Have you ever had a custom-made garment before? Most likely not. Custom-made clothing can be quite expensive, and you often have to wait a long time while they are made. The only thing I have ever had custom made for me was a pair of Limmer mountaineering boots, and I had to wait over a year to get them, and pay more than twice what would have if I had bought boots off the self.

That is until now. I recently has a custom made soft shell jacket from Beyond Fleece. Not only was it less expensive than comparable non-custom made soft shell jackets on the market, it took less than two week for me to receive it, and I did it all over the Internet.

Beyond Fleece is an outdoor products maker that specializes in producing custom-made garments, including soft shell pants and jackets, fleece vests, and fleece pants and jackets. Every product they make is custom-made to your measurements, and every product they offer costs less than comparable non-custom products available. In other words, if you are not buying your fleece or soft shell needs from Beyond Fleece, you missing an opportunity for wearing high-quality, great fitting garments at a very reasonable cost.

While Beyond Fleece makes many different custom-made products, the focus of this review is on their Cold Fusion Soft Shell Jacket.

Before we begin, let me take a moment to introduce those readers who are not familiar with what a soft shell is. Most of us already know what a hard shell is. This is a windproof and waterproof jacket or pant, often made of Gore-Tex, or some other breathable material, that protects us from the weather. These are designed to keep us dry and protect us from wind, but they usually don't provide any insulation. Generally speaking, when out in cold weather, we might be wearing a base layer, an insulation layer, and a shell for total comfort and protection.

While hard shells certainly have their place, they aren't perfect. While the are waterproof, they aren't always all that breathable, so moisture build-up can sometimes present problems. They also don't provide any insulation--requiring you to wear and extra layer--and they can create a somewhat irritating noise as the material moves when you are walking.

Soft shell jackets and pants try to bridge the gap between a hard shell and an insulation layer. This combination provides many benefits, along with some drawbacks. Unfortuantely, no one has yet to create the perfect outdoor clothing. Soft shells are much more breathable than hard shells, offer wind and water resistance, and provide a thin layer of insulation.

On the downside, soft shells aren't 100% waterproof, although most soft shells will keep you dry is moderate to light rain. Many people use a soft shell jacket to replace a fleece jacket and hard shell when they are outdoors, and only in the very wettest weather will they put on a hard shell. One layer, instead of two, is often more comfortable for outdoor activity.

Beyond Fleece's soft shell jacket is called the Cold Fusion. Like other soft shells on the market, it offers wind and water resistance, along with some insulating capability. Here are some of its key features:

• The jacket is made out of Schoeller's WB-400 fabric. This material is stretchy, highly wind and water resistant, and is made up of three layers. The first layer is made up of elastic and synthetic fibers, covered with a DWR, which gives the jacket its freedom of movement and water resistance. The second layer is made up of acrylate, which repels wind and water, but still allows moisture to move from inside the jacket to the outside layer to evaporate. The third, inner layer, is a brushed, fleece-like material that provides some insulation and also helps to wick moisture to the outer layers of the jacket.
  
   
• Besides being custom-made to fit you, the jacket has some available options that you can choose or not choose to add to the jacket. These include:
   
  • A technical zip off hood or an attached hood made of the same soft shell fabric.
     
  • A waterproof zipper instead of the standard non-waterproof zipper.
     
  • Pit zips.
     
  • Gear pockets
     
  • External chest pockets
     
  • Internal chest pockets
     
  • Optional color strips for the fashion conscious.
    
     
• Besides all of the optional pockets described above, the jacket comes standard with hand pockets on the outside of the jacket.
  
   
• Cuffs have elastic bands to keep cold air from getting up your sleeve.
  
   
• The jacket includes a waste cord that can be tightened to keep cold air from entering the bottom of the jacket.
  
   
• The weight of the jacket will vary based on your size and the options you selected. Count on a weight from about 21 ounces to 26 ounces for most people.

The fit of the jacket, as you might imagine, should be nearly perfect, assuming you sent them the correct measurements. Generally speaking, the jacket has a tight (though, not snug) fit, leaving enough room under the jacket for a base layer, and for really cold weather, a layer of fleece. Also, because the jacket has a tight fit, down parkas or hard shells can easily fit over it to protect you from the very worst weather.

Using the Beyond Fleece Cold Fusion in the Real World

I have been very happy with my Cold Fusion jacket since receiving it. The quality of the construction is top-notch, and of course, it fits virtually perfect. I have yet to wear it in very cold weather, or a downpour, so I can't report on how well it works in these cases, although it is not really designed for either of these, other than as perhaps an additional layer of clothing.

While wearing a mid-weight base layer, I have found that while active, the jacket kept me warm to about 30-35 degrees, with no other protection. It kept all the wind out, along with any mild rain or snow I have encountered.

At about 60 to 65 degrees, I find that the jacket becomes a bit too warm, especially if I am active and there is no wind. That is one of the reasons I got the pit zips on my jacket, as I tend to be warmer than many people, and the pit zips allow me to wear the jacket on more occasions that without them.

All the time I have worn the jacket, I have never had a problem of moisture build-up. This can be attributed to the breathable fabric and judicial use of the pit zips.

If you decide to have a custom-made Cold Fusion made for you, it is very important that you measure yourself properly so that you send Beyond Fleece the correct measurements. I would not recommend you send them your "standard" clothing sizes as they may very well be wrong. When I measured myself (instructions on how to take all the necessary measurements are on their website and in their catalog), I found that I was surprised how different my actual sizes were when compared to my "standard" clothing sizes.

Recommendation

Because of the custom-made fit, the reasonable cost, the quality construction, and the benefits of a soft shell, I can highly recommend the Cold Fusion to everyone. It's a very versatile jacket that can fit many different condition, and a jacket that will last you many years to come.

Product Notes

The Cold Fusion is available in three colors, and with or without stripes. As already mentioned, there is an assortment of options available. I highly recommend the pit zips because of their versatility. The retail cost of the Cold Fusion, without any extra options, is $159.00. Beyond Fleece also offers a custom-made pair of Cold Fusion pants, which I have not tried, along with many other custom-made clothing.