Mountain Hardwear Artero Jacket - Men's - 2010 BCS

This Mountain Hardwear Artero is a fantastic hard shell. I have two of them, one in green and one in black/gray, and I have just ordered a third one since it was on sale. I wish it had more color choices, as I would have bought at least one in each color. It fits me like it was tailored to my small body. I have a small frame weighing in at 135 lb and standing at 5'6". To wear it alone over a regular base layer, it would be a little loose but acceptable for my "picky taste" of cloth fitting. The fit becomes perfect when I have a base layer and a puffy mid layer (like a TNF Nutpse down coat) under this hard shell. I am not sure if I would classify it as athletic fit, as it would be more appropriate to list it as a regular fit. The length of the jacket is just about perfect for my short torso, it is not too long nor too short. The sleeves as typical for this type of shell are a little over extended with a thin inner layer on but they are just fine once I put on a puffy down mid layer. It is definitely a bonus to have two chest pockets to accommodate smaller items. The extended pit zips on the body are definitely cool to have. All the PU coated water resistant zippers are a little snug to operate but they are acceptable, as they give me a sense of comfort for being tightly sealed for the elements. All the logos are threaded with a touch of class instead of those etched in logos like some other famous brands that are not worth mentioning here. The multi- color fabric used on this hard shell is cool to have, as it is kind of boring to see a mono color scheme for most of other shells in this class. All the seams are sealed with welds and micro tapes so there is nothing special to mention here. With all the positive things mentioned, it must have something negative to comment on, right. The adjustment loops around the neck of the hood do not have those external plastic locks to lock in the settings but they seem to hold okay. The integrated hood is quite large so if you are not using a helmet it can be annoying to fop up and to squeeze down but I am not sure if this is a con though for a alpine style hard shell made to accommodate wearing a helmet. The Gore-TEX Pro Shell fabric is "paper thin" so I am a little concerned about its toughness to withstand some harsh environments out there but time will tell when I have more opportunities to test it. The fabric used for this hard shell seems quite "soft" and quiet to my surprise, as I would expect it to be quite hard and noisy. Pit zips do not have an internal flap like I have seen some others have to further enhance waterproof protection. Also, I think it would be more versatile for this hard shell to have a powder skirt, as a non alpine climber would have one just for skiing. For now, I am extremely pleased with it so I am gonna give it a 5 star rating.