Nike Tech Goes Beyond Fleece With a $350 SF3 Rain Jacket, Out November 5, and a $195 Boreas Hoodie

Nike Tech is no longer just Tech Fleece. Nike announced on October 23 that it has rebuilt the line into a year-round range of separate fabric platforms, and Nike says the new collection launches on Thursday, November 5 at nike.com and select stores. The two new names at the front are SF3, a waterproof shell, and Boreas, a heavy fleece for the cold.

"This new collection goes way beyond fleece," Greg Nolley, Nike's senior manager for men's sportswear apparel, says in the release. Nike describes the range as a system meant to be layered, from the T-shirt up, with each platform built around a specific condition. Until now, Nike Tech meant Tech Fleece.

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SF3, the $350 shell

Nike calls SF3 the franchise's most advanced weather protection. It uses recycled materials and fully sealed seams for a waterproof build that Nike says still lets air through, and a fabric that softens the longer it's worn. "For Nike Tech SF3, the goal was almost a redefinition of outerwear," Nolley says. On nike.com, the Nike Tech SF3 Men's Storm-FIT ADV Jacket in Black/College Grey/Black is listed at $350, marked Coming Soon.

Boreas, for the cold

Boreas is the winter piece. Nike pairs a high-pile fleece with water-repellent panels in an oversize full-zip, with darted zip pockets, and nike.com's product page says it's named after Boreas, the god of winter. The Boreas full-zip hoodie is $195 in Black/Anthracite/Black, New Slate/Anthracite/Black and Velvet Brown/Baroque Brown/Black, and the matching loose open-hem pants are $165 in black or New Slate. Unlike SF3, both are already on sale at nike.com in the US.

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Tech Fleece stays, smooth on both sides with reflective tape along the chest and seams, and Nike lists three more platforms for warmer weather: Helios, for breathability and ventilation, Shori, for cooling and stretch, and Tech Woven.

Our read

Tech Fleece made Nike Tech a street uniform, but it was one fabric, worn the same way all year. Splitting Nike Tech into named platforms gives Nike a reason to sell the same customer a rain shell in spring and a pile hoodie in January. The $350 SF3 jacket is the real test. That's technical-shell money, and Nike is betting the Tech name carries buyers who'd otherwise look at outdoor brands. Nike hasn't said whether women's versions or other colours arrive on November 5; the product pages we checked are all men's.