CondorMen's Tactical

Condor 606/Phantom Soft Shell JacketNote: I also purchased the Condor 601/Alpha Micro Fleece Jacket as a middle layer and will review it along with this item; so expect a little overlap.PRICE$75.00 - $95.00. Really hard to beat for this type of jacket!USEThe 606/Phantom is an outer-layer soft shell jacket with plenty of features for a range of activities from general outdoors and hunting to tactical and urban utility. It is fairly rain resistant, but it is not intended to be rainproof for extended periods of time.FEATURESPockets! More pockets than a Hobbit watchmaker! Externally it has zippered slash pockets at the waist, a vertical zippered chest pocket that is sized for glasses, mobile phones, etc., and zippered shoulder pockets similar in size to the chest pocket. The waist and shoulder pockets have D-rings on short elastic straps in them, and the waist pockets have rubber X-grommets for cords to pass through to the interior of the jacket. Internally it has two big waist pockets (no closures), a smaller vertically zippered pocket on the right, and a small hook and loop closed pocket on the left. Both external waist pockets have a smaller internal pocket in them. That makes 11 pockets in total (“It goes to 11!”). There is also a good sized pen loop next to the inside left pocket.The front zipper has top and bottom pull tabs, an interior wind flap, and it zips all the way up the collar. The top pull tab has a looped cord extension that is molded into a plastic brand-tab with “CONDOR” in raised letters on it. All pocket zippers have nylon strap extensions on the tabs, the waist pockets are recessed into the seam, and the other pockets have zipper ‘garages’. There are 3.5” x 4” hook and loop patches that are Box-and-X stitched on each shoulder. The sleeves have hook and loop tightening straps at the wrists and zippers in the armpits. The inner waistline has a corded elastic drawstring with beaded barrel locks on the left and right side.MATERIALSThe 606/Phantom is a 3-layer laminated soft shell fabric consisting of: a 100% polyester 4-way stretch Teflon-protected shell, a breathable film middle layer, and a polyester micro fleece inner layer.QUALITY AND CONSTRUCTIONVery well made, and at a fraction of the price of most other jackets of this type! I did not find any threads that were loose or likely to unravel, inside or out. All zippers are medium-tooth YKKs, and seem to be very good quality. The cord on the front zipper pull extension seems a little thin, but I doubt I will ever pull it hard enough to break it. The molded brand-tab on the front zipper pull extension has a good form and texture, but it needs a rounded edge where the cord goes into it. The nylon strap extensions on the pocket zipper tabs, as well as the waistline drawstring and barrel locks, work well and seem to be good quality. The hang loop in the collar is more substantial than the 601/Alpha’s, and it works well. The hook and loop sleeve tightening straps at the wrists are molded soft plastic that works well now, but I am curious to see how they hold up.SIZE AND FITI am 5’-5”, 150lbs., with slightly broader than average chest and shoulders, so I’m in a generally hard to fit Small-Medium size range for clothing. I took a chance on a Medium--but it fits me quite well--and has the extra room I wanted for a fleece jacket or pullover. I put it on over my Small 601/Alpha, and it still fits just fine. The length and waist diameter of the Medium are okay, but the overall sleeve length is a little too long (which I expected, and is better than too short!).PERFORMANCEI’ve worn it casually, with a few trips to the woods, and it seems fine. I need to wear it a little more in other conditions, especially foreign travel, before commenting further, but I expect it to do well.AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENTRubber X-grommets in the shoulder pockets. More color choices, especially Gray! And a true Gray, not that Gray-Green (Grayn!) that a lot of tactical/outdoor clothing comes in (I’m looking at you, Triple Aught UE Gray ;). Maybe a forearm pocket and/or a back-of-the-waist pocket.SUMMARYGreat price, excellent features, and quality materials and construction! Condor may have had a few quality control issues in the past, but this jacket proves that they have greatly improved.

