Dynafit Transalper 3L
If you're an ultralight obsessives or a fastpacker who wants the absolute lightest shell, this softshell is the one for you.
Brand: Dynafit
Model: Transalper 3L Jacket
Breathability
This 3-layer shell uses a super-light polyurethane (PU) membrane. Breathability is good, but not great. We steamed up on the uphills on rainy, 40°F hikes in the Pacific Northwest.
Ventilation
Swiss cheese-style holes at the armpits in both the front and back dump heat.
Protection
The fabric turned back Alaskan drizzle and Seattle all-day soakers without fail, and a flap guards against leaks at the pit vents. Gripe: The sleeves are oddly short, which leaves wrists exposed on even average-size hikers.
Hood
Too small for all but the slimmest climbing helmets, the bare-bones hood is lined with elastic around the face. “You have to pick either shielding your face or preserving peripheral vision, not both,” notes a tester.
Packability
“I can easily ball it in one hand,” says an Alaska tester.
Durability
The 7-denier nylon fabric uses high-torque (twisted) threads, which add strength without weight. We wore it in some tiny slot canyons and it held up.
Pockets
The price you pay for rock-bottom weight: zero pockets.