I don't care what anyone says - this is the ultimate mountaineering/skiing/climbing jacket on the market today. The construction, fit, and finish of this Jacket is the finest I've seen. it has everything you need, and nothing that you don't. It has a comfortable, athletic fit that drops below the waist for good coverage, excellent zippers and beautiful stitching. The Gore Tex Pro Shell fabric is virtually bomb-proof and sheds water like a duck's back. The hood is huge, and covers my big head with helmet and goggles with room to spare. Yes, it's expensive, and worth every dime. The best products always are. I'm only disappointed that I waited so long to get this jacket. What are you waiting for, go get one!

Similar Products Used:

Marmot, The North Face

Disappointed. The main problem is the hood. The drawcords are so far apart on the front of the hood (you can see this on pictures of the jacket) that the bottom of the hood does not cinch up tight over your face when all zipped up. This is true no matter how tight you draw all the drawcords. This basically means that your whole face will be exposed to the cold air no matter what. This is really a big problem for me because I do go out in the very cold, and having the face of the hood cinch up tightly over the bottom half of my face is priceless. Marmott and Patagonia at least used to get this right (though their jackets, at least now, have their own problems).

Another problem for me is the shortness of the hem. I don't care what people say about having it high so that it doesn't get in the way of the harness. I want a hem that goes down below the waist. Otherwise I feel like I'm wearing a belly shirt. I constantly feel like I have to pull the waist of the jacket down so that my waistline isn't zapped by the cold. I'm 6'5" 230 lbs, and I got the XL. The XL actually fits pretty well, so I don't think it's a size issue. It's just the cut which is annoyingly short.

In sum, Do Not buy this jacket w/o trying it on. I can't believe anyone who has felt a really good hood would accept the Alpha SV's hood, but some might be okay with the cut.

The pockets are also a bit small, both inside and out. I would say for all the money they charge, they get some pretty major things wrong. A jacket this expensive should have a WOW factor when you put it on. Instead, what you get is a belly shirt with an open face hood. Which is fine, as long as its warm out.

Similar Products Used:

Marmot Alpinist, Patagonia Super Alpine jkts

Veeery nice. Of the half-dozen shells I've owned, this is the best by far. The fit is slightly snug--and I'm fairly lean. The hood is designed well. The stretchy XCR fabric adds give. The waterproof zippers are still doing well after four years. Unlike my cheap-o REI Switchback parka, this one stays dry in even the most sustained rain; due to both the 3-ply construction and the terrific sealing. The whole jacket just feels right. Perfect for skiing, glacier climbing, backpacking in all weathers. For extensive rock climbing, it may be a little delicate compared to the soft shells out now. The only quibble I have, and it's tiny, is that the left side interior chest pocket ought to be beefier and top-zipped for town wear, for wallet/phone stowage. The less used side-zipped glasses/snot-rag pocket could go on the right. To be fair, I couldn't have justified $475 for this or any other parka; I got it on a pro deal. But I do love it!

Similar Products Used:

North Face, Moonstone, REI

After wearing this jacket for over a year, I have concluded that this jacket has not met my expectations. First and foremost, this jacket is advertised as the ultimate alpine jacket and is super durable. You can get a similar jacket, Theta AR for somewhat less and have the same materials used, very similar features, for less. The only gimmick is the the Alpha SV is the lightest of the light. Well, it is very light - what this jacket doesn't do well is hold up to scrapes in the lightweight gore-tex areas of the jacket. As for lightweight Gore-Tex jackets, this is #1 in the world in terms of design, comfort, advanced construction. However, for durability, well, jacket isn't a 100% fortress. The only durable areas are the shoulders and arms, the rest is the just light yet not very durable Gore-Tex XCR. I would not recommend this jacket to climbers who will have to endure endless scrapes to their gear. Lastly, I would still recommend Arc'Teryx products, especially all of their Gore-Tex jackets. JUST PLEASE IMPROVE ON THE DURABILITY ON THE LIGHTWEIGHT AREAS OF THE JACKET!!!!

Customer Service

Replied my email about my concern after two days. Never replied afterwords when I addressed additional comments and concerns.

Similar Products Used:

Various Gore-Tex garments.

Very good range of motion and cut. Craftsmanship excellent, but.... Lower tightening straps gets in the way of gearloops and eqiupment on harness and the hood a bit to small with helmet on.

