, the Boreas fills the bill beautifully. A great piece of gear.

A windshirt is an intermediate layer, which is always open to being dropped from a gear list. I'll argue that it is very effective because it can improve warmth while remaining breathable. It is dispensible for extreme weather, but comes into play for temperate weather, which is what most 3 season hikers want. I use my windshirt more than my rain shell or puffy insulation, and the freqency of use is the real benchmark for inclusion on my hear list.

When properly layered, a windshirt is providing the same outer skin that an insulated jacket would have, but can be used with just a base layer or thicker mid layers rather than being permanently comitted to use as only an insulated garment. You get wind, sun, bug and light rain protection all in one 4 ounce garment.

Your 5.11 shirt is doing exactly the same thing, but at greater weight and less compressible storage. A windshirt should be thought of as a shirt with some jacket-like features (mostly the hood). The full front zip isn't much difference in practice than the row of buttons on your 5.11 shirt. So it is a conventional button down shirt at 10 ounces or a windshirt at 4 ounces and more versatility.

"Well, you guys have convinced me that a windshirt can largely replace my Gore-tex hardshell, which is aging and now sports a variety of holes both large and small. Since I usually wear it for added warmth and don't see much rain, the windshirt should be suitable."

Windshirts are great, but you should carry some sort of rain gear. If you aren't seeing much use for rain gear, a DriDucks top or a poncho would be good choices. A GoLite poncho is just 7oz and takes up little space. If you can sew, it is an easy project. You get a handy-dandy emergency shelter in the bargain. If you are in the desert, an umbrella gives good dual use.