Which armour? Chain vs Cloth

I'm not sure which type of armour I should use

Chain has armour which provides damage reduction, it also has some energy shield
Cloth has energy shield which is a fast regenning 'buffer' shield, but no armour/damage reduction

I've been using cloth gear on my witch, but I have died 5 times now in hardcore and I'm starting to think maybe I should use chainmail instead since it gives both armour AND energy shield

What do you guys think?

btw I'm a summoner witch, so I wont be tanking mobs but mobs do hit me sometimes still. I use a +life build.

The values that you are talking about are non-impactful. You can survive using both. You have to figure out what works with the build you are using. If you are a summoner then I would wear whichever piece either chainmal or cloth that has the best mods to it.

I think your biggest concern might be avoiding unecessary dmg taken.