Wear it all day and walk long distances, whether it's sunny or wet. LONG TRAIL HOODY Review

Tomoko Fukutaki, a mother of one who loves mountains, rivers, the sea, snow, and everything in between, and an outdoor writer active in outdoor and winter activity magazines, shared her recommended items for this fall.

As you happily climb the mountain, imagining the panoramic views from the ridge and the finest powder snow, many people may find the constant changing of clothes to regulate their body temperature disrupt their pace and become a hassle.

I am no exception, and I love the lazy word "while wearing it." When "dynamic thermal clothing*" first appeared a few years ago and became popular as autumn and winter wear, I was so excited that I thought, "Finally, something has come along that meets my needs!"

*: Thermal clothing filled with cotton that can be worn while moving around. Sweat is easily wicked away, preventing the inside of the garment from becoming stuffy.

Well, the same goes for soft shells.

Soft shells are made from soft, stretchy materials and are highly breathable, windproof, and water-repellent. They are completely different from hard shells, which are made from durable fabrics with excellent barrier properties against snow, rain, and wind, and are waterproof and breathable, even though they both share the word "shell."

TB's soft shell jacket, the "WS Long Trail Hoody," has undergone slight changes each year to reach its current model. It's a bit too hot for everyday summer wear, but it's no exaggeration to say that it's in full use almost all year round. If you're wondering what "almost" means, let's just say it's suitable for a friend's wedding.

The key is to use that much.

To give you a quick rundown of the product, it's a full-zip jacket with a fit that's neither too loose nor too tight. It feels comfortable even when worn as an outer layer over a thin mid-layer. It's not a slim silhouette with a cinched waist like Western women's products, but rather a straight design.

Being a soft shell, the fabric is very soft and stretches comfortably in all directions. It doesn't feel tight at all, allowing for easy movement even with large movements.

Can you see this flexibility?

The underside, which directly touches your skin, has a subtle brushed texture, so it feels dry and comfortable even when wet with sweat on the field. When worn over a short-sleeved base layer, you can feel the dry comfort on your arms.

The hood fits snugly without adjustment, but with a single pull of the drawcord you can tighten it up to keep it from blowing away in strong winds. It's helmet compatible, and the collar stands up like a balaclava.

Those who frequently use soft shells can imagine that this would be useful in many situations, and when I walked in the Northern Alps in early autumn the other day, I wore the WS Long Trail Hoody for 70% of the time, except when it was raining heavily or hot.

What I realized was that it not only had the basic soft shell properties of blocking the wind on ridges and crests, keeping the inside of the garment cool by providing ample ventilation even when body temperature rises during exercise, and stretching well for ease of movement, but I was also surprised at how well the surface of the fabric was water-repellent.

This photo was taken when it was being hit by a light rain, and I couldn't help but say to myself several times, "Is that Glaco?" The water formed beads and rolled down. It was so smooth.

It plays so well that I took another photo when I got home, and I can honestly say that it can draw water.

This is apparently due to the fact that fluorine is attached to each individual fiber, making the surface tension of the fabric lower than that of water, resulting in a strong water-repellent effect. TB's original "Dry Action" fabric, created in collaboration with a domestic water-repellent processing company, is so water-repellent that it can even transport water like this.

So even if you get caught in a little rain, the water won't soak into your clothing. Before dawn, I walked a narrow trail through a dewy forest with just the light from my headlamp, and I didn't feel the need for rainwear like everyone else was wearing.

By the way, if you squeeze the fabric with pressure, the accumulated water will penetrate the fabric and escape to the back side. It repels water so well that you might wonder if there are actually any ventilation holes, but if you apply strong pressure, there are enough holes to allow water to pass through (i.e., it is breathable).

This was a real surprise.

Of course, the seams are not waterproof and there is no membrane sandwiched in between, so if you are exposed to heavy rain for a long time, water will soak in, and the parts that are in constant contact with the backpack harness felt a little damp inside. However, you can just accept that this is a situation where you should bring out rainwear.

Depending on the temperature and the amount of exercise, the soft shell can get steamy inside, but by using the front zipper for ventilation, you can regulate your body temperature quite a bit. Also, although it's not a very noticeable feature, the use of elastic material in the cuffs was also very convenient.

The fabric is neither too thick nor too thin for a softshell jacket, but rather medium-thick. The nylon threads are woven into the jacket at a high density, making it highly durable, and I didn't have to worry about it tearing even when the surface rubbed against branches or rocks.

You can wear it as an outer layer over a base layer, or as a lightweight mid-layer under a hard shell. It's sure to become a must-have item for backcountry adventures this coming season.

For women who are sensitive to the cold in the fields of snowy mountains, the breathability may be too strong and cold in the upper reaches of Hokkaido or Hakuba during the harsh winter, but there are countless situations in which it can be used on snow, such as hiking up in wooded areas such as Kagura, Hakuba Norikura, and Hachimantai, as well as in Tateyama and Niseko when snow remains.

Not just for the mountains, but also for the city, cycling, hiking in low mountains, visiting my parents' home, and even going to Okinawa in winter with Go To Travel... it's a truly versatile piece of clothing, so basically it can be used for everything except weddings (lol). The only other thing I wouldn't wear it for is a company interview. No, if you're interviewing for an outdoor manufacturer, they'll probably say, "You chose that, you must have had a lot of fun in the mountains," and you'll be hired (lol).

This jacket, named the Long Trail Hoodie by TB, must have been intended to convey the idea that you can wear it for long distances, whether it's sunny or wet. Feeling the creator's ambitious intention, I hope to continue walking in the mountains and fields in 2021 (an early resolution!).