Rothco Special Ops Soft Shell Jacket - Unbeatable Weather Defense and Tactical Versatility

I bought the Rothco Men's Special Ops Tactical Soft Shell Jacket because I wanted a durable, weather-resistant coat for everyday wear. Little did I know, I was also signing up for an unsolicited military background check by every self-proclaimed veteran in my neighborhood.First off, the jacket itself is awesome. It's warm, lightweight, and has more pockets than I have belongings to put in them. I could smuggle an entire Thanksgiving dinner in this thing, and no one would know. The material is tough, the zippers are solid, and it even repels rain like it’s got a personal vendetta against water.However... the moment I stepped outside, I apparently activated “Tacticool Mode.” Within minutes, some guy at the gas station side-eyed me and asked, “What unit were you with?” Before I could even process what was happening, he started interrogating me like I was on trial at a military tribunal. “Where’d you deploy? What’s your MOS? What’s the capital of Uzbekistan?” (Okay, maybe not that last one, but it felt like it.)I tried to explain that I was just a regular civilian who likes extra pockets, but the guy scoffed, muttered something about “stolen valor,” and walked away. Later that day, another stranger called me “operator wannabe” under his breath at Walmart. I was just trying to buy cereal.On the plus side, I feel way more intimidating than I actually am. Dogs respect me now. Strangers don’t cut me in line. And I think my neighbor believes I work for the CIA.Final Verdict:Great jacket, super functional, but be prepared to have your non-existent military credentials questioned by random people. If you want to look like you just came back from a classified mission—but were actually just on a snack run—this is the jacket for you.

i bought this soft shell jacket last summer when i thought i could get a deal on winter clothing. now in February the price is about the same as i paid, so i guess that wasnt so much the case. anyway, overall i am quite satisfied with my purchase as it is very functional and seems moderately durable so far, again, especially when you consider something similar from a name brand would cost twice as much.i have no illusions that it might withstand an expedition into the hindu kush and back, but for my occasional rough use it is more than sufficient. i live where the winters are fairly mild, and with a t-shirt this keeps me comfortable down into the 50s. i did some traveling into colder climates, and found when i threw on a light fleece underneath i was comfortable down to the 40s, and when i cinched up all the zippers and the hood (along with some gloves and a wool knit cap) it made it tolerable down to below freezing, especially when i was walking or otherwise active and moving my muscles (but i wouldnt want to stand still for too long). with a base layer in addition to a fleece, and heavier pants than the jeans i was wearing, i imagine i would have been comfortable in still air well down into the 20s.it blocks the wind fairly well, tho you will still feel strong gusts wisp thru if you are up against those. It will also keep you dry form snow and it repels mist, drizzle and does a decent job with light rain too. I have not worn the shell into moderate rain, but i feel that it would keep you dry as long as you stayed in it only briefly. heavy rain i feel would outclass this shell and you would get wet pretty quickly.so, you get pretty good performance, and its not too heavy either (tho heavier than it would be with all those zippers and pockets hanging off it) and packs up pretty compactly too. tons of pockets add a little weight but your storage potential is enormous if you need it. but its not perfect, it should really be 4.5 stars but my gripes are minor. first of all, there are cords EVERYWHERE. they might be functional i suppose, except i have no need for them and they always got in the way when i tried to close zippers. i have managed to tuck them away so they are not much of a factor, but it was a mild annoyance initially. also, the shell has a baggy fit. the fashion design philosophy is definitely function over form. i am not a metro, but i am a slim guy and was hoping for a more trim fit. i was disappointed here, but by cinching up the waist i was able to slightly simulate the fitted look i prefer. and id much rather have a jacket that works well, as this one does, than just looks good (which is subjective anyway). if you like the "tacticool" look, and/or if you're a bigger or more muscular type, then you will probably really like this soft shell.reviews mentioning how the hood doesnt roll up into its pocket are half true. its not too hard to squeeze it into its compartment if you roll it up intelligently, but it is a little awkward to do so as well as to wear it that way. if you dont plan on using it you can just unzip it all together and remove it until you plan on needing it, but since i like the hood i just keep it out and found this as a non-factor. the hood itself was at first kind of awkward fitting, but i eventually figured out how to cinch it up using one of those zillions of cords to make it fit my head correctly and now all is good.BOTTOM LINE: solid, functional soft shell, and a GREAT value in my opinion. i use it as a casual jacket and it has served me well in outdoors activities where its highly customizable nature makes it adaptable to varying conditions and temperatures (requiring layers) in the 30-60 degree range. its 400 secure pockets are also useful in this regard for holding various items and it seems to be resisting wear and tear better than one might expect for its price point. if you're in the market for a functional soft shell jacket and dont want to pay an arm and a leg for a name brand i highly recommend this guy.BONUS: and its easy to clean. i wore it into a smokey bar once. to get the smell out i just turned it inside out and threw it in with my colored laundry and voila, just like new

This jacket is very versatile and keeps me comfortable in a wide rangeof conditions. The zip pits come in handy to keep from overheatingif the jacket is worn inside a store or mall. If worn over a fleece jacketor sweater it can keep you comfortable down into the teens if you are doingsomething fairly active like taking a walk or shoveling snow. The hood isvery large compared to most hoods and is most likely to accomodate wearover a helmet. This makes it easy to flip up over a hat if you were out in therain or snow. It has zippered pockets on each arm above the elbow that cansecurely hold a cell phone or iPod. There are two interior zippered pockets thatcan hold similar items. There are two exterior zippered pockets that are largeenough to hold a glove or knit hat. The two front pockets, the two upper arm pockets,and the two interior zippered pockets have access holes for anear bud connection to a phone or iPod. There is also a large pocket on theback of the jacket that has a zipper on both the left and right side that you couldstuff a scarf or pair of gloves into. It's down low on the back so it might not betoo comfortable for holding something bulkey if you need to be sitting behind thewheel of a car or sitting on a bus or train.The material is of high quality, it sheds water well, andseems to breathe reasonably well. The zippers function smoothly, although it takesa bit of practice to close the zip pits while wearing the jacket.There are some down sides to consider, depending on your individualrequirements. There are no hand warmer pockets. The exterior breast pockets on thefront are high up near your armpits. This makes the pockets accessible if youare wearing a pack with a frame and hip belt, or some type of body armor or vest. Noneof the pockets, with the exception of the one on the back, are very big, so anything witha bit of bulk, like gloves or knit hats, will be felt by the wearer. As stated above, thehood is quite large and if you are wearing a fleece or knit cap, the brim on the hoodwill flop down over your eyes. There is an adjustment cord on the crown of the hoodand this allows for the hood to be pulled down tight on a bare head. The hood works wellif you have a ball cap on because the brim on the ball cap will keep the oversized hood fromhanging on the bridge of your nose. The other thing about the hood is that I found it hard tothe front of the jacket up all the way when the hood is rolled up and stowed in the collar. It wasjust too tight around the neck. I just let it hang down in back, ready to use if needed.It can be completely unzipped and remooved if you don't want to use it at all.As for size, I feel this item is true to size. I'm a 40 Regular and size Mediumfits me well. It is large enough to wear over the heavy fleece zip-up jacket that I haveand functions well as an outer shell when the temperature is below 30 degrees F. It'sa bit snug with the fleece, but not uncomfortable. Without the fleece underneath, it fitsquite well. A thinner fleece, like the Polartec 100 series, would probably be perfect.I give this item five stars because it meets all my requirements, the costis very reasonable, and the materials and quality of construction are excellent.