"Very warm, dry, not too puffy" - Review of Arc'teryx Fission SV Jacket - Men's

An attractive and warm winter jacket. Very warm, waterproof, and 4 pockets on the outside. Two ways to adjust the hood. This jacket is very warm for its weight (2 lbs), including gore-tex shell. While obviously there are warmer full down coats out there (Feathered Friends), the synthetic insulation here keeps it from being too puffy, the best feature to me. It can be too warm, especially the arms (no pit zips), when the temps hit the 40s or you are being pretty active. Cons: No pit zips, no second zipper to unzip up from the bottom, hood is non-detachable/stowable. It is a bit of an indulgence, and for those who don’t want to be bothered with wearing layers, whether for sport or non-sport. Aside from its functionality, it looks very good and you can wear it to occasions where no one arrives in layers. A bunch of folks apparently criticized the reviewer who enjoyed it as a city jacket. (Apparently there are still “true believers” who see this brand as some sort of holy grail for technical gear - apparently nothing was accomplished in the outdoors prior to this brand’s innovations -… read on, I love giving idealists their first dose of cynicism). I don’t see why, because for serious backcountry use, one still can’t beat the versatility of a three layer system (baselayer, insulation, shell with pit zips), where one can mix and match depending on the conditions. If you are on a budget get a traditional 3 piece system first, and get a hard shell before you get a softshell (over hyped). And if you are going to spend the serious bucks on this thing, make sure you’re getting one made in Canada. Arcteryx (now owned by Salomon) has moved much of their production to China. Though their costs have gone down, the price has not dropped on their apparel. It seems that Goretex-XCR models were made in Canada, but since late 2007 most of the jackets are Asian product. And now, unsurprisingly, scores of fake Chinese Arcteryx jackets can be found on ebay. If you want some serious gear that is still painstakingly assembled by hand, then also take look at Hilleberg and Dan McHale.
View Details: Arc'teryx Fission SV Jacket - Men's >