Arc Teryx Theta AR

Review Date
September 24, 2009

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Reviewed by: scottflues(Unregistered User) ,  Backpacker

Price Paid:  $475.00 at black dome outdoor a

Summary:
bought this jacket , spent close to 30 hours in the heavist rain ive ever seen , i work securety at music festivals
unbeliveably dry
psydelics + mountian bike + badd ass rain + arcterix made for one hell of a good safe time

Review Date
November 8, 2008

Overall Rating
 1 of 5

Value Rating
 1 of 5

Visitors rate this review
1.00 of 5, 3 votes

Reviewed by: Darren Armstrong ,  Day Hiker

Price Paid:  $350.00 at Ultimate Outdoors

Summary:
Arcteryx Theta AR Jacket. I bought mine in Keswick. I have used it twice the last being in Snowdon, Wales.I headed back off the mountain having endure extreme conditions.I discovered that all the pockets had filled up with water and my wallet was soaking wet. The zips were nowhere near water tight and found along the zip line my base layer was wet. You can't pull the neck in and found that rain just flows straight into the jacket. I returned the product and had to pay a tenner for it to be sent back to the manufacturer, that was six weeks ago and i'm still waiting for a replacement. I have been passed from pillar to post when speaking to so called customer service staff chasing up it's whereabouts. Maybe i am just unlucky if i could get my money back i would. This jacket is overpriced and way over rated don't bother in my opinion.

Customer Service:
Shocking to say the least.

Similar Products Used:
Beanie hat

Review Date
January 5, 2008

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Visitors rate this review
2.33 of 5, 3 votes

Reviewed by: Olaf2046 ,  Mountaineer

Price Paid:  $385.00 at online retailer: eBa

Summary:
After many years of gracing the hills and trails with North Face, Patagonia and Mammut on my back, I decided to go with this much talked about Canadian-Made brand. As my first Arc'teryx Jacket, and someone that needs the extra rugged protection for Ice Climbing, I was on the line between three jackets; The cheaper Beta AR (which was too short and ill-fitting in the shoulders for me), the ultra pricey Alpha SV (At $599 and only two color options available I thought Arcteryx could have given a little more for the price beside the safe design and Canada-Made origin), and third the Theta AR which, at $350-$450, was the most economical, best fitting and well designed for me.
In my opinion, it offers all the Alpha SV offers and a little more; More pockets, more Hem length and a much, much better slim/stream-lined athletic fit which actually works better with my climbing harness. The only advantage I can see of the Alpha SV is the extra stiff nylon outer shell and slightly bigger hood. Things that are not important to most people with normal sized heads and those that don't wear rain gear to sword fights.

INITIAL THOUGHTS:
Most reviewers suggested sizing up for the size. At 5'8"/150lbs I normally wear Medium and found Small in this Jacket fit perfect with plenty room to layer my Patagonia Micro Puff Pullover or R4 fleece Jacket underneath. I think the Arcteryx GoreTex XCR shells used to fit on the small side, but the newer GoreTex Pro Shell Theta and Alpha definately fits on the big side. So either get your size or size down.

FIRST TEST:
I just got my Theta AR over the New Years weekend and during a first quick climb on the ice I find it works well with my Harness and definately does not ride up or bunch up during climbs. The Theta's collar/hood combo takes a little getting used to since most jackets have hoods either stow away or hang openly. But this was not a problem since the extra collar keeps out wind and ice melt.
All the pockets are small on this jacket (No water bottle and mitt warmer pockets here, just lipbalm and car keys). You could argue that they should be bigger with handwarming-fleece lining but that would add weight and subtract versatility so its not necessarily a 100% bad thing.
I miss having the dual belay zippers that you find on virtually all other alpine mountain jackets. On the Theta and most Arcteryx brand jackets there is only one one-way front zip, so you either have to zip up or just leave the zip open. I kept it zipped up and tucked the hem inside my harness and wore the jacket like a shirt. Goodthing the ProShell material breathes really well (better than XCR) so I didn't find myself unzipping the front zippers to vent at all during my climb.
Another thing that took getting used to is the ultra-thin shock cords and tiny pull tabs. They seem so frail like they will pull right off, but then you soon see that the quality of this the jacket is for real.
BOTTOM LINE:
Great Jacket with minor gripes about it. Expect it to last a long time and for the price it should!

Recommended for Serious Adventurers! Urbanites stick with your TNF and save your money for Lattes!

Customer Service:
good!

Similar Products Used:
Mammut Light BC, Mammut Light Streak, TNF Modulus Jacket, Patagonia Supercell, Patagonia Direct-X, TNF Kitchatna

Review Date
August 1, 2007

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Reviewed by: Norman B(Unregistered User) ,  Backpacker

Price Paid:  $359.00 at REI

Summary:
Excellent item, all of the Arcteryx items are expensive, but worth the price, used it on 3 extended backpacking trips in wet weather, the latest in the North Cascades, kept me dry at all times. I got the XL model and I am tall; 6"7" tall and it was long past my rear end. I own 4 other Arcteryx items and all of them of the highest quality!

Review Date
January 11, 2007

Overall Rating
 2 of 5

Value Rating
 2 of 5

Visitors rate this review
1.00 of 5, 5 votes

Reviewed by: jseaquist ,  Skier

Price Paid:  $225.00 at ebay

Summary:
You're paying for the technology, a top of the line outdoor jacket, and of course, the brand name. It's clearly not worth $450, just like designer clothes are not worth excessive prices. Arc'teryx is the designer clothing label of the outdoor world, but at least its the best. On ebay you will pay about 25% less, just be patient.

The first day i had this jacket, i almost ripped the back coming out of a cab! It resulted in a long sratch on the back like a thread-pull on a sweater. This will probably effect the waterproof. How can this jacket survive in the mountains climbing and skiing etc, when it cant survive one night in Boston climbing out of a taxi!

Pros: best of the best, period
Cons: way overpriced, not THAT durable.

Customer Service:
got lucky on ebay
avg price is about $325-360 on ebay
give yourself a few weeks to watch though for your size and color.