As cold weather gear begins to trickle into stores, outdoor retailers are hoping a new kind of high-tech jacket will heat up winter sales. Called soft shells, the jackets block wind and repel water, ...

A soft shell would be very different from his Columbia. I had one of those too, a 3-in-1 jacket with the zip-out fleece liner. Very useful piece (and they still do make 3-in-1s). Soft shells are very ...

Cold mornings creep in as budgets bite. A £12 layer that shrugs off wind could spare you cranking the heating. Shoppers want kit that bridges sunshine and showers without weighing them down or ...

Soft shell jackets such as the Patagonia Mixmaster ($299; www.patagonia.com) have a lot going for them. They re nearly impervious to wind, shed light rain and snow, breathe well, and offer a much ...

As nights draw in and bills bite, families reach for clever layers that cut windchill without weighing them down. Shoppers are hunting practical pieces that bridge the gap between summer hoodies and ...