I just want to say that this jacket is quality and the fit is what makes it special. I have tried other top of the line jackets and this one has the best fit. Though it is expensive when you don't get it on sale, and I recommend only to buy it on sale because there is some others jackets - I won't mention company name - that is made by the same people who made this jacket and it is about equally as good, though not as good as for the fit - though SAME construction! For those who want to save big time money, there is a 1-3 day sale held it year at the Arc'Teryx factory in Vancouver where they slash big time prices, so all you Yankees out there, you could get this jacket for about 200 US dollers. Heck, I missed this years factory sale because they rarely advertise in the newspaper or anywhere else, and I found it one week late in a small newspaper ad. An interesting note, there are very few people who wear Arc'Teryx where I live because it is so expensive and people could get better value stuff at equally as good quality and better versatility. I live in the city where they make this jacket, I haven't seen a single person where a Gore-Tex Arc'Teryx jacket in Burnaby! No joke!

Customer Service

Good? Never tried it.

Similar Products Used:

Mountain Equipment Co-op and Taiga Works. Both companies making equally high quality and high value but not as advanced compared to Arc'Teryx as in fit and sometimes quality.

OHH MY GOSH! If thinking about jackets gives you a woody this jacket is orgasmic! and i do mean ORGASMIC!i love this jacket. it''s light weight, super minimal, all the right pockets in the right places. pit zips cuase core vents suck. and it''s hand made in canada! does it get any beter? used this for a week in Ouray ice climbing and never got wet from water or sweat. i was even testing it out in my home town of tulsa oklahoma when a small freek tornado pulled up and knocked a tree down right behind me. i was still dry! except for weting my pants but you know how that goes. if you are looking at north face or mountain hardwear or marmot you arn''t doing bad but if you want the best, and i do mean the absolute best buy Arc! it is expecive but it is worth 600$

Customer Service

haven''t had to deal with them and that''s the best service you can ask for!

Similar Products Used:

north face mountain light kichatna

"You pay for what you get..." and you get it all in this shell. Absolutely the finest craftmanship available, every ounce is used perfectly, and fits like none other. Love the tailored fit and slight drop back with higher hip cut in front. The other Arc''Teryx shells are fantastic too, but this one is truly a work of art. Don''t want to be ramble on about me..so let''s just say it''s proven time and time again to provide durable, safe, and comfortable shelter and the XCR fabric breathes better than any other generation or material in its category. Buy it...you won''t ever have to sell it on eBay or wish you had bought what you "really" wanted.

Customer Service

N/A

Similar Products Used:

T.N.F., Sierra Designs, Mountain Hardware (nice also), and Marmot.

I purchased this jacket about 2 months ago after reading the other reviews. I have to say that I am thoroughly impressed. The attention to detail and workmanship displayed in this shell are outstanding. Every seam is perfectly taped, every stitch correctly placed, etc. Most importantly, though, the jacket just plain works! First off, the breathability is excellent. I first used the shell skiing. After a long day on the slopes, I reached into the breast pocket to take out a piece of paper-- it was damp. Huh? I thought. It had not snowed or rained, and nothing else in the pocket (plastic) was wet. Then I realized what had happened-- the moisture I produced while skiing passed through the jacket, including the picket, but dampened the paper on its way out. Outstanding! The best part was that I was dry. Next, the jacket keeps you dry from rain, etc. I''ve been in a couple of downpours, and have never seen a drop on the inside of the shell. The zippers (which by the way seem well constructed and are not a cause of concern for me, despite other reviews)kept water out perfectly. No issues there. The only complaint I would register about the jacket is the amount of force needed to work the pit zips-- I sometimes have to use two hands, which is annoying. Overall, the jacket is phenomenal. It performs perfectly, looks good and is cut in a much more athletic shape than the other jackets out there, which is a big plus. I would recommend the shell without reservation.

Customer Service

Have not had to use. Sent an email to them and received a response in an hour or so!

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Since I''ve bought this jacket I can''t stop wearing it from September to may ! every day for going to work riding my bike, in winter for skiing and in summer for backpacking and mountainering. Lots of features, it is a brilliant design. One big plus is the lightweight: you don''t have to think two hours to know if you must take it in your bag ! it is a must and I can''t kept laughing when I see the bulky TNF mountain jacket of my girl friend... It follows my philosophy for outdoor gear : simple and efficient. Five snowballs for overall rating and four for value.

Similar Products Used:

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