This jacket is the answer to my outerwear dreams. All the features I want, none that I don't. I love the stowable hood, pockets that work with a backpack on, a longer cut then most other arc'teryx jackets and a hood with 3 adjustments. No frilly gimicky crap either. Nowhere on this jacket will you find any BS about quantum-space-age anti-gravity technology. Just a damn solid piece of engineering. Simply amazing. The first thing I did when I got it was take my pants off and hop in the shower with it on. Perfect, no leaks what-so-ever. The high denier nylon fabric is tough, like, bullet-proof tough. I like it much better then the alpha SV because of its long cut, intuitive pockets, (what is up with those alpha pockets anyway??) higher denier nylon shoulders and elbows and stowable hood.

The jacket fits a little on the big side which I like, it enables me to fit a big puffy down jacket underneath without popping any seams, but still looks stylish enough to wear anywhere. The hood is indeed helmet compatible, even with my huge XL skiing helmet, it still fits. The only downside I can see about this jacket is that it may be too much for most. If you're looking for a jacket to wear in the rain around town, save yourself a couple hundred bucks and checkout something else. If you need something to keep you dry for long treks in snow and rain, where a failure in your jacket would be a serious risk, this is the jacket for you. Arc'teryx stands up for quality, uncompromisable quality. I consider this jacket an investment, tough enough for years of hard-core use.