I was very pleasantly surprised with these pants. I took them on a 34 day NOLS Patagonia mountaineering course as my primary trekking pant. I brought along a pair of Marmot Precip rain pants to wear over them in case it started raining really hard, but I never even had to take them out. It ended up raining or snowing 29 of the 34 days I was in the field, and I remained dry throughout. The waterproof side zippers worked great, and the conduit material kept all water out even though they were softshells. I never expected these to be completely waterproof, but they functioned equally well as rain pants ans they did climbing pants. They were also extremely durable, holding up to bushwhacking, rock scrambling, and falling on ice. I did split the crotch seam somehow, but it was easily sewed back up.

For the price these pants are awesome: waterproof, durable, and comfortable.

Just got back from a 34 day NOLS Patagonia mountaineering course with this jacket. It rained or snowed 29 of the 34 days we were out, and my layers underneath stayed dry throughout several storms and blizzards. The DWR coating wore off after a few days of constant rain, and the water stopped beading up, but I continued to stay dry. The fit was great and allowed room to fit over all my layers, and the drawcords and cut ensured that it would not be too loose without a helmet or layering.

The shell survived severe bushwhacking and falls onto mud, rock, and ice.The arms and shoulders are made of a more durable fabric than the chest and back, which helps protect against abrasion and tearing. The only downside is that the fabric on the chest seemed pretty vulnerable to friction wear. After being roped up for one day, one of the locking carabiners that attached me to the rope wore a few small holes through the front of the jacket. The inner liner seemed to delaminate where it contacted the carabiner, and then the gore-tex and outer layer were compromised. However, the holes were easily patched, and I avoided more problems by lifting the jacket above the harness in the front. I don't think Arc'teryx's warranty would cover something like that.

Overall, this is the best jacket I have ever owned. The quality of materials and attention to detail make sure you will stay dry even through the roughest conditions as I found out. The pockets gave me plenty of room for gear and the drawcords always kept everything snug. Highly recommended!