Pull the trigger

By Jon Petrich Ranked #92 - Men's Pants February 23, 2009

Toasty! Instant warmth when putting them on.
Tested 'em out this weekend snow camping in the sierras at around 9000'. A storm was coming in. We experienced winds up to 50mph and temps down to 15 degrees Fahrenheit during the late evenings. I wore these along with the Fission LT (new model is now referred to as the Kappa SV). Both these pants and the jacket have windstopper outer material and 200 g/m2 primaloft sport material. Underneath each outer layer I was wearing smartwool midweight base layers and nothing else. I was a comfortable toasty just sitting around camp. I wore them the next morning as well and began to overheat around 35 degrees. In addition to the warmth, the wind protection was amazing. Having 30 - 50 mph winds, was kinda fun minus the snow that pounded you as well. Anyway, the point being the windstopper material is a marvel. In addition to blocking out wind, it helps retain the heat in the jacket as well. The wind just made you loose your balance from time to time, but just felt like pressure against your body. No penetration through the material was perceived.

Before I bought these I a little concerned about the fact that they weren't Gore-Tex. I talked with an Arc'teryx tech rep and he informed me the material was very durable and one step away from waterproof. He assured me the only time the material might let water through was during a heavy, heavy rainstorm. The good news, 1) you'll need these in sub freezing conditions and thus you'll have snow instead of rain. 2) if you do happen to need them during the rain and the material gets wet, the primaloft will still insulate. Primaloft was originally developed for the army as a down alternative for just this purpose. The rep told me I could consider the material waterproof in lighter rain and any type of snow, even wet, sierra snow. I further asked him about sitting in the snow my body heat melting the snow to water. Apparently there is nothing to be worried about. After this weekend, I don't have anything to change my thoughts about the above information.

The full length zippers and adjustable draws at the waist and ankles were great. There is an insulation flap behind the zips so you don't experience any cold spots. The crotch zipper proved to have its own virtue as well. Having full length zips is a great thing to have when you want to get that layer on quick without having to take off your boots.
So why 4 stars. One of the leg zips have the tendency to unzip (an inch or so) when you punch through the snow. I might just have the elastic cinches adjusted a little too tight at the ankles. Hopefully arc'teryx will eventually add a snap closure at the ankle, similar to their waterproof shells. Not a big deal. This problem never caused my baselayer to get wet.

Anyway, have a good time and stay warm. You'll be hanging out at camp feeling like your wearing a toasty pair of sweat pants back home on your couch by a fire in the fireplace.

View Details: Arc'teryx Kappa AR Pant - Men's

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