Gear Review
Arc'teryx Gamma MX Hooded Softshell Jacket - Men's
Missing a few key features
By Jared Sears
Ranked #1969 - Men's Softshell Jackets
March 2, 2009
So the pros first. The material used is very flexible or "stretchy" the helmet compatible hood is very nice as it works very well with or without a helmet at retaining body heat. The jacket is also pretty warm for its weight. Like all high quality softshells is windproof and highly water resitant. Cons are price for the features its missing an interior pocket for the mp3 player it is to heavy for high aerobic cool weather activities making it only useful if it is colder out. What is most baffling about this shell is the lack of pit zips for almost $400 dollars making the jacket almost completley useless for anything really high aerobic. If you want a jacket that does it all go with the mtn hardware dragon.
View Details: Arc'teryx Gamma MX Hooded Softshell Jacket - Men's
Helpful Votes: 2 Yes
Change me.
1 Comments Last Reply: October 10, 2009 By: Niall MacRae
Sure, this is not a high aerobic softshell, but there are quite a few out there, unlined and less warm, with mp3 pockets and cord routing, including a few from Arcteryx. But the Dragon is not a good choice either, as it is designed for ice and alpine climbing! They are not softshells for running, or hard road cycling, they are softshells for climbing, mountaineering and ski or snowboard touring and they are very good at what they do. The Gamma MX has no pit zips to keep weight down and because the fabric breathes so well and is meant to be used when it is cool to cold and the temperature differential between you and the air is pretty high, which makes pit zips unnecessary. Four big exterior pocket keep everything close at hand, which is important when you are in tricky situations, and unzipping your jacket to get at interior pockets lets the warm air out. This jacket is NOT windproof, which means it allows a very small amount of airflow through the fabric. The MH Dragon uses Gore Windstopper, which is windproof and allows air vapor to escape only through the pores of the membrane. That is why it has pit zips, beacuse it NEEDS THEM! The pit zips are necessary to allow to regulate airflow. If anything, and for this reason, it is a worse choice for high output, aerobic activites. If you want something for that, a thin, high air permeable fabric, like TNF Apex Aerobic, or an unlined double weave like in the Gamma LT is the way to go.
Helpful Votes: 0 Yes