Breathable Soft Shells, Effective Fog Lights, and Which Half-Ton?

Full length answers to reader questions

I really want the meat of this little newsletter to be service. Which is journalism speak for providing content readers find useful. You guys reach out all the time through social media and email with questions about gear, vehicles, skills, and to learn a little more about how all this stuff can combine to further your enjoyment of the outdoors. So as I’m deciding to dedicate myself to this project, I want to be putting together at least one of these lengthy answers to questions things once a week or more.

To that end, what would be the best/easiest method for asking these questions? Just to leave them in comments? Should I set up a dedicated email address? What would work best for you?

Today, I’ve chosen three questions, all from the last week, that represent a typical selection of the kind of stuff I get all the time. These happen to be ones that I can answer personally, but I’d also like to be applying journalism to this stuff. I can get pretty much anyone in the world on the phone, so feel free to ask about stuff that’s outside my wheelhouse. And, I also know who my readers are, and want to be incorporating your expertise as well! So please feel free to dive in with your insights too.

What’s The Best Soft Shell Jacket?

Tim reached out to ask about the Stone Glacier De Havilland jacket, which he saw me wearing in this video.

Where a hardshell is wind and waterproof, a soft shell is wind and water resistant. The latter will be much more breathable, so is the better choice across most conditions, up to and including light precipitation. You’ll end up drier since they better vent sweat, and you’ll find yourself taking one off and on less often.

There are two big disclaimers there: First, if you can only carry one shell (like on a backpacking trip), you want to make that a hardshell. The reasons for that are obviously that you want to be able to protect yourself from a storm, and also the next thing. B) since hard shells restrict breathability, they do a better job at sealing off your base and mid-layers, helping them trap more warmth. So a hard shell can help a technical clothing system perform at its warmest, when you need to prioritize that over movement.

I really like Stone Glacier stuff. It’s all really good quality, and fits leaner physiques well (it may be a good idea to size up if you’re carrying more muscle, fat, or plan on layering significantly), and is available in plain colors. As an aside, I wear a lot of hunting apparel because that world is currently innovating more heavily than mainstream outdoors brands, and hunting stuff is just generally good at being all-round outdoors apparel. If, like me, you’re hiking, camping, messing around with firewood or trucks, and doing all that in cool to cold weather, you may want to consider hunting brands like Stone Glacier, Sitka, and Forloh. If you’re looking for gear designed for specific sports like cycling or skiing, stick with Patagonia or similar. I do not like Stone Glacier’s pants, they have a weird velcro crotch adjustment that fits strangely.

Anyways, within soft shells, there’s simple heavyweight stretch-woven options like the De Havilland, lightweight ones designed to be more packable, and even ones that contain membranes. An example of a soft shell with a membrane is the Sitka Jet Stream, which contains Gore Windstopper. I love my Jet Streams in really cold, windy weather since they completely seal out wind, but they are significantly less breathable than a soft shell without a membrane. So if you’re looking to buy only one, go without the membrane.

Heavy stretch-woven shells like the De Havilland are very durable, resist cutting and abrasion from packs, snags, brush, and just general wear. They’re also stretchy to facilitate freedom of movement, so they make great work jackets. They’re also typically backed with a laminated fleece liner for a tiny bit of added warmth. And, good ones should have pit zips to vent more body heat/sweat when you’re moving. That the De Havilland has all those features, plus good colors and fit makes it a winner, especially at $199. Also consider the Forloh All Clima Stretch-Woven Jacket, which is made in America.

Oh, and Tim reports that he reached out to Stone Glacier to ask why supplies of the De Havilland are currently limited. They told him a new model is coming out early next year. I wouldn’t bother waiting if you need a new soft shell and can find one in your size.

What Are The Best Fog Lights For A Tacoma?

Chad hit me up to ask about upgrading the fog lights on his 3rd gen Taco. Off-road lighting became a little bit of a personal crusade for me a few years ago when I realized the space is full of disinformation designed to lead buyers astray, without delivering any actual function.

Since I’ve written about that stuff at length before, I just want to briefly revisit this one with some easy bullet points.

• To be effective, any additional driving light you add to your vehicle needs to be at least six inches in diameter. Smaller ones may make good work lights or reverse lights, but will not do anything for you when you’re exceeding about 10 MPH.

• I asked Chad what he wanted out of a potential fog light upgrade. He said he just wants better lighting for driving, and complains about the vehicle’s stock headlamp bulbs.

• Like many drivers, Chad has not adjusted his beam alignment. You must adjust the beam angle on any new-to-you vehicle when you first bring it home, and after any modifications that alter the height or angle at which the vehicle sits (or if you put a ton of shit in the back). Vehicles do not typically ship to dealers with aligned headlamps, and dealers obviously don’t do anything worthwhile to help customers.

• Chad’s Taco has projector high beams and halogen low beams. You must replace halogen bulbs once a year—they all grow dimmer with use. Just go to the autoparts store and buy a quality halogen bulb like a Silvania Silver Star or similar.

• Led bulbs do not work in reflector housings. They are ripoffs, plain and simple.

• Simply aligning your headlamps and fitting new bulbs should provide enough light for most drivers. Trust me, you’ll be surprised how far they’ll be out, and how dim your bulbs have grown.

• If you do want to upgrade, don’t bother doing anything less than adding a pair of six-inch round driving lamps. The ARB Solis 21 is currently the highest value option. Do a spot in front of the driver, a flood in front of the passenger, and you’ll be all set. I’m sure you can find a recommendation for a mount that goes behind the grill on TrailTacoma.com.

• Wire any driving lights to enable/disable on an aftermarket switch, then to fire on the high beam stalk. Any decent mechanic will know how to do this, and any set of lights originating from Australia will include instructions for doing that, since it’s a legal requirement there.

• Do not put driving lights or bars on your roof or mount “ditch lights”. They will just produce glare on your hood and blow out any precipitation or dust in front of your windshield, and actually work to reduce nighttime vision as a result.

• All of the American brands like Baja Designs, Diode Dynamics, KC, Rigid, et al lie to customers about performance and should be avoided until they get their act together. Seriously guys, shape up.

What’s The Best Half-Ton Pickup Right Now?

James asked which half-ton pickup he should buy, before the Trump tariffs destroy the economy.

I look at trucks as tools, not toys, and struggle to find a role for a Raptor in my life as a result. So, even though I think Ford makes the best basic platforms right now (volume amortizes the cost of significantly more content than competitors), I am not currently served by any of their F-150 models. The Tremor doesn’t have enough suspension to merit buying it over a base version of the truck, then upgrading.

But James just wants a one-and-done solution. So I recommended a Chevy Silverado ZR2. Starting at a reasonable (for today’s inflated truck market…) $72,000, you get the choice of two great motors—a powerful LS V8 or surprisingly efficient diesel—plus really good Multimatic shocks, front and rear lockers, and 33-inch tires. I’m pretty sure you’ll be able to fit 35s without too much effort. Upgrade to the Bison if you want protection parts.

The downside is a 1,440 pound payload. But if like most buyers you’re just moving kids, dogs, and the occasional camping trip or Home Depot run, you’ll be fine. Buy the Silverado HD if you want all the above, plus the ability to tow and haul.

You guys have any input on any of these topics?