Just got this a few days ago, so I haven't done a full field trial, but having used it a little, I can say I'm VERY pleased.Color: First, the OD is just gorgeous. The picture on Amazon is a little washed out. It's actually almost exactly the green Springfield uses on their Fully Loaded Operator 1911s or the DuraCoat Aug Green color.Material: The material is light but warm enough from what I can tell--it's March in Arkansas, so right now there's not a lot of cold to test it against. The inner light fleece lining is very soft, and I think it will do well trapping some extra heat as the shell reflects some heat back and repels water. Note, the jacket is not water proof per se. The material is designed such that all of the pores are much smaller than water droplets, but if you're in a really soaking rain, some water will seep through, or so the tags and a friend of mine who's had his longer say.Fit/Size: I'm 6', 180 lbs and a medium is PERFECT for me. The jackets comes down just below my belt-line, the should seams rest just barely off my shoulders. If you drew a line straight up from the widest part of my deltoid, it would intersect the shoulder seam. This is a perfect fit for a jacket. I can easily wear it with a sweatshirt or sweater underneath, though the fit without one is just fine too. The sleeves are probably around 35-36". I say that because I need 35" shirt sleeves, and I have the velcro sleeve closures done up about half way to make sure the sleeves don't hang down too far.Amenities:Pockets, pockets, and more pockets. There are two handwarming pockets with a decent amount of room and d-rings mounted in them. (Originally I planed to go with the Rothco Spec Ops jacket, but it had the warming pockets at chest level instead of stomach level, which I hate. I understand that's handy when you have a mag rig or something like that up front, but I don't, so it doesn't make any sense.) Each sleeve has an upper arm pocket (both with d-rings also) that's perfect for an ipod, cell phone, extra mag(s), GPS, etc. There is also an outisde breast pocket that's perfect for your wallet. I actually use it carry an officer 1911 in when I take the dog out in the morning. It's not designed for that, but for a quick trip outside it can handle it. That pocket could be deeper. My wading jacket and Barbour Border both have a lot more room in that pocket, which is nice. All outside pockets are zippered with small grosgrain pulls. There are also four inside pockets: two are VERY roomy--easily big enough to drop a paperback or medium sized hardback in, one is zippered, and one is velcroed. There's also a small spot to store a writing pen.The sleeves have velcro adjustable cuffs so you can keep wind out and position the sleeves at a comfortable height. Though the picture doesn't show it, the closers are black, which is so much better than the OD on the picture. They really accent the jacket well.The waist has a drawstring with retainers on each side of the front, so you can adjust the waist to your needs based on rain, wind, fit, and look. I find that the jacket fits at my waist perfectly, but others may want to adjust.Large zippered vents are located under each arm. These are not mesh vents like you might find on a motorcycle jacket. They are unimpeded, completely open vents. You simply unzip and temp inside your jacket drops quickly. They are pretty large too, so you can get some decent cross-vent going.Summary: So far this jacket has been exactly what I wanted and then some. I'll be using it over the next few years (hopefully) and will update this review with more info if necessary.

Very nice jacket with multiple interior pockets

I was looking for a softshell fleece that would give some wind and water resistance. This jacket has a great outer shell material. it feels nice, and is definitely wind proof and seems like it would be waterproof for casual rain, but probably soak through in a long downpour.It looks good. Fit wise, I am 5'7" and about 220 lbs, 40-42 waist. I ordered both an XL and a XXL because Chinese made clothes are a crap shoot on size. I could zip the XL and it was wearable but only with a thin shirt, and it was tight looking. The XXL was actually not that much bigger in girth, but it was roomy enough for me to layer under it. The down side is that the body of the jacket and sleeves are longer than I'd like. However, not so bad that it looks wrong. The sleeves have Velcro at the wrists, so the longer sleeve length isn't a huge issue. One major pain is the zipper. It has very fine teeth and is a 2-way so I have to work hard to get it to engage and zip properly. overall I like it but I do wish it had a hood and a better zipper.