yep, it's not a full blown jacket, and as it is an arcteryx piece, it is expensive (even on sale).

that said, it is very well made (stitching, attention to details) and the materials are very nice for what they are, relative to expectations.

wish i could have kept it, but a size S was way too big for me (i'm 5'7", 138lbs). the sleeves were a tad long but most notably there was way too much room in the body and waist area of the shirt, almost as if it was made for someone mor in the 160lb range. most smalls from mt hardwear, marmot, OR, even some north face stuff fits pretty well and trim...so this was disappointing.

Looking for a Gore-Tex hardshell? Look no further. This is my first season with the Alpha SV and it has not failed to impress (immensely so). Everything about this jacket is first rate - the construction makes all other shells (TNF, in particular) look like cheap crap. The design of the Alpha makes sense - from how the hood will fit comfortably over a helmet while still allowing for great range of motion, to how the pockets and zippers are all easily operable with gloves on. The stitching on the Alpha SV is excellent and upon visual inspection, vastly superior (higher stitch count and more precise placement) to any other brand shell I have owned.
Believe me, I too choked up a bit of food when I first looked at a shell with a $500 price tag. I got it at a bit of a discount, but it has been worth every penny, and then some. I have a nearly brand new TNF Ama Dablam shell and I don't know if I can ever bring myself to wear it again. Maybe if I had to go roll around in the mud and didn't want to get the Alpha SV dirty...

This is my first season with the Arc'teryx Minuteman (also with an Arc'teryx Alpha SV). The Minuteman is a fabulous pant. Superior quality of material and construction that I've come to expect from Arc'teryx, that blows away all other pants I've skied with (Spyder and TNF recently). The fit is fantastic, and thank you Arc'teryx for being the only (as far as I know) manufacturer to bring out a Short line of XCR hard shell pants - the Short S fits me perfectly (5'7").

Count me as an Arcteryx convert. Man is it expensive, but it is so worth it.

I bought this jacket using the refund check I received from The North Face for returning my Universal Infusion shell from 2005. That shell – Gore-Tex XCR as well, used perhaps the worst outer layer fabric I've ever seen - when subject to the smallest amount of abrasion - wearing a backpack for instance - the fabric would pill and fibers would pull loose. For a XCR hardshell jacket subjected to very light wear, this is pretty inexcusable. Much to my chagrin, this new Ama Dablam has the same problem. The North Face is simply using ridiculously inferior materials in a jacket. Most likely this one will end up going back as well, but next time my money is going to Arc’teryx or Mountain Hardwear.