ericdw

Really amazing glove. Keeps me warm and dry. No need to reiterate what everyone else has said. But two minor criticisms. The gauntlets are really stiff. Hopefully this will cure itself with age, but the velcro for the lining gives the gauntlets structure that I wish they didn't have.

Also, I wish Hestra made a light-weight liner that velcros into the glove like the stock liner does.

First off, the sizing -- I'm 5'7" 130. I got a small. When I first tried it on, with a down sweater layer and baselayer, it seemed a little too big for me in the chest and shoulders (length was good). But I decided to keep it, and after wearing it a couple times, it fits better. I think the problem was that it was pretty stiff out of the box, and didn't drape properly. Now that it's had a chance to loosen up, it falls better on the shoulders and doesn't puff out in the chest so much. That said, if you're between sizes, definitely size down, and if you're a small guy like me, it will only fit with layering.

The side-zipper is kind of unnecessary. Actually pulling it down takes some getting used to, but that aspect is really fine. What bothers me about it is that the zipper cover (which is a stiff piece of fleece-lined gore-tex) on the inside of the collar is to the right of your chin, and when I turn my head to the right, my chin gets caught on the zipper cover. I think I'm going to put a piece of velcro keeping the cover flush with the inside of the collar.

Another problem with the side-zipper is that the inside of the collar isn't lined. So when facing front, your chin, mouth and nose are in direct contact with the gore-tex fabric, which can get pretty cold in bad conditions. Other ArcT jackets have a fleece liner, so I'm not sure why they didn't do it here (Weight?).

Aside from these little design flaws, neither of which will stop me from using it, the jacket is amazing. ArcT construction is definitely the best out there.

I'm 5'7" 130 and the small fits me well. They're nice, but I probably won't buy softshell pants again, doesn't hold up to the wind well enough, even though its GTX. Also, after one weekend of use, there are already little cuts on the ankles from my skis. This is to be expected at some point, but I'm guessing the softshell material isn't as strong as other pants out there. Cloudveil offered to refund me, but I think I'll keep them.