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 would give this jacket 10 stars if I could! Excellent coverage and able to withstand rain and the cold. I did a hike with this and actually was very comfortable. The zippers for ventilation is also a great addition. I especially like the high pockets. Great so your waist isn’t weighed down. Worth every penny.

This is a great jacket. Do not cheap out and grab the other brands. This is the Yeti and the others are Ozark Trail. This is operator all the way! Material is nice and heavy for what you think it will be looking at pics online. It's not Goretex heavy but you can tell it's not a cheap Walmart windbreaker. I got black only because I already have green jackets issued from the Military. My only real complaint is the hood when zipped into the collar. I have a USAF issued Goretex jacket and the hood isn't as uncomfortable stored in the neck as this. I removed it and put it in the hind quarters pocket then just gave up and put it in my car. I used my Glock 17 mags and my Glock 17 for size reference. pics aren't loading so I may add them later on. The 2 front pockets are a bit high so you have to unlearn waist high hand warmers. if you wish to do this you will have to "Chicken Wing" it. Just be aware this pocket and the Hind Quarters pockets both allow fresh air to come in when they are unzipped. the Hind quarters shoot s the air to the small of your back and these front pockets sends the air down the back of the inside pockets to your crotch. they have 2 pockets each that can hold a pen and a knife mine hold the G17 mag snug. If you wish to conceal in these pockets the G17 may be a bit much if left open. If it were me I would have the gun on clip draw and have the Mig style trigger guard attached to the d ring found in both of these pockets "In theory". If you sized this jacket just right for normal use, you will print like crazy when you zip the main zipper close. I guess you just have to remember most folks don't go around looking for a gun silhouette besides other concealed carry folks. Both sides have headphone jack opening. Both upper Velcro arm pockets are Glock 17 size but the gun will not go in there. you will have to cut the zipper defeating the purpose of even having a zipper. Bot these pockets have headphone jack openings as well. Single wrist pocket is G17 mag size but same as shoulder, the zipper wont let it in. sleeves are long so after you close the Velcro tight you have some slack this slack makes 1 handed closure interesting. My workaround was middle finger at the base of the zipper and use index & thumb to pull up. May take a few tries to get it right. There is no headphone jack opening here. Inside pockets are 2 and a half G17 mags but 2 are about as far as you push it. These pockets do not have headphone jack openings. Hind quarter pocket is spacious, and vented. I put my hood in there at one point but abandoned it as it was uncomfortable there too. I put my patrol cap, neck gaiter,and gloves there instead. Remember up top I said this pocket is vented so if you leave this unzipped as well as the top chest pockets air will get in. 2/22/2018 update Washed it 2 times and it's still the same size. i wish I ordered 2X but whatever. Still works well but layer up. if it's 38*F outside and you have a T-Shirt on this will not only fail to black the cold but the zippers in the arms will be cold on you. Just a simple sweater or layering up goes wonders.

Pro: I've had this jacket for about a week now, so this isn't an impulsive review. I live in Long Island, NY. Even though winter hasn't begun really, we've had some winter like weather. For the past week the temperature has ranged from the high teens to the low 60's and I've had this jacket on the entire time (I spend a lot of time outdoors). It's been through wind and rain but not snow yet. Yesterday it was around 34 and raining, and I was walking all day in it. The jacket is impervious. There was no sign that any rain got through to my under layers. As for warmth, the jacket does the job well so long as you layer properly, which is easy to do considering how think and light the jacket is. I layer up quite well (sometimes up to 4 layers). The jacket design is very good. It has pull chords to tighten up the hood as well as the waist band to keep wind and water from getting in. The hood extends outward several inches and the turtle neck like jacket collar covers the length of my neck. I'm 6 foot abut 170 lbs. and the large fits great. Cons: 1) the zipper feels a little weak I feel that tugging on it too hard will damage the zipper teeth, but that's no big deal. When zipping up the collar, simply pinch the sides together with your hand. 2) No hand pockets. This is why 4 stars. This was a disappointment and may be a deal breaker for some. I get by with gloves but Rothco, if you're reading this, c'mon. Seriously? Update 9/2019 - still going strong. Lost some waterproofing but going to wash and dry it. Still, holding up great 5 years in.

This is a top notch jacket but only AFTER you permanently attach the hood at your nearest dry cleaner. It cost me about $7 to have the tailor professionally attach the hood and now it looks like an awesome all around jacket. There is a seam at the bottom of the collar where it was attached to. It has been an awesome jacket so far through one of new York's toughest winters, layering and gloves are needed as with any winter coat. I read some people discard the hood because of the design flaws (too bulky to be kept in the collar or water leaking into the collared zipper area) this would be a huge mistake since the material is excellent at wind breaking and rain stopping. The zippers are not as smooth as i would've liked them to be but I am careful with them so I can prolong the life of the jacket. The pockets in the front add bulkiness (esp if u have a slight belly to begin with lol) when storing gloves and hats. I have always bought my jackets in size large and this one fits well in Large, I have medium build 5'10 200lbs. Another note on layering, keep in mind that the front of the jacket is higher than the back of the jacket so if you wear a hoodie underneath this jacket it will show in the front if the front of the hoodie is too long/stretched out, then it just looks sloppy. I find myself having to fold the front of my hoodies in order to hide it underneath the jacket. I think hoodies are now starting to be designed with the longer in the back shorter in the front look. The arm pockets are very useful but it will not hold a phablet like the samsung gs3 WITH a bulky cover, my iPhone has a huge cover and it fits well. There's plenty of ventilation by opening the side and back zippers, kudos on that. Other than that it's true that the minor details with the zippers and strings could have been addressed better but it doesn't take away from the tactical look and practicality of the jacket. It was an awesome purchase and great value, I feel like jacket is worth more than what I paid for so I'm happy with that.

