Customer Ratings: 
List Price: $480.00
Sale Price: $479.95
Today's Bonus: $0.05 Off
I was skeptical to spend this amount of money on a single jacket, but bought this on a friend's (who is a mountain guide) recommendation. I am so happy I didthis is by far the best shell I have ever owned. Westcomb has almost predicted every movement and need that arises on the side of a mountain, from durable wind and waterproof protection, intelligent pocketing that gives the wearer several (but not too many) options for personal storage, and highly adjustable waist and hood systems that make it easy to adjust without too much movement, unlike many other jackets. I could not recommend this jacket more highlyspend the money, it is worth it!!
Click Here For Most Helpful Customer Reviews >>
I was intrigued by the idea of a quality shell made of E-vent fabric as a more breathable alternative to Goretex. Being a compulsive researcher it was pretty tough not to stumble into Polartec Neoshell as a possibly even better option than E-vent.
I bought a number of jackets with the idea of keeping only one. These included the Rab Bergen (E-vent hiking shell), the Rab Kickturn (E-vent alpine shell), the Rab Stretch Neo (Polartec Neoshell alpine shell) and the Westcomb Apoc (Polartec Neoshell alpine shell). I am 6-2", 180lbs, 33" waist and ordered large for all. Jacket comments for each:
Westcomb Apoc-this is a gem of a jacket in Polartec Neoshell with a superb fit, traditional hand warmer pockets (and one Napolean pocket), pit zips, and light weight. I can easily use this for my athletic endeavors in nasty winter conditions. There is reasonable room for layering underneath. The only negatives are minor: a lack of a velcro strap to secure the hood when not in use and weak color options. I ended up with red which isn't bad looking. I would have preferred the blue if it was carried off as well as the Rab Stretch Neo in blue but the yellow zippers and placement of contrasted blue paneling was a bit odd looking to my eye at least. Functionally this jacket is absolute perfection and is still good looking for casual use in public. This jacket is a definitely a keeper.
Rab Bergenbilled as a casual hiking shell, avoids the Napolean pockets in favor of more traditional hand-warming pockets. In indigo this is without question the best looking jacket for going out on the town. Tiny details like a cool looking embroidered logo on the front reinforce the good looks. Has room for layers underneath. Not exactly an athletic-type fit but perhaps a tad less boxy than the Rab Stretch Neo and the collar is not quite so extreme in height. I wouldn't want to attempt to use it for my outside racket sports that I play in the winter due to the fact that the E-vent fabric is stiffer (more crinkly) than the Polartec Neoshell. Hood when not in use is nicely kept bundled by an attractive velcro strap. I probably can not justify keeping this jacket but it is so good looking I have not been able to bring myself to return it, particularly considering the low price I paid.
Rab Stretch Neo-a really nice jacket in Polartec Neoshell but clearly heavier and far boxier than the Westcomb Apoc (and not nearly as suited for my winter sports). Limited to Napolean pockets (make sense for climbers but I'm not one). Has no pit zips. Color in blue was really good looking. Collar height is definitely extremely tallgreat I'd imagine for mountaineering but not for my pursuits and in-town use. Really long sleeves did not bother me. Sizing was pushing the plus side of large. I possibly could have considered medium but too many other negatives to try it.
Rab Kickturn-I ordered this at a time when I only was considering E-vent fabric and was attracted to the pit zips that this jacket has. As things turned out I developed a bias towards Polartec Neoshell and against the Napolean-only pockets found on the Kickturn and many other alpine jackets. No doubt this jacket could be a great selection for those with heavy duty mountaineering interests but not me.
Best Deals for Westcomb Men's Apoc Jacket
After using Gore-Tex Pro Shell, Performance Shell, and Paclite products for many years, and never having been very satisfied with their breathability, especially in warmer weather, Polartec's NeoShell fabric is a welcome addition to the mountaineering market. It pushes the limits on breathability to such an extent as for me to declare the arrival, finally, of the Holy Grail. This is the real deal. Unlike Gore-Tex, NeoShell breathability doesn't vary with temperature. In warm temperatures, Gore-Tex really does not breath at all. Not so the case with NeoShell, which breaths well in any temperature. In fact, it breathes so many times greater than Gore-Tex, in both warm and cold temperatures, that I cannot even begin to quantify the actual difference. And quite frankly, whether it is five times greater or ten times, is immaterial. Suffice it to say that it relegates all of my Gore-Tex to retirement status. If this fabric ever really takes off, (Think about e-Vent's troubled history) it will be the Gore-Tex killer. (I have not used Active Shell but no matter as it is only marginally more breathable than their other fabrics.)
Polartec's NeoShell fabric is being marketed to clothing manufactures as a fabric that is so breathable that pit-zips are unnecessary. This is incredibly shortsighted of Polartec for two reasons. First, many, such as myself, will never buy a shell without pit-zips regardless even of the most extraordinary claims. Second, pit-zips serve two functions. They permit perspiration to escape and they allow for greater heat-temperature control. Profuse perspirers such as myself cannot live without pit-zips to help keep us cool. Westcomb was the first company to make NeoShell jackets with pit-zips. As far as I can tell, the Apoc may still be the only truly full-featured shell to incorporate them. I see that The North Face just updated last year's Jammu shell by adding pit-zips to it and I expect many more companies to quickly follow Westcomb's far-sightedness.
