Hey all,

Been quite awhile since I've made it on here ha. Seems like forever! Anyways, to the point.....more gear advice. I picked up my first Arcteryx piece back in February, the Gamma LT 1/4 zip softshell, and have loved the jacket so far (although I will say I wish I had gone down one size as it is a little looser around the waist than I had hoped). I have been eyeing/slobbering over Arcteryx's Gore-tex jackets for the last couple of years but never had a good reason to shell out $300 on a hard shell, and with plans to study in Florence, Italy this past summer, I was trying to minimize my spending as much as possible. Italy is now a completed experience (I could talk forever about it.....don't get me started haha) and my previous rain jacket, a $45 job from Wal Mart I've had for probably 6 years, finally bit the dust (it was a pretty good shell for being a WalMart jacket, honestly)....it's also my birthday Wednesday, so I'm ready to buy myself a present . I've been looking at the Beta SL jacket as it seems to be a good value, and I still feel like spending $300-500 on something like an Alpha is getting a little pricey for now (if I'm able to get into the ice/alpine climbing scene more here once college wraps up I might go for the Pro Shell pieces, but for now this is more than enough). Just wondered how the fit was on this as I expected the Gamma LT to be a little more athletic fitting than it was. I have a First Ascent downlight jacket that I might layer underneath occasionally (on those wet, cold days) so I want it to be big enough to layer, but I prefer my jackets fit more athletically. I'm about 5' 9" and 180. Any suggestions? I'm leaning towards a large.

Thanks!

Andy

Their shells are already sized to be used over layers. I'd guess a large for you would be too big. Buy it somewhere you can return it if it doesn't fit, e.g. REI.

I actually tried a Beta on back home in KC over the summer but it's been months now and I couldn't remember if the Medium felt too snug or not. Another concern is the hood size...I've read in a couple of places that the hood is not that large (I have a "melon head" according to one of my old high school football coaches). I'm looking at the Alpha SL a little bit as well, sort of my other alternative, (I'm interested in getting into alpine and ice climbing....my current schedule doesn't allow it, but down the road hopefully.....and I know the Alpha is more suited to that but I'm not convinced yet that it's worth the extra $50 for the helmet hood and whatnot, especially for what I would use it for now).

Can't help you with the hood size, I own the Alpha LT (and love it). It's has, as you mentioned, the helmet compatible hood.

Are all the Alpha jackets 2 layer (min.) Gore Tex? At least the Alpha SL is 2 layer and only $50 more than the Beta SL. That's something to consider for an extra $50. I'm not a huge fan of the Gore Tex paclite, it's plenty waterproof for most outings but the fabric in general doesn't scream durability like the 2 layer shells or pro shells.Then again my paclite experience isn't with Arc Teryx either.

First of all, different Arc jackets have different cuts - you can't lump them all into one cut pattern. Some fit very tight, some fit much looser. Same goes for hood size.

Personally, I wouldn't look at Arcteryx in general. I worked outdoor retail at a camping/climbing shop for nearly 4 years and watched as ArcTeryx quality took a slight downturn when they shifted production to China several years ago. Their prices however, have not. The stuff looks just as nice, but I saw more returns later on as pieces didn't last like they used to. A number of companies produce much better gear at equal or lower prices.

I would look at Rab and Norrona, personally. I think they're making the best jackets on the market. Rab is usually cheaper, Norrona prices are comparable to ArcTeryx, but you can frequently find amazing sales on the Norrona if you look hard enough. The Rab Latok is an amazing jacket - their premier alpine shell. Lightweight, burly construction, intelligent design, and uses eVent which is substantially more breathable than GoreTex.

Whatever you decide, make sure to look around Departmentofgoods.com for closeouts from Backcountry.com and other websites for gently used gear at outrageous discounts.

BTW, this is all coming from someone who is pretty serious about his outerwear...

first rule about geartrade is you don't talk about geartrade. it's already cutthroat.

Hey flatlander,

As an Arcteryx user, I have a number of their jackets including the Beta SL and Alpha SV. What exactly do you mean by "athletic" fitting? Do you mean a bit more tighter against the body? If so, I wouldn't consider the Beta SL and Alpha SV as tight fitting. As someone mentioned, I think they were designed to be worn with layers underneath. Don't get me wrong, they aren't "puffy" or boxy by any means, they are just not like underarmour type form fitting jackets. My suggestion is to go to a store and try on the sizes, but if you're not able, to provide you with a point of reference, i wear a large in both the Beta SL and Alpha SV and i'm 6 ft, 190 lbs with a "muscular" build (i feel so weird saying that) and with the Large i have plenty of room for as many layers as i've needed to wear underneath. The fit is perfect for me with one exception, the sleeves are slightly long but I was told that Arcteryx does that because of it's roots in making climbing clothing where you would need to stretch out your arms/hands a lot and so the sleeves are slightly longer as to avoid gaps between your gloves and the jacket and therefore exposing skin or layers underneath. Other, than that, the jackets are great. I especially love the Alpha SV for all kinds of activities, climbing, skiing, walking around town, and i just regulate layers based on activity and temp.

I read some people talking about the "quality" of arcteryx clothing, but as an actual owner, i have no complaints, and to be honest, if you look on the net, you'll see it rates highly with one exception.......the price, but no real complaints about quality.

Hope that helps.

Indeed drpw.

im 5'7" 170-180 lb depending on how many krispy kremes i eat

medium beta AR works fine for me with a gamma SV and dead bird fleece underneath ...

i own and use
- fission AR
- Beta AR
- gamma SV
- Alpha SV pants
- Gamma LT pants
- Gamma SK pants
- Atom LT hoodie
- Solano jacket
- Gamma LT jacket
- Tau Jacket
- 3 various dead bird fleeces
- 4 various dead bird polartec sweaters
- dead bird 350x harness

and i can tell you with the that except for the gamma pants (hard to get short sizes) and the harnesss ... i would not have bought any of the above unless i got 40%+ off ... fortunately i live by the arteryx factory outlet store ... lol

for a rain jacket .... id look at westcomb (event and made in canada), rab or one of the other event makers

alpinejason wrote:Can't help you with the hood size, I own the Alpha LT (and love it). It's has, as you mentioned, the helmet compatible hood.

Are all the Alpha jackets 2 layer (min.) Gore Tex? At least the Alpha SL is 2 layer and only $50 more than the Beta SL. That's something to consider for an extra $50. I'm not a huge fan of the Gore Tex paclite, it's plenty waterproof for most outings but the fabric in general doesn't scream durability like the 2 layer shells or pro shells.Then again my paclite experience isn't with Arc Teryx either.

How old is ur SL the new one uses active and is 3 layer O.o