I decided to give this jacket a years worth of use before I sat down to write a review. Just to give it a fair shake. Pros: I bought this jacket in October just in time to try it out in cold Colorado weather. The wind resistance worked perfectly. On the mild days it was warm enough to go outside wearing a short sleeved shirt underneath. On the colder days I wore the jacket with reasonable layers on and still remained warm while scraping the snow and ice from my car. I think that I only had to take out my actual winter jacket 3 times all winter long. The shoulder pockets I find some what useful for putting things like my cell phone or a small note pad in for quick accesses. Just don't get caught out in torrential rain with them there. I like the fact that the inside pockets have a place to run the head phone wires through if you choose to keep your cellphone/radio/MP3 player there as well. The chest pockets I found that I can fit 2 AR mags in each with any issues. Or you can put a pair of gloves on one side and a rolled up boonie in the other, or just stuff all that crap in the back mesh pocket. It makes for a great lumbar support system in the car. Haha. Cons: For being a special ops tactical jacket it has no accesses for your side arm. I tried using the vent zippers but that did not work. I guess if your have to have a side arm you should be using a leg holster? The worst part of this jacket for me are the zipper and the hood. Every once and a while the bottom part of the zipper would separate for some reason. Not unzip itself, but actually come apart like the zipper lost it's teeth. It seems to happen if I am in a hurry and quickly zip it up. If I take my time it works just fine. Is this a defect in just my jacket? Or is it all the jackets? I don't know. The vent zippers can be an issue if you are wearing short sleeve shirts, it can rub or catch your skin wrong. I did learn to ignore it after a while. With long sleeves it's no problem at all. The hood. The hood is HUGE! I can tighten down the hood and look like Kenny from south park! It works OK if I am wearing a Boonie or a cap but essentially useless for me especially if it is windy. You can make adjustments to it with the pull strings but I have a small head and ended up looking like Alfalfa. When it's tucked in to the collar it strangles you if you try and zip the jacket all the way up. If you don't zip it all the way up the collar sticks out and is very annoying. I just took mine off. Water proof? That part of the product description is wrong in so many ways. Water resistant yes. In a lite rain or snow the jacket held up just fine keeping me dry as a bone. However, being caught out in the torrential rains that we recently had here the jacket did not do so well. While core part of me were dry, my solders and arms were soaked in about 2 minutes. I guess that is something that can be fixed with a can of water proofing spray, but when something claims to be “Water Proof”... All in all for the price point, a surprisingly warm and light weight jacket. Yes there are some things that should be changed but if I were to buy this jacket again I probably would.

This jacket is supposedly very similar to TAD (Triple Aught Design) Jacket, which costs about $400 if you can find one. PRO: Lots pocket, when I travel, I can just carry most things on me such as external battery pack, gloves, cables, headphone, camera, headphone, etc. Water repellent. I walked in the soaking rain for about an hour, there were some water sipping through the zipper, but other than that, I am dry. Doubt it can handle too long in pouring rain though. Warm. On a sunny 25 F degree day, I can wear a T-shirt and this jacket, then I am good to go! Else, I just add a fleece or two then I am good. Foldable pointy hood. Instead of the usual hood, it is point outward a bit create an additional coverage on the front like a hat does. CON: The zipper are not YKK so it can be tricky at certain time. The velcro to tight down around wrist is not that great and opens once every while, and can be annoying from time to time for people who have shorter arm like me. High pocket (PURELY PERSONAL). The side pocket is more to chest than to waist, which I am not really used to still. Zippers are not waterproof so water can and will sip through. May have some loose thread that needs trim. Normal for this price range, I would recommend inspect and fix them up yourself. CONCLUSION: This is no North Face Jacket or TAD quality as far as workmanship goes (loose threads here there), but it's quite well made if considering the price. For a simple daily or weekend long hike, around town, non-stormy winter weather, this jacket is more than enough. I would say this jacket works for most. If you planning to go on Mount Everest, hike the whole Appalachian Trail in a 30 day trip, working outdoor in arctic circle, this jacket is NOT for you. Remember, you are paying $90 for a jacket, which is the equivalent to a fleece or soft shell for most outdoor brands, don't expect it to be comparable to $300+ jackets. As always, you get what you pay for, even if it's a good deal.

Great jacket, fits perfect! Definitely water repellent, not sure about being proof yet. Like everyone else says, the jacket is very lightweight and warm. It has plenty of pockets and the hood placement/design is not the best but I have no problems with it. I'm in northern PA so we get to experience all the types of weather. So far I've been in the wind, cold, rain, and I approve of this jacket. As far as the durability goes I have a little concern. It has only been about a week with this jacket but the material is so soft I wonder how it would stand up to a few days in the woods getting caught up in tree limbs and snagged in brush. Only one way to find out I guess! The only other foreseeable problem is, due to the material it's made of, I have a feeling if a stray ember from a fire or anything else landed on you it could potentially melt right through the jacket essentially compromising the whole thing. Otherwise great purchase and well worth the money if you're interested! Edit: I'm a lineman, working out in the field I was under the eves of a roof with water constantly dripping on me. I stayed dry practically the whole time. After about an hour or so of constant dripping it then started to soak in the jacket but it was barely wet on the inside(just my one sleeve). I didn't have a problem with water running off the hood and into the jacket where the outer pocket zips like other people mentioned as a possibility. If it did, I didn't get wet!