This is a review of the Pentagon Panthiras – a lightweight, nice, and soft jacket with a simple and intelligent design. After testing it in different environments and conditions, we’ve tried to collate information about everything you need to know about this outer shell including features, characteristics, pros, cons, and best use.
For more gear reviews and recommendations, check out the Gear Reviews section on our site. Now let’s get straight to the point:
Table of Contents
Quick specs: Pentagon Panthiras Jacket
Price: $169.95
Weight: 510 g (18 oz) for size 2XL
Material: 88% Nylon, 12% elastane
Where to get it: Military 1st
Notable features:
- Lightweight but super warm 60Gsm, 3M insulation padding makes sure that you stay toasty during all your outdoor activities
- Gusseted underarm design for enhanced mobility; the 4-way stretch fabric (softshell material) is soft and comfortable, adds flexibility and breathability
- Drawstring-adjustable bottom hem so that the wearer can tighten or loosen the jacket to fit him securely and comfortably; elasticated cuffs keep warmth in
- Three spacious pockets (two zippered hand pockets and one zippered inner chest pocket with media port) provide ample storage capacity for holding even larger items such as maps or smartphones, etc.
- Strong YKK front zipper and high collar with chin protection for extra comfort
Pros:
- Lightweight design that fits well. The contoured waist design allows the user to stay warm and active in cool temperatures.
- Ideal for cool climates. Great weight-to-warmth ratio thanks to the 3M insulation makes this jacket an excellent choice for chilly spring/fall mornings or cool-to-cold winter days.
- Nice, soft, and relatively stretchy material (nylon stretch fabric) that feels very comfortable without restricting movement.
- Versatile due to the simple, streamlined design that allows for a full range of motion.
- The Pentagon Panthiras Jacket comes with an improved aesthetic to suit different occasions and environments. It is suitable for the great outdoors but you can also easily use it as everyday wear in town.
Cons:
- The hood comes with one adjustment point only. What’s more, it’s placed on the back of the hood. This makes the cord adjustment a bit more difficult than necessary.
- Never thought that it could be a problem but the inner pocket is too big. Storing a wallet or a smartphone is easy but not very comfortable as the object inside falls too low and what’s worse, it has a tendency to fall either to the left or to the right side. It isn’t a big deal but it feels as if the item is not in the inner pocket but rather in the left-hand pocket. It can be a problem if storing lots of stuff in the left-hand pocket at the same time.
- It’s a nice idea to have zippers with zipper pull ends as they can usually be operated when wearing gloves; unfortunately, the zipper pulls of the hand pockets are not very easy to operate even without gloves.
Summary
We had an opportunity to test the Pentagon Panthiras jacket for the last couple of months. Wearing it in various temps and environments led us to the conclusion that this outer shell is suited for a range of outdoor activities in a variety of conditions. For example, it’s perfect for low to mid-intensity activities and cooler weather. On the other hand, it doesn’t work that well during high-intensity walking especially when the temps are higher than 10-12°C (50-54°F).
The Pentagon Panthiras is a super soft and comfortable jacket that’s well-suited for most conditions. It’s lightweight and looks quite thin, but appearances can be deceptive. The jacket is actually very warm especially given how lightweight it is.
Detailed review
Material and construction
The jacket is a streamlined construction with clean, simple lines. It’s composed of two parts:
- Part 1: the front, back, and sleeves are crafted from nylon and elastane blend and accommodate the 3M insulation padding, whereas the left and right sides of the jacket are very different.
- Part 2: the underarm and side panels are crafted from a very stretchy, 4-way softshell material engineered to deliver complete freedom of movement.
The nylon and spandex blend (88% nylon and 12% elastane) is a nice and sufficiently stretchy fabric, which in combination with the specific design makes it easy for the garment to move with the user. The material looks and feels good and seems to be of high quality. As for its durability – while we’ve never had any problems during our trips – there’s insufficient evidence to make conclusions about the jacket’s durability at the moment. Still, it doesn’t look as durable as those jackets engineered to provide superior weather protection for more rugged activities and environments.
We like the material a lot but we also like the overall design of this garment – another component that plays an important role in the general impression. So let’s get to the next section.
Design, fit, and appearance
The Pentagon Panthiras fits snug than most similar jackets of the same size. It’s also a bit shorter. While a jacket built for easy layering such as the Helikon-Tex Blizzard can fit most body types well, the Panthiras doesn’t seem to be as versatile as it’s close-fitting to trap air efficiently. The gray (the exact color is ‘Cinder Grey’ and it goes well with various colors) jacket pictured in this post is size 2XL and fits well a 186 cm (6’1″) person who weighs approximately 100 kg (220 lbs) and wears a couple of technical base and mid-layers underneath.
The Pentagon Panthiras fits like a glove and doesn’t add bulk. The contoured waist and the slightly elongated back provide comfortable coverage and protection from wind. But there isn’t a lot of room to comfortably wear more than 2-3 layers underneath. Honestly, you won’t need more clothes beneath the jacket unless the temperatures fall below -5°C (23°F). And if that’s the case, a combination of the Panthiras jacket with a thick jacket offering more solid weather protection seems more reasonable.
This model by Pentagon is available in eight different sizes ranging from XS to 4XL and four different colors – ‘Cinder Grey’, ‘Black’, ‘Camo Green’, and ‘Coyote’. Thus there are plenty of options to find the right size/color combination for your needs.
