A hard shell with the lightness of a soft shell [TSURUGI LITE JACKET]

Takuro Hayashi, a freelance writer and photographer active in ski, snowboard and outdoor magazines, who also runs the outdoor equipment store "Transit Higashikawa" in Hokkaido, reported on the Tsurugi Lite Jacket, which has been updated this season using "Täsmä".

I've been using the Tsurugi Lite Jacket for four months. Its charms continue to grow with every use, but if I try to fully enjoy it, the green season will be over. At this point, I'd like to share my impressions of using it as an interim report.

There are two key points about the Tsurugi Lite Jacket.

The first is comfort. You may say that you already know that. But the feeling of comfort is silent. By itself, it is difficult to be aware of how comfortable a situation is.
I first discovered the comfort of Tsurugi Lite during an early summer mountain hike. It was raining, so I casually tried it out against a classic waterproof and breathable membrane rainwear. I was familiar with the comfort of that classic material. I felt stuffy inside the rainwear, but rainy days are naturally humid to begin with. Sometimes condensation forms on the inside without me noticing, but it's far better than getting wet from the rain directly, and I had accepted that this was just how rainy days were. However, as soon as I changed into Tsurugi Lite, I realized something. It wasn't that I was accepting it, I had resigned myself to it. I had accepted the discomfort, thinking it was just the way it was.

Tsurugi Lite doesn't have that oppressive feeling you get from moving around in a stuffy room. It's as if the stuffiness and heat inside the garment is seeping out. If I had only worn Tsurugi Lite, I would have thought it was a surprisingly comfortable day. I wouldn't have been able to understand the surprise of how the muggy, uncomfortable feeling disappeared without comparing it.

A sudden shower in the countryside. 20mm of rain in an hour.

This overwhelming comfort is the strength of Tsurugi Lite. And what guarantees this long-lasting comfort is Täsmä, a next-generation material developed by Teton Bros. and Toray over a three-year period. The specifications of Täsmä, which has been adopted since 2022, have improved breathability compared to the membrane used in Tsurugi Lite up until that point, and its water resistance is 2,000mm higher.

It keeps you dry and eliminates discomfort through ventilation before stuffiness sets in. Täsmä is currently in the most advanced position as a solution to safety and comfort in the great outdoors, something that Teton Bros. has been working on for many years.

That said, the Tsurugi Lite is not designed as rainwear. Because there is no flap inside the zipper, it's important to be aware that water may seep in through the zipper if you're out in heavy rain with high water pressure for a long period of time. It's something to be aware of, though. During a four-month road test, I used the Tsurugi Lite as rainwear, and I never once had to worry about water seeping in through the zipper. For normal activities, its comfort, including its waterproofing, far exceeds that of other types of rainwear.

On my bike commute route, I didn't have an umbrella. It was actually quite a downpour, and raindrops would not be visible unless it was this heavy. The lens is highly water-repellent, so it instantly repels raindrops in normal rain.

The second attraction is the result of Tsurugi Lite's design concept.
Lightness was a priority from the development stage, and to achieve this, a thin 20D woven thread is used for the outer fabric. Although it feels a little scratchy, it is light and comfortable to wear. Furthermore, the lining uses a 10D knit backer, so even if you wear it directly over a T-shirt, there is no unpleasant stickiness on your arms.
In addition, this fabric, like Täsmä, has stretchability, so there is no tightness even when bending and straightening your elbows or lifting your arms high. This has allowed the pattern itself to be slimmer. As a result, the amount of fabric used has been reduced, contributing to weight savings, and the streamlined silhouette also helps prevent flapping in strong winds.

It had been raining until dawn, so the grass and trees were wet, and the remaining light rain made the hike damp all day. However, my upper body was dry. Since it was summer, I didn't mind my lower body getting wet, so I hadn't planned on wearing rain gear.

As a result, the Tsurugi Lite is an extremely useful lightweight shell to throw on when the weather looks a little uncertain. And of course, thanks to the Täsmä, it stays breathable. It's perfect for sunny days, and even in the unlikely event of rain or wind, its exceptional waterproofing means you can handle it with ease.
In fact, throughout this summer, the Tsurugi Lite really came into its own on a trip to an island where there was no rain but a strong lake breeze, a mountain hike where light rain was predicted due to a typhoon, a powerful evening shower encountered on the way down the mountain in midsummer, and a late-summer camping trip and mountain run in drizzle as the temperature dropped.
In other words, it is lightweight and comfortable to wear in any situation, allowing you to gently adapt to changes in the weather, while providing outstanding protection when the time comes.

Strong winds at the summit of Iwaonupuri

The second key point is its character as a lightweight soft shell with the specs of a hard shell.

To tell you the truth, during the summer testing, we heard from several people who were interested in the Tsurugi Lite that they weren't sure how to use the jacket. They couldn't imagine a specific use for it, and weren't entirely sure what kind of situation it would suit.
It's no surprise. Tsurugi Lite's range is so broad that it easily transcends any manual that tells you, "This type of clothing should be used like this." It even makes the basic question, "Is this a soft shell? Is this a hard shell?", useless. That's why it doesn't fit neatly into traditional layering examples. But this freestyle functionality is what defines Tsurugi Lite.

A versatile piece that combines the casualness and agility of a soft shell with the protection of a hard shell. The possibilities for Tsurugi Lite are endless. Rather than thinking about specific uses, we encourage you to keep it close at hand. By using it flexibly and repeatedly, you will be able to fully utilize the product's capabilities and find it useful in unexpected fields. Before you know it, you'll be wearing Tsurugi Lite all the time, and it's sure to become an essential outdoor item.

It's waterproof and breathable (changed to waterproof and breathable) yet stretchy, which makes it even more comfortable to wear.

All seams are taped, but there is no flap on the zipper to accommodate the conditions of use. Fleece is placed inside the collar to make it comfortable against the skin.

Hood adjuster. One-touch adjustment of tightness.

The hood adjuster wire is not directly attached to the hood, but is placed in a dedicated sleeve. This way, even when the adjuster is tightly fastened, the hood does not restrict neck movement and visibility is maintained. No corners are cut in the smallest details, a typical Teton Bros. attention to detail.

The drawcord at the hem is located on the right side. The back has a long tail, and the inside of the hem is lined with smooth nylon fabric to prevent chafing.

The shirring is only on the inside of the wrist. This not only keeps the outside of the wrist, which moves more, neater, but also prevents any snagging when looking at the watch.

There is one pocket on the chest. The inside is mesh so it can be used as a ventilator. The zipper has a double slider so it can be opened from the top or bottom.
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