"Hard core bibs" - Review of Arc'teryx Alpha SV Bib - Men's

These bibs rule. Like the jacket, they are perfectly designed. I am 5'10", 155lb., and small fits perfectly for jacket and bibs. The articulation is phenomenal, with no bunched up fabric whatsoever, but still plenty of room for layers underneath. For above-treeline winter trips such as the Presidentials I usually use two long underwear layers under these, but one is plenty for most other applications. There is definitely room for heavier insulating layers under here too. There is a downside to the bib design (as opposed to regular pants): in order to fully take advantage of the bibs, if you stop to change upper layers, you have to remove the suspenders as well as your jacket to do so. However I don't consider this a drawback, because it is the only way that one might achieve such a high level of warmth and protection from elements. The alternative is to just layer over the bibs, but this sort of defeats the purpose. Picture yourself wearing a baselayer and thick fleece top with these bibs zipped up and over these layers. The bib top (when zipped over your upper layers) keeps all of your heat in while effectively blocking updrafts and snow that might make it past the hem-cinch of your jacket. Also, since the Schoeller softshell material has been chosen for this section, the breathe-through characteristics are as good as it gets.
View Details: Arc'teryx Alpha SV Bib - Men's >