I live in this thing

By Ryan Swank Ranked #52 - Men's Shirts January 20, 2012

I am sad to read the recent review of another long time owner of the covert who has reported it's not as good as it used to be.
Both of mine were made in Canada so maybe something has happened to the quality in China but I hope that it was just an anomaly.

I fell in love with this sweater the first time I tried it on at Bivouac in Ann Arbor. I got one shortly after and the nagging feeling of "I spent how much for a fleece?" quickly went away after I realized I wore it damn near every day. My wife ended up getting me another one since she knew I loved it so much and it started to show its age and use. While it resists pilling it does pill after several months of regular use. Careful use of the electric fuzz buster takes care of this and makes it look good as new. My zipper broke after 4 years and Arcteryx replaced it free (just shipping) so kudos to them.
I love the small shoulder pocket which I call the "dollar pocket" because I always keep a single folded up in there.

FIT:
I'm 5'11" 180 and the medium fits like a second skin.
Not too tight and not loose by any means. Perfect arm length and great articulation. I live in mine (have 2 black and an olive like green).

PERFORMANCE:
Wicks well, breathes great, has zero wind resistance (to be fair, it isn't claimed to be).
You can wear it next to skin as it's very soft and the seams are away from pivot points but I prefer a baselayer (T-shirt most of the time b/c I live in this thing - ha).

COMPARED TO:
Arcteryx Strato, just got one and love it. The Straot is definitely heavier than the Covert (1 layer vs. double).
I prefer the Covert for all day lounging. The cuffs are different, Covert is standard style elasticized cuffs.
The other main difference is the "weave" pattern, the Covert looks more like ribbed merino whereas the Strato has a honeycomb like pattern.

View Details: Arc'teryx Covert Full-Zip Cardigan - Men's

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