I have been looking for a good softshell jacket that will be very breathable, pretty warm on its own (35-40 degrees), waterproof and windproof. I have not seen the venta sv anywhere. So here is my opinion and question?

1. North Face Kishtwar. I bought this and returned it because it has ZERO insulation and is really just a cheap shell that leaks water. I tested it out.
2. Mountain Hardware Dry Q elite Kepler jacket. Ill be honest, I really liked it but the hood was a deal break for me. IT WAS HUGE. The overal fit of that jacket was perfect, it has a liner but its really not too warm.
3. The Marmot Zion. I bought this jacket and currently have it now. I really really like it accept the sleeve is way too long on it. I guess I can live with that. Now the Zion is a hefty jacket, with taped seams and zippers and also has a pretty thick lining. I wear it in 35 degrees with a t-shirt and its perfect.

So how does the venta compare to say neoshell or dry Q? I feel its not as advanced for $$

Tester - Windstopper is quite good at keeping the water out, although it is not waterproof. The DWR is going to be what causes the water to bead up like any other jacket. While the WindStopper membrane will leak eventually under severe conditions, this is one of the few Windstopper jackets with taped seams so you should be good in most conditions save a serious extended downpour etc. In which case a rain shell would be called for.

@Paul U So I got the Venta SV , returned the Zion. As far as the feel, and comfort, this is a much more thought out jacket. The hood, although pretty big can be adjusted to fit your head which is pretty cool. I like the outer fabric a lot more than any softshell and same goes for the fleece. Now for the zippers!!!!! They are plastic dude. No wonder they are so easy to open and close. I almost get a feeling that they are really cheap but that just cannot be the case. This is Arcteryx after all. I tested this jacket in some wind and did not feel any cold air which is great. My last question is about the waterproofabiliy of this jacket. I know the zion is completely waterproof. Is the Venta sv ONLY waterproof because teh DWR coating? Will the winstopper fabric itself not soak in the water or will it? Thats my only concern.

Venta MXis very similar to teh SV. It uses slightly different weights of fabric and has 2 watertight zips on the chest (no watertight front zip still). The hood configuration is another major difference. Its no really better by any means just another version of the venta that they can charge a few extra bucks for. Dont get me wrong these are great softshell- its the price point that is the problem (for $25 more than the Venta MX you can get a sabre SV which has tons more featuers and is fully waterproof).

Do you know if the Venta MX is better than the Venta SV? its 50 bucks more, wonder why? I am really spinning my wheels here because Arc'teryx is awesome...just think its kind of high priced for what other brands offer you know? I will think about it a couple more days, so far I have been wearing the marmot and it feels great.

I own the Venta SV and have tried the Zion (cant speak for the others mentioned). The Venta series are nice jackets, however Arcteryx missed out on making the perfect softshell. These are completely windproof, somewhat waterproof (taped seams are not a gore product so it cannot be considered waterproof), and breathes well enough (esp. with pit zips open). Here's what its missing for a $400 softshell- waterproof zips!A watertight vislon front zip and watertight pocket zips would have made this the perfect jacket. Water soaks the pocket zippers and gets your inner contents damp. The front zip is air permeable so when the wind is blowing hard you can feel a touch of air inside the shell. A watertight Vislon solves this problem as the polyurethane coating enhances the windproof properties and makes it waterproof (ish). The Zion does things better than the Venta series (I have asked arcteryx why they didnt do these extra features). If you already the Zion and are relatively happy keep it- I think its a more versatile shell for the money. Save your money and buy the Marmot ROM shell ( It does everything the Venta does and less than 1/2 the price). sadly I expect more from a $400 softshell Hope this gives you some insight