Best jacket I have ever owned. A bit pricy perhaps but you really get what you pay for. As mentioned below, the jacket features large pockets, 2 waterbottle holders and 2 napoleon-pockets. Long pit zips open easily and al cords and zips can be operated with one hand. The hood is also worth mentioning: large enough to fit a helmet, but easily adjusted to fit tightly around your head and move with it. Again you adjust it with one hand. I like the fact that there are no double layes of Gore-Tex anywhere and an effort was obviously made to minimize the amount of seams. Welded waistcord is cool. The fit is ''technical''. Longs sleeves, with a countoured fit. A first it feels a bit bulky, but this jacket was clearly made to move in. The fabric is very supple, making it comfortable to wear. I''ve used my Ethereal for climbing in the Swiss Alps and snowboarding and it performed beyond my expectations at all times. Go buy one!

Customer Service

Excellent! My jacket started leaking on the back after 2 years, and was replaced for free with a new one within 3 weeks. I even got to chose the colour! ''Garnet'' is a seriously pretty colour :-) (b

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TNF Allweather (de-laminated), Patagonia Stretch Triolet (H2No doesn''t breathe)

Just got my FTX Mithril and it is absolutley amazing. I haven''t had a chance to use it yet but had to write something about it. I previously had a North Face Kichatna which i bought after jumping on the North Face bandwagon. After seeing and just trying on the Mithril I can say that north face compared to Mtn. Hardwear makes crap. The Kichatna is stiff, uncomfortable and doesn''t move with you(ven after washing it) which is what I was told to expect with a 3 ply jacket but Mtn. Hardwear has broken that stereotype. The Mithril is very soft and comfortable for a 3 ply jacket making moving in it very easy, the jacket does not get in my way at all as is not the case with the kichatna. I can tell my just looking at it that the reinforcements and the hood are of a much higher quality. Combine all of this with more pockets and a much better fit and Mtn. Hardwear is in a class all by itself, a class very far away and above North Face. I haven''t had a chance to use Arc Tyrex or jackets from other companies and I am sure they are very good. I am moslty going to use the jacket fro sking so I will write more after I put it through it''s paces. Go with Mtn. Hardwear. even thought they are expensive you get what you pay for( if you look hard enough online you should be able to find a good deal, even in the middle of the winter)

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North Face Kichatna, Mtn. Light

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one of the best pieces of kit i own. had it for a few months, got a great deal at ''end of season''sale. very well thought out design, very light and breathable. i''ve used it several times during heavy rainstorms, didn''t get me very hot, ventilated well, no sweating, even in the summer. i''m dying to try it out in the winter. the part i thought was real good was how the rear of the jacket is a bit longer, long enough to cover my rear, providing good overlap with pants/bib, making my butt very dry and comfy when i have to sit on snow. the xcr fabric is definitely worth the X-tra Cash Required

Customer Service

i sent them an e-mail, to ask a question about their tents, and they sent me a few stickers. i thought that was a nice touch

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I bought this jacketat full price. Without any regret. as its brannd name, it''s really a tool rather than sommething fashionable.I really like the big Napoléon poche inside for the water bottle or what ever. if the social considération (fashion,statu)is important for you, Arcteryx maybe better with the big label "made in Canada" and all the marketing with. But if you want the best tool for active use, with the best quality. This MTH is just the only choice. I wuld give 6 stars.

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This is the best shell, period. It's a bit on the expensive side, but an incredible jacket. It fits like a glove and has plenty of pockets. The 2 water bottle pockets are great. this is the only jacket that I could find that had both pit zips and chest vents. The hood can be cinched down to a great fit. It is very lightweight and very packable. There are also a number of nice little touches such as the velco tabs when the cuffs are open. If you're outside in the wet, you won't be disappointed in this jacket.

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Many TNF jackets
MH Exposure II jacket

This jacket is great. The pocket layout makes sense and gives easy access to the inside without having to open the
front zip.
It has 2 water bottle mesh pockets inside. I used it on a skiing trip to
Whistler, BC and day hiking - stuck in a Vancouver rainstorm to whiteout conditions in Whistler, this jacket stays
DRY DRY DRY. It's also very lightweight, and is fully reinforced with UltraFTX which is Gortex's strength fiber. The
addition of UltraFTX on the elbows and other reinforcement points doesn't add to the weight. Folded up, the jacket is
still very light. It's also warmer than the Marmot Alpinist which I used to own - that was a great jacket, but was cold -
this one seems to insulate better in the snow and rain, and isn't much heavier. In addition, it's oversized slightly,
which is great if you've got bulky inner layering. It's slightly expensive at
list, but I got mine on sale. Buy it if you can get a 20% discount- it won't let you down.

