WE DIG
WE DON’T
ABOUT THE STRAFE SCOUT JACKET
Strafe Outerwear’s Pertex ® Shield Scout Jacket is an ultralight, packable wind and rain shield. The women’s size small weighs a mere 95 grams – the equivalent of a deck of cards, 1 cup of cake flour (for the bakers out there), or a small cockatiel. The Scout Jacket is designed to pack into itself using the zippered chest pocket. This is the only pocket built into the jacket, fitting a standard cell phone and featuring a clip loop. The Scout has drop-tail coverage (27.5-inch center back length on size small), stretch fabric, and breathability. Envelope-style vents in the armpits provide extra ventilation for when you’re hiking, running, or climbing on your bike. The Scout uses the waterproof and reliable YKK ® AquaGuard ® coil zippers, preventing water ingress at the zipper lines. Strafe Outerwear’s minimalist logos are heat-transferred on the chest pocket and articulated sleeves. To complete the package, the hood is low-profile, with elastic binding encased in the fabric, as is also found on the sleeve cuffs.
With no intentions of being a complete do-it-all jacket, there is no insulation or lining. Instead, the materials are focused on supporting active movement and providing protection from wind and rain. The 2.5L Pertex ® Shield stretch shell fabric is fully seam-sealed to prevent water from creeping in at the joints. The 2.5L Pertex ® construction refers to the layers of face fabric and membrane, and a print layer to protect the inner surface of the membrane. This is used instead of a full separate textile lining, keeping weight down. The face fabric, made from 100% nylon mini-ripstop with very fine yarn, is designed to be very durable and wind-resistant.
The Scout is rated to withstand heavy rains and full outdoor use as a fully waterproof jacket, yet is also highly breathable as an alpine shell. The waterproof and breathability ratings of such as “Hydrostatic Head 20,000mm | MVTR 20,000g/m2/24hrs” indicate that the Strafe Scout jacket is an overachiever. Even with all of these features, the Scout still boasts of being the lightest hooded rain shell on the market, with a retail price of $249 USD. Three different colors are currently available in the Women’s cut: Port, Timberwolf, and Black. There is also a men’s cut in the same color options.
Importantly, the Scout jacket is currently treated with C6 durable weather repellent (DWR) treatment. C6 is a type of flourocarbon finish, and is considered a polyflouroalkyl substance (PFAS). Strafe Outerwear clearly labels this product as being made with PFAS. The brand acknowledges that the outdoor industry has historically used PFAS for water repellents, and so their brand did as well. We’ve since come to discover that PFAS – referred to as “forever chemicals” – are persistent in our environments due to their chemically strong bonds, and can even accumulate in our bodies when we come into contact with them through various pathways, including clothing. There are peer-reviewed studies that have come out that tell us PFAS may be harmful to our health, depending on our exposure levels. Strafe Outerwear has a page on their website dedicated to talking about PFAS and their use of PFAS in some of their products. They make a commitment to phase out their use in all of their products, although no timeline is given. For this jacket and its product intentions, the DWR treatment is critical to prevent the face fabric from soaking up water, which would clog the pores and reduce breathability while allowing water to seep in. A wet outer surface would also feel colder than a dry one. There are DWR treatments that are PFAS-free, but many consider them to be less effective.
THE DIRT
SIZING AND TEST PROCESS | I started testing Strafe Outerwear’s Pertex ® Shield Scout Jacket in the middle of summer, and have continued into this fall. I ordered a size small in Port – a rich wine color with light pink zippers. Its sizing felt true to size. I have a 28-inch waist and so I was between a small and a medium. I felt that the size small still offered room to wear a long sleeve comfortably, and it wasn’t tight in the shoulders or midsection. The sleeves hit just right, and the drop-tail hem covered the top of my lower back while bent over climbing. Their intended fit is an active fit, which I felt to be accurate, and I didn’t feel restricted. The hood did not fit over my size small helmet (nor was it designed to), so it wasn’t used to shield myself from rain on my rides. I could have ran it under my helmet, but opted not to, for style purposes. It’s important to note that the jacket isn’t exclusively designed for mountain bikers. I had a variety of conditions to test in, including alpine trail riding, windy, rainy local mountain rides, and while trail building.
