Viper Special Ops Soft Shell Jacket Review

So everyone, firstly I want to thank all of you who sent me lovely get well soon messages over the last week! I really appreciate them! Now I'm feeling better it's time to get back into the swing of things with this review! As most of you will know I've started attending Milsims, and the team at Viper have kindly sent me some kit to review ready for these! First up is the Viper Special Ops Soft Shell Jacket!

So! The Viper Special Ops Soft Shell Jacket is made from a waterproof laminated soft shell material with a fleece lining, is made in black, olive drab and Vipers answer to Multicam - V Cam and retails at around £69.95. I chose this jacket in particular from their range because I needed a lightweight, warm and waterproof jacket to run at my Milsims for when I wasn't on an active op and this jacket provided exactly that. I wore this soft shell during the Spartan CQC Zero One Thirty, 31 hour Milsim at the end of last month and was very happy with how it performed. The fleece lining was very snug and kept me warm during the night and the waterproof material kept me dry in the wet Welsh countryside! The seams however aren't waterproof but this didn't pose any issues over the weekend.

The jacket is made in sizes small to xxxl and I opted for the small and was pleasantly surprised with the fit. Viper's gear is unisex so it is suitable for both sexes but I have recently found that their clothing range fits me really well and being only 5"4 and around 55kg, this is a welcome change. The jacket, as you can see in the pictures above fits snugly but still has room for movement. The overall cut of the jacket is very good. The length of the body is perfect and the 100% waterproof hood is fully adjustable (crown and peak - with integral bungee adjusters, which you can find in the front breast pocket) which is a great feature for when you're out in the Welsh countryside running patrols and the heavens open! The arm length wasn't too long and they are held at the place nicely using adjustable velcro wrist cuffs, these also help with the jackets overall insulation by creating a windproof seal around the wrist. The V Camo print the jacket features is saturated with colour and matches the other V Cam products in their range perfectly, it also blends well in with MTP and Multicam. I really like that every so often in the pattern you can see a tiny Viper symbol - clever and cute!

Functionality? The jacket has plenty of storage space - featuring 4 integral pockets and 7 external utility pockets perfect for keeping all your bits and bobs during ops. Each pocket has the security of a zip and a thick Viper tag on each which makes them easy to access when wearing gloves. It also has velcro sections on each arm so you can sport all of your favourite patches! (The Viper patch in the picture can be brought separately)

Overall, I'm really happy with this jacket - it fits well, is practical and unlike most practical things, looks good (anyone who has seen my shoe collection will understand the link between impracticality and style haha!) The quality of the materials, cut and manufacturing justify the price tag and it's a very useful piece of clothing to have on the field with all it's features storage possibilities. You can purchase the Viper Special Ops Soft Shell Jacket from the Viper Shop here :)

Kelly xo