>>2500630>What's the difference anyway?entirely different purpose. almost nothing in common but the similarity in the name. its also not uncommon to wear both at the same time in winter conditions.
hard shells are weather-proofing layers. they keep wind and rain and shit out.
soft shells are insulation layers more akin to a fleece that have slight weather resistance. if your hard shell lets a little condensation or moisture in, the soft shell will keep it off the layers underneath.
softshells are also nice to wear stand-alone on days where the air's misty but its not raining... they're nice for athletic activities like climbing... stuff like that.
they're more like a fleece that's less thermally efficient but weather resistant (not PROOF like a hardshell)
if you're trying to save money or don't think you need a softshell, get a polartec 100 fleece jacket. they typically run from $10-30 for simple ones, the only thing spending more might get you is armpit zippers. if you got a costco membership they usually sell a $8 fleece pull-over thats nice as hell every winter. avoid the milsurp ones for hiking they're a little too heavy weight and better suited for sleeping or casual wear. polartec 100 is what you want. anything made of that material is good+cheap.
