TAD STEALTH HOODIE

TRIPLE AUGHT DESIGNS STEALTH HOODIE – During early 2012 I was turned on to TRIPLE AUGHT DESIGNS (TAD) by a review on the ITS Site written by BRYAN BLACK about the RANGER HOODIE.  So I bought the RANGER HOODIE that summer and fell in love with it.  That led to me looking at the rest of their product.  Now I’d looked at TAD before along with ARC’TERIX LEAF and a few others but after trying out the RANGER I decided to stick with TAD’s known quality.  I skipped going to a retailer/dealer and ordered right from TAD’s online store and in a week and half I had a box of genuine TAD goodness in my hands.  First thing I noticed when I pulled it out of the box was quality of the material.  TAD used Schoeller 3-layer 240 g/m2, fleece lined treated with Nanosphere and a C-Change membrane also known as the bionic climate membrane (tech specs http://www.schoeller-textiles.com/uploads/media/cchange_e.pdf).  

I looked ofer all the stitching and the zipper, I methodically looked at the seams and found meticulous care was taken in the manufacturing.  So I threw it on and went for a hike in the EAST COAST woods during late November.  The nice thing about the CANADIAN EAST COAST for those who don’t know is winter, real winter starts around Christmas normally, and so you get this nice long period of torrential rain with mixed wet snowfall.  If you want to test how water resistant and weather proof your gear is this is a good place to do it.  Half way through my hike the weather didn’t disappoint and I was trekking back to the truck through the mud and rain.  My feet were soaked, my legs were soaked but my upper body was dry, you could see the rain beading off the jacket and right onto my pants….  Now since then I’ve taken it to the range to run drills, I’ve layered it with the RANGER HOODIE and used in temperatures below -20 C (-4 F) and trudged through a three-foot snowfall to dig out my truck.  What has really helped the STEALTH HOODIE stand up in all of this has been the premium materials,  “reverse zippers” and the tapped stitching in selected locations.  On top of the durability is the comfort and fit of the STEALTH HOODIE.  TAD put it together using a standard fit ensuring that the widest variety of body types would be properly covered.  I also found it fit over low profile soft armour carrier without complication, meaning it would work well for LEO’s or operators in a low visibility situation and still offer room to move.  Now in addition, there are two single underarm “PIT ZIPS” to allow for venting when you start to warm up which are easily accessed.  The hood is what they call the “AERO HOOD” design, which allows you to roll it up and pack it under the hood flap.  The adjustable chin cord is fed through the jacket and into the chest pockets which allows you keep your hands tucked in, in poor weather conditions and still be able to draw the hood tight which was a god send in seasonal rains.  If you need pocket space, there’s no lack of it in the STEALTH HOODIE as with most TAD jackets and hoodies.  It has two chest pockets with media ports, d-rings, and little stash pockets.  There are two shoulder pockets which also have media ports and d-rings, as well as a forearm pocket on the left arm and a hunter’s/poachers pocket on the back that can be accessed from the left or right side with ease.  The nice thing about the media ports is sure you can run your MP3 players and cell phones, but this also means you can run things like ear tubes and PTT gear in the jacket and have it readily accessible while your hands are hidden again hitting on the low visibility LOE’s or operators.  Now this isn’t something new to TAD as they have been putting media ports into most of their gear for a while.  

On the range I’ve actually used the poachers pocket to hold extra mags, while hiking I threw a backup map and compass in there just in case my GPS gave out on me.  All this room also means instead of covering up your tactical gear with a jacket you’ve incorporated it as an external layer and made sure you have access to things like lights, knives, comms gear, navigation and back ammo while still running your normal setup underneath.  One of the other things I like about this jacket is that I can hose it off with water and spray it down with sealant and take off with it when it’s dry or chuck it in the washer and hang it to dry.  I spent enough time rolling in the dirt at the ranges or playing in the tree line and the STEALTH has kept me warm and dry longer after other jackets have given in.  All that goodness wrapped into one product I know amazing isn’t it?  I did have a couple issues with the jacket over the past three months.  The first is the front zipper, a couple of time now I’ve hade the bottom zipper ride up when the jacket was bunched up and split the wide open.  The nice thing is the heavy-duty nature of the zipper ensured that I could just muscle it and start over again relatively fast.  The second is more of a want then a con, I would like to see TAD throw thumb holes in the cuffs like they did on the RANGER HOODIE and a d-ring on both sides on the inside of the jacket near the shoulders. I did cut the draw strings in the bottom hem as the shock cord and slide lock prevented good access to things like holsters and mag holders and would snag on things when I left the jacket open.  Now if you’re a LEO, operator or just someone who likes really good athletic clothing that will hold up then this is the Jacket for you.  Use it as a stand-alone or as part of a layered system you will not be disappointed.  One thing you will notice on the STEALTH HOODIE as well is the area on the forearm exterior/lower area has a larger area taped right over the seam.  This ensures durability but it also means one of the areas your prone to making contact with environmental surface has that extra pit of weatherproofing.  This is really nice at times when you’re laying in the prone position as most people not only use their elbows but forearms to push off or control things they need to hold.

CONSTRUCTION 9/10 –  Well it’s hard to beat the materials used in the production of the TAD STEALTH HOODIE.  The use of Schoeller 3-layer 240 g/m2, fleece lined treated with Nanosphere and a C-Change membrane is a smart choice and only ensures that the quality of the stitching and cut of the material hill hold up.

DESIGN 9/10 –  The fit and practical location of pockets draw strings and shock cords ensures you are effectively warm and dry.  You are able to access and operate any of the pockets easily in 99.9% of the situations as the locations are ergonomic and allow for the consideration of electronic devises and equipment, as well as every day carry objects.  Nothing about the STEALTH HOODIE is bulky or cumbersome but allows you to carry or conceal what you need to get through the task at hand.  Used in a stand alone or layered garment system this is a really nice shell.

DURABILITY 9/10 –  Well, between the materials and quality of assembly the TAD STEALTH HOODIE is going to hold up in just about any environment you may encounter while giving you the ability to just wipe off the dirt and grim that come along.  The double stitching and taped areas as well as the as well as the deliberate thought put into the jacket ensure it’s going to last you a long time.

OVERALL IMPRESSION 10/10 –  I buy things so I’ll have them for at least the next five to ten years barring I want quality over quantity.  I also want to know I can grab and go without having to break out of my normal maintenance cycles.  TAD has done that for me with the STEALTH HOODIE.  If I can only have one all around shell jacket this is it.  I love the feel and fit which is important because hate being uncomfortable no matter what I’m doing and for bigger guys this goes double as it’s hard to find stuff.  Now I do have one negative and that’s the zipper breaking loose at the bottom once in while but like I said, strong arm it open and re-zip it and you’re good to go.  I would and do recommend this jacket to everyone who asks.