Outstanding quality
I give it 4 stars not 5 because the hand pockets are so high. They would be behind a bino harness. Not sure why they didn’t put them lower.

Overall, the jacket is a hit. However, the one thing that would make this jacket and all other First Lite jackets the best would be a slit for a hunter safety system. Once you layer up for late season with a hunter safety system with the Catalyst on top, it is extremely uncomfortable.

I’ve used this jacket 7 days afield so far, so please keep that in mind when reading this review. The material is quiet, the fleece lining keeps the inside from feeling cold without weighing it down, the ventilation mesh on the pockets make it easy to dump heat without removing the piece, and the hood provides good visibility.

I personally think the catalyst lineup from FL is one of their best. The cut is close enough so that you don’t feel like you’re wearing a tent when used on its own, but provides enough room for you to layer extensively. I think the latter point is easily achievable because the fabric stretches well.

As an example, if it’s cold (0–4°C), I’ll use a 150 wick long sleeve, 350 furnace zip, brooks down puffy, and the catalyst jacket for static heat and I feel very comfortable.

I’m only assigning this jacket 4/5 stars because I would really like to see nylon tethers near the chest pockets like the Woodbury jacket had. I love keeping my range finder / short grunt tube in my chest pockets and tethering them to the jacket so I don’t lose them when stalking the forest.

Seems like a nice addition to my other gear. Only negative I realized after my purchase is there is no pass through for a harness tether line, in my opinion it's a big miss for this jacket.

Men's Catalyst Soft Shell Jacket