Went from AR to SL

By Susan Rogers Ranked #56 - Women's Rain Jackets January 25, 2012

I wore my Beta AR nearly to death over the 5 years that I had it - I still own it, it lives in my closet as a backup - and upgraded on a lark to the SL when I found one for a good deal. The only notable difference, aside from the lighter material, is the absence of pit zips (which I don't really miss, actually, the jacket breathes really well).

I use this shell for everything from biking, to running, to hiking, to mountaineering (took it for its first winter trip this past weekend, it worked as well as my AR even at sub-0F temps), to skiing and everything in between. I was at first concerned that it wouldn't be able to hold up to extremes as well as the AR, but it was great. Not to mention a lot lighter and packs smaller.

The Beta cut is good for those of us who have small/short torsos. Size is true to the rest of the Arc'teryx lineup - fits well over every midlayer I could think of putting under it (in the pic I'm wearing a Gamma MX Hoodie AND Marmot Venus Jacket), but isn't super baggy when worn alone.

View Details: Arc'teryx Beta SL Jacket - Women's

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