The good: This 10oz soft-shell is comfortable, air permeable, and holds up very well to intermittent rain.
The bad: Arc'teryx fit is legendary but this was a slight miss as my shoulders are a little larger than average. Not a problem with my other Arc'teryx purchases. The hood has no adjustment which causes it blow off with a bit of wind.
The bottom line: Roll it up, put it in your pack, and forget about it. For the price and my use case, I didn't need a fancy waterproofed coat. This was (almost) perfect.
This (now discontinued) soft-shell is an amazing piece by Arc'teryx. It is light (for what it does), packable (for what it is) with very few compromises. That legendary cut and finish that we expect is here and the piece moves very well with you. However, for me, it did a bit slim around the chest. This meant little room for layers and if I wanted it zipped the majority of the way up, but not all the way, I would have to keep an eye on it. This did not keep me from loving It, however.
The gaskets around the wrists are elastic, no adjustments here. The gusseted underarms made for a really comfortable range of movement and I never felt unobstructed by the garment. The hood was where I had the biggest problem as it had no adjustments. The stiff brim did a great job at keeping the hood mostly out of my field of view while keeping me protected, assuming there was no wind. The polyester face fabric is highly wind permeable so don't expect this to replace a wind breaker.
This is where the jacket really falls apart. If you need protection from the wind, this jacket does very little to help you. But if you do not rely on this for wind protection, it helps with light showers and feels great for mid to high output activities, with a little room for a fleece underneath for those times you need a bit of extra warmth.
Top reviews from other countries
Martin
Fantastic soft-shell with a small footprint
Reviewed in the United States on 28 August 2020Verified Purchase
Amazon Customer
Four Stars
Reviewed in the United States on 25 March 2017Verified Purchase