I would even venture to state that the single greatest factor to explain why NeoShell has had such a limited impact on the market in the two years since it was released, is the almost complete dearth of models available with pit-zips. If not already, it is only a matter of time before Polartec realizes what a bone-headed marketing decision it made.
Polartec claims that NeoShell meets industry waterproof standards, and I entirely agree. I recently wore it in a record-breaking rainstorm in Parque Nacional Villarica in Chile. I could find no difference between it and Pro Shell's waterproof capabilities. Like all shell fabrics, it's water-shedding ability will decrease with use. I recommend treating it occasionally with a DWR product such as McNett's excellent, ReviveX.
The Apoc is probably the most feature-rich NeoShell jacket currently on the market, even including a helmet-compatible hood, though I will not bother to list all features. Please visit the Westcomb Website. I recommend buying the Apoc at least one size greater than you would normally take, perhaps even two, as Apoc sizes run quite small. (Perhaps its a Canadian thing.)
If there is one weakness in the Apoc it is in the terrible sleeve cuff design, a significant disappointment regardless of all else I love about the Apoc. The sleeve cuff diameter is much too small. It is nearly impossible to put on thick gloves or mittens and then get the Apoc's sleeve cuff to cover over the ends of your hand-wear, something that is essential to keeping water from running down your sleeve and into your gloves. Even when you get one mitten end covered by the cuff, it is nigh impossible to get the second one tucked-in using your now mitten covered other hand. To make it somewhat easier, I take the jacket off. Zip it up partially. Put my mittens on, and then slide the jacket over my head as if it were a sweater. This is a royal pain in the neck which gets you wet and requires you to take your pack off. Westcomb needs to increase the cuff diameter by at least two if not three full inches.
Second, the velcro band on the cuff attaches quite poorly if you want the cuff somewhat loose. Only when the cuff is tightly adjusted does the velcro hold securely. Otherwise, it continually flaps around, another annoyance.
Even taking into consideration the poor sleeve cuff design, this shell is quite likely the best product currently on the market, and certainly the most breathable. And for whatever it is worth, it is a great looking jacket, especially the red color. I recommend it highly.
Honest reviews on Westcomb Men's Apoc Jacket
I just received this jacket and tried it on, and I'm loving it so far. I obviously haven't tested it in the field, but I'll hit the slopes hopefully next weekend.
I've been wearing a Columbia Deep Ghyll shell for the past couple years, and it's been pretty good to me, but it's about as breathable as a trash bag. The Deep Ghyll shell is Omni-Tech which I've read has a rating of 10k/10k for waterproof/breathability. It's a thick sturdy material with a very nice amount of stretch. It has a good cut and nice features and has kept me dry in some really wet snow and rain (so I know that if the Neoshell lives up to it's 10k rating then it'll be waterproof enough for me). Aside from it's terrible breathability, it has thick storm flaps behind it's pit zips which bunch up annoyingly under the armpits and the hood is not helmet compatible.
After a bunch of research, eVent and Neoshell both rose to the top of my list. Unfortunately, both fabrics are hard to find and expensive, Neoshell by far had the least options and higher price. I first ordered the Westcomb Mirage because I found it for a great price. The material is thick and super durable looking. I figured I could deal with going back to a hard shell with no stretch and super crinkly fabric, and I probably would have left it at that if the Large I ordered hadn't been so big. Even with a puffy midlayer underneath, it was overly large in the torso. I ordered a Medium but found that it was a perfect size, but only if I wasn't wearing any insulating layers. So I put them aside to think about a bit before I returned them.
I considered the RAB Stretch Neo, but I really didn't like the idea of only 2 huge napoleon pockets and no pit zips.
While I was mulling it over whether to keep the Mirage or not, I saw that Amazon had the Apoc for a pretty awesome price, so I ordered one and just got it today. The fit is great. The sleeves are slightly shorter than the Mirage, which is fine (I'm guessing since the Mirage has zero stretch), and the torso is a couple inches tighter (dia). Without a puffy it doesn't look ridiculous and with one it's a perfect fit. The material is much thinner and lighter than the Mirage and my Deep Ghyll. It has a softer hand, but I would never call it a softshell. The stretch is limited, but nicely noticeable when layering, not nearly as stretchy as the Deep Ghyll. Westcomb's hood design is pretty great, it fits helmets nicely and tucks back when not in use. I like the usable, but not excessive pockets (I've never had a need for the big mesh pockets inside most shells). The Vislon main zipper is pretty sweet, it's smoother than the standard watertight zipper. Unlike a previous reviewer, I like the Avatar Blue and the contrasting yellow zipper accents.
As with all things in life, nothing is absolutely perfect. I don't love that the waist hem pull cord is in the pockets. You have to open the pockets to tighten the hem, and then reach up inside the jacket to release it. And I wish the barrel locks on the hem cord and the hood adjustment cords were a little bigger. They are absolutely unusable with gloves on. It would be a little bit nicer if the Westcomb logo on the arm was embroidered, but I assume they were trying to save a few grams with the ironed on logo. This jacket seems like the best option out there today for a waterproof/highly breathable shell. It lacks some bells and whistles, but it has grade A construction and materials, and a well thought out design. I can't wait to put it to a real test.