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Marmot Alpinist III

This is a great jacket. It looks great, feels great, and it performs excellently!!! I have never bought such a great jacket. It keeps the wind out, and it keeps you dry. It is a great jacket if you are wearing a liner because with the pit zips you can easily cool off with out getting to cold, and if you are just wearing it around town, you can wear a shirt and be perfect in it. It's a great climbing jacket because it is so light. The hood keeps your head warm, and the collar has a fleece chin gaurd so you don't rub your chin raw. The FTX is the best jacket I have owned.

Customer Service

Haven't had to use it yet.

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Different fleeces

I have owned this jacket for about 5 months and am relatively pleased with its performance. I have used on numerous trips above 14,000' feet on solo winter ascents. The construction of this jacket is sturdy to say the least, but the seams aren't as clean as some of the Arc'Teryx jackets. Other than sliding down some scree on accident, I really haven't abused this jacket, but I have no doubt this jacket will hold up to years of abuse.

This jacket is very functional, also. It has many pockets in key areas that stow away water bottles, snacks, and maps nicely. I can't stand stopping to pull something out of my pack that I can't reach while I'm trekking. The hood, which can ruin a perfectly good jacket, works as designed. It doesn't get in the way of vision and moves along nicely when you turn your head.

This jacket is very waterproof (go figure, 3-layer Gore-tex). I've been caught in rain and wet snow in this jacket and have never had any moisture enter the jacket. The breathiblity is also a nice quality if you're layered correctly. I like the long pitzips that can be opened while engaged in heavy climbing, or closed when sitting around or resting.

The only problem I have had with this jacket is the zipper. I was on Gray's Peak (14,270') about 2 months ago doing a solo winter day ascent from Steven's Gulch. This is a generaly easy winter route with no technical climbing (there is still avalanche danger). I packed light to make the ascent as quick as possible. I got to about 12,500' feet on the north face when I hit about 3 feet of crappy snow. After post-holing for about 50 yards I was too exhausted to continue, so I decided to take a 1/2 hour break. As expected, I got cold after about 30 seconds. I would guestimate that it was probably -20F with windchill which really isn't that cold for a fourteener. I tried to put this jacket on but was unable to fasten the damn zipper. I froze for about 5 minutes as I tried to zip the thing. I had to take my gloves off to have more dexterity in my hands. To cut a long story short, the zipper sucks.

All in all I think this is a great jacket and is worth taking a look at. I think there are a lot of great jackets and parkas on the market. I think a choosing one will be more of a matter of personal preference rather than a decision based on quality. As with anything, try it out with other shells, and find what best suits you.

Customer Service

I own a lot of MH gear and have never had a problem with it failing. Good stuff, works well, no suprises.

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This is a GREAT Jacket! It's worth full-price even though I was able to purchase it cheap at an end of the year clearance.

Pit zips have ample length for venting
Excellent hood-works well with a helmet
Powder Skirt
Chest pockets can also vent
Ample # of pockets
Weight is very reasonable-weighs less than other jackets
Not as stiff as other 3-ply burly parkas

Customer Service

Excellent Customer Service. I also owned an Ethereal parka from 1995-the FIRST year the Ethereal parka was introduced. Last year I returned the jacket to have the zipper replaced-they repaired at no cost. Then the seam tape started delaminating-guess what. I got a brand new Ethereal Parka. Their gear stands up to a lot of abuse.

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Talk about a tough coat! The features of this piece of work are great for the extreme. This jacket can take you from rainy days to extreme alpine. The hood is big enough to fit any helmet. I previoulsy owned the Lowe Alpine Flash jacket. It just wasn't what I needed for rough conditions for a trip I took to Hood. The Etheral is tough and if you look, good prices are out there. Have fun with this thing.

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Lowe Apline Flash jacket, Sportif Mountian jacket