Gear Check -- Condor 602 Jacket

I have had my Condor Model 602 "Summit Tactical Soft Shell Jacket" for about seven months now. I selected black, but it is available in "foliage" (pictured above), O.D., and "coyote" colors as well.

According to the information on the tag, the jacket is constructed with three layers: an outer shell made of polyester, a middle-layer made with a "breathable film membrane" (i.e., something like Gortex), and an inner layer of "super fine fleece."

The fleece is really thin and doesn't provide much insulation. In cooler weather, you will want a warm shirt or base layer. Notwithstanding the breathable layer, the jacket tends to trap perspiration. So, in warmer weather or when active, its easy to get a damp, sticky feeling when using the jacket. I would say that this jacket is best in the range of 40 to 55 degrees, depending on the undergarment you are wearing. Any warmer, and you will probably want to move to something lighter; any colder, and you will want a heavier coat.

There are some things you can do with the jacket to help vent or cool it a bit. One of the interesting features are zippers in each of the arm pit areas, which help with venting. There is also a zipper on each side on the back of the jacket that open into each side of a single mesh pocket. If you don't have anything in the pocket, you can leave those zippers open which also help to vent.

The jacket has a hood that folds into a pocket in the collar. The hood is actually pretty good, and has a velcro strap on the back so you can adjust how much it overhangs your face.

There are matching pockets each side of the inside of the jacket. There are also matching outside pockets on each side that zip open. These actually have a larger inside pocket, and smaller pocket to hold a radio or cell phone. The outside pockets are intended for gear only--they are too high to slip your hands in. There are also openings to feed the wire for earbuds or ear-pieces from an IPod or radio out of the pockets.

As you can see from the photo, there are pockets for both the upper and lower arms. I have to admit that I haven't used those pockets much, other than occasionally to hold a set of keys.

There are velcro squares on each upper arm to attach patches or insignia. I got a Zombie Hunter patch, of course, to use with mine.

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I haven't used the jacket in a heavy rain, but it seems to work fine in a light rain or drizzle. Although it hasn't been an issue, the jacket does not have a storm flap to cover the front zipper, and I wish it did.

One thing I want to emphasize is that the jacket is undersized--you need to get at least one size larger than you would normally wear. For instance, I normally wear an XL, but I needed to get a XXL in this jacket. Frankly, I would have liked it if it was even a bit larger since, once you fill up the front pockets, it is starting to get tight and "prints" the outline of your wallet, cell phone, etc.

In short, I would give the jacket a thumbs up. It is a really nice looking jacket, and works well for cooler, wetter weather. With the limitations I've noted above, it makes a good tactical jacket.