gate9797

The XA Pro 2 differs from the XA Pro in having a flatter, low-profile mesh that doesn't pucker, in having eyelets that disengage individually from the lace and in having the eyelets not in the body of the shoe anchored to the mesh but rather in strips of plastic buttressed outside the mesh, similar to the XA Series shoe. Like the XA Pro, the Pro 2 has the Salomon 'advanced chassis' support system which does a very good job of supporting the foot along uneven hillside trails. The shoe is mesh and therefore very porous to water however it dries quickly and a goretex version is available. I do not see that Salomon's claim that the lace system allows the fore and mid-foot to be laced with different lace tensions is correct. Nevertheless, the single- pull lace-up is terrific and actually works.

These products (Tx direct wash-in & Tx Spray-on), according to the admission of Nikwax, contain silicones. They call their silicone ingredients silanes (cross-linked silicone compounds). But silicone by another name is still silicone. I dripped a few drops of Tx on the floor near where I was spraying my jacket and the floor became very slippery there for some days, as is typical of silicone containing solutions. Do NOT use silicones on gore-tex and other breathable laminates in outdoor gear because silicone blocks the gore-tex pores and interferes with breathability of PU laminates such as hydrovent, etc. I found that the garment washed with Nikwax Techwash, which works fine, acquired a distinct and persistent sour odour after treatment with the Nikwax Tx reproofer. Try McNeill Revivex reproofer; it contains no silicones, according to the manufacturer, who claims to have developed the product specifically for the Gore company, and it leaves no odour. Grangers reproofer is another alternative to Nikwax and along with revivex is recommended by Arc'teryx.

This is a beautiful garment, esp. in the redwood colour. However I must differ with other reviewers on the degree of its warmth. Yes it is made of Polartec ThermoPro and is warm, however it is not warm when compared with fleece of traditional weave simply because it is a sweater weave, which is a loose weave and as such is much less wind-resistant than regular fleece. In fact any breeze flows right through the fabric. And in the reverse direction the body heat convects/escapes more or less unopposed right through the fabric, I love my covert zip and it is one of Arc'teryx' 'better buys' but don't expect it to function thermally as a traditional fleece.

I was surprised to find that the quality of this jacket was not up to Arc's usual very high standard. Could it be that Salomon ownership of Arc'teryx is having an influence? The back horizontal seam, scapula level, was not smooth but rather had 4 or five ridges or waves along its length preventing it from lying flat! Then I have a question about why the sleeve forearms have to be so snug/tight that it is inconvenient/uncomfortable/impractical to wear other layers beneath. Finally I wonder why the inside of the front pockets go all the way up the chest. The fabric of the jacket, Polartec WindPro Reverse Shag and its design with breathable schoeller on the shoulders and pits make this jacket potentially a superior alternative to the very popular North face Denali jacket, once the bugs are ironed out. Oh yes, one other small thing, the reverse shag the inner collar might look a bit frumpy; perhaps this area could be made with a more discreet but fairly warm alternate fleece; extremely warm shag fleece is not really a good idea in the neck area anyway because the neck heats up rapidly during exertion.

The sharp metal zipper was a step below Arc'teryx's usual quality; the zipper soon snagged at the base. The collar was bulging on one side and didn't sit right. Cannot recommend this product--though generally I love Arc'teryx gear.