THINGS I LIKED ABOUT THE STRAFE SCOUT JACKET | One of the best perks about the Strafe Scout jacket was that it was absolutely the lightest piece of clothing that I own, including underwear I’m sure. I am the type of person that will either pack a million things – meaning several jackets for a variety of conditions – or am committed to what I can fit in one measly pack. So a jacket may often be excluded from the mix, depending on available space. Given either scenario, I would still choose to pack the Scout jacket, whether it be for a specific weather forecast I’m preparing for, or because it’s just so light and small. Its size means that it fitted in the tiniest of packing spaces, so there’s little reason not to take it. I scoffed at the price and don’t remember the last time I bought a piece of clothing for more than $200 USD, but have been pleasantly surprised with the jacket’s performance, and would say that makes it worth the price for me. With the sale currently on at the time of writing, the pricing is incredible.
On multiple occasions, I set out on a ride thinking it would be colder than it really is, leading me to wear a wool long-sleeve layer underneath the Scout jacket. Initially, I started warming up quickly and had some instant regret, but it then progressed to a comfortable state. My body temperature was very comfortable across a 2-hour, 2,000-foot elevation ride. I was climbing in 20 to 30 minute bursts, and the weather was sprinkling rain and slightly windy, hovering around 50 degrees Fahrenheit. With any of my other jackets, they would have been ripped off by the middle of the 1st climb, but not the Strafe Scout. I noticed almost no sweat accumulation on the inside of the sleeves and back, at least compared to my typical riding jacket. The performance felt truly incredible, and I noticed that I was more inclined to ride or dig on windy or showery days, knowing that I can throw the Scout jacket on.
THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE | I noticed that I wanted slightly more airflow in my arms at times on the climbs, so I tried to pull up the sleeves a tad. Sadly, they only had room to push up a few inches, not quite reaching my elbow, so didn’t offer the airflow I desired. That said, the sleeves fitted well and weren’t restrictive, so it makes sense they wouldn’t push up, as it was not in their design.
More concerningly though, I wasn’t happy to see that the DWR uses PFAS. I bounce back and forth on my nihilistic world views, which allow me to say I’ll never be able to have controlled all of my exposures in my lifetime. So what’s one more? My more idealist, positive views balance this, where we’re all supposed to try to do a little better every day. The Scout jacket left me in a conundrum. I was dissatisfied with their use of PFAS, given today’s information and technologies, but the performance was absolutely there.
Given the Strafe Scout Jacket’s intended use, we are more likely to wear this jacket in sensitive environments, meaning we are shedding PFAS in the wind and rain storms. That said, we may wear this type of jacket less – it’s unlikely to be our wear-to-work and night on the town jacket, so is reserved for the conditions that demand it.
Ultimately, I think I will continue to wear it under certain circumstances, because I genuinely enjoy wearing it on my rides, and it’s a product already produced sitting in my wardrobe. However, I will be conscious to try to refrain from wearing it in more sensitive environments.
I would challenge Strafe Outerwear to take this product seriously, and return with an updated version that doesn’t use PFAS. Perhaps PFAS was the unfortunate secret ingredient to such a great jacket, but I think it was the whole package that delivered on the breathability and waterproof performance. I’m hopeful that they can create a newer version that’s even better – for our performance, health, and our environment.
The Wolf’s Last Word
New to Strafe Outerwear, I was blown away by the performance of their Scout Jacket. I could focus on my riding rather than trying to regulate my body’s temperature by taking the jacket on and off. I’ve been gravitating towards it during this shoulder season as a durable, comfortable, ultra-light wind and rain shield to make my rides more enjoyable.
However, I want to see Strafe Outerwear take this great product and move it into its next generation – one where they deliver on an ultralight breathable and waterproof active jacket, but don’t use PFAS to do it. 
Price: $249 USD
Website: Strafeouterwear.com
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