Weight and packability
We weren’t able to find information about the weight directly from the manufacturer but the scales showed 510 g (18 oz) for size 2XL. So the jacket definitely isn’t ultralight but it is still lighter than most other jackets of similar size and appearance. In spite of the 3M insulation, the Panthiras jacket packs small and is fairly compressible for easy storage. Yet, don’t expect it to be as those super packable designs that stuff into their own pocket. It’s unrealistic and you’ll be disappointed.
Warmth, weather protection, and ventilation
The fact that the Panthiras jacket is lightweight does not mean that it isn’t warm enough for cooler weather. We’ve tested it in temps starting from below -4°C (25°F) to around 14°C (57°F) in both mountain and town in late winter and early to mid-spring. Here’s what we learned and think you should know:
- The garment is remarkably warm for its weight which apparently is due mainly to the high-quality 3M thermal insulation inside. This is great in lower temps up to around 10°C (50°F) especially if it isn’t sunny. Keep in mind that the item’s intended use is for transitional seasons so don’t expect it to keep you warm in freezing cold unless properly layered.
- In temperatures higher than 10-12°C (50-54°F) you will need to wear no more than a base layer underneath otherwise you could feel uncomfortably hot.
- The stretch softshell fabric underarm designed to provide a complete range of motion and better ventilation can do a good job in most conditions. However, temperature regulating zip vents seem like a better option that would provide more airflow for ventilation.
- The Pentagon Panthiras jacket isn’t crafted for aerobic activities but is a very good option for casual use as it looks and feels nice and comfy. Though if you decide to wear it during intensive outdoor activities, do so preferably in lower temps as it doesn’t ventilate well enough to keep you dry from the inside in warmer conditions.
- The jacket doesn’t have any waterproof rating so it isn’t a viable alternative to rain jackets or even water-resistant softshells. Moreover, it will probably keep you dry in light rain or snow for no more than 10-15 minutes.
Features
Functionality depends heavily on the various features of outdoor clothing. While the Panthiras doesn’t have a ton of features, it still has some attractive features that could do a good job. Here’s what you can expect from the most important technical features of the Pentagon Panthiras jacket:
Hood: with a single drawstring and cord lock on the back of the hood making adjustments and especially micro-adjustments more difficult. The hood is fairly simple (no visor for added protection from rain and wind), plus it cannot be stored in the collar as is the case with many other jacket models. On the positive side, the hood is big enough and easy to fit even when wearing a hat underneath.
Pockets: three pockets in total provide enough storage for easy access to small accessories and essentials such as maps, documents, keys, wallets, snacks, etc. Each pocket comes with zippered closure so that the user will be able to securely store their personal belongings. The size and depth of the two hand pockets allow the user to accommodate lots of stuff. Even an object as large as a map can fit in. Each of the two hand pockets comes with a guard flap and a zipper. The main problem with these pockets stems from the zipper pull tabs as the unusual design – placing two pull ends per zipper is more of a trouble than ease.
The zippered inner pocket is also unusually large. It can easily accommodate a smartphone or something even bigger as a smaller map. We don’t like the fact that the size of the pocket makes it difficult to carry an item inside (smartphone, wallet, etc.) without it falling constantly either to the left or to the right side. The inner chest pocket comes with an interior media port for threading earphones inside – something that would be appreciated by those with a penchant for digital devices.
Hem and cuff closures: the bottom hem is adjustable thanks to the adjusting drawstring with cord locks used to fit the bottom hem when necessary. The sleeves aren’t too long or too short. This is important because you can’t adjust the cuffs as they don’t have hook-and-loop fasteners but an elastic trim instead.
Zippers: one sturdy YKK zipper with a pull tab for easy grip even when with gloves on and two other zippers each with two pull tabs (can’t be operated easily with gloves on). Can’t get the idea of why the manufacturer decided to use two pulls per zipper instead of one pull per zipper as is the case with the front zipper. In our view, these are much more ineffective than a solid pull tab would be. Only the zipper of the inner pocket comes without a zipper pull tab but it doesn’t need any anyway.
Articulation: the streamlined design and anatomic waist cut promote enhanced mobility so there’s no constriction. Another interesting feature is the slightly elongated back (a slight drop in the back hem shields from wind). The underarm panels ensure full mobility and increase ventilation.
Conclusion
In this review, we tried to discuss everything that could be of use to help you get more relevant information about the Pentagon Panthiras Jacket. Of course, it has its advantages and disadvantages as no single garment is ideal for all people or all conditions.
The Pentagon Panthiras doesn’t utilize the most advanced or rugged fabrics. It isn’t suitable for alpine environments and it won’t keep you warm and dry in a blizzard. But that’s OK because the intended use of this jacket is very different.
The Panthiras is one of those outer layers that bring comfort for city walks, day hikes, fishing or travel in cool-to-cold weather conditions. Its best use is for daily wear and casual hiking during transitional seasons. Ready to exceed the expectations, it works extremely well for various activities in cooler weather and we consider it a good buy.
Disclaimer: Valentin Shekerov (Camotrek.com) received a sample jacket for this review.
Related Articles
Helikon Blizzard Jacket Review
Helly Hansen HH LIFA Crew Review
Helly Hansen HH LIFA Merino Half-Zip Review
Helly Hansen Phantom Mid-Layer Review
Helly Hansen LIFA Merino Baselayer Pants Review
More Information
For more popular Camotrek content, you can check out one or more of the following links:
Hiking Clothes Characteristics
MGear Tactical Belt with Multitool Buckle Review
La Sportiva Ultra Raptor II Shoes
Salomon Speedcross 6 Trail Runner