Customer Reviews Arc'teryx Beta AR Jacket

If you have a standard body shape and need one jacket to protect against wind, rain, and snow, the Beta AR is for you. Unfortunately for my 40L and 175# frame, the sleeve and body lengths are shorter than other medium-sized Arc'teryx jackets I've owned (Aphix and Stingray, e.g.), and the athletic fit leaves little room in the chest for my triangle shaped torso. Unless I open the pit zips, I cannot rotate my arms through a full range of motion without the fabric pinching my shoulders, and if I lift my arms, my belly button shows. It makes sense that the lengths would be shorter than the Stingray, a whiteline snow-sports jacket, but I was surprised by the Beta AR's relatively high hem and the tightness across the chest compared to the medium-sized mid-layer jacket I already own (that the Beta AR is theoretically designed to layer over). That said, if you have a more standard body type, the fit will be slim but functional, and the new hemline should match the hem for newer generation mid-layers. Ultimately, the design poses a problem for 40Ls and a blessing for 40Rs.

This jacket is very well thought out and an excellent all round shell. Lots of room in the hood for a helmet but great features to tighten it up so it doesn't flop over your face if you're not wearing one. The collar is nice and high and keeps out the wind and elements and helps keep heat in. Love the longer sleeves. I have a long torso and would like another inch in length but thats not a deal breaker. The pocket zippers open up instead of down which is hard to get used to and a little awkward. I can understand why they might be like that I just can't get over it feeling awkward. The jacket is cut pretty straight and doesn't quite fit right for an hourglass figure. Its pretty bulky in the mid section for me and fits perfect in the chest and hips. If you're a straight or athletic build it would be perfect. I find the extra loose fabric in the middle gets in the way of easy movement. Other than the overall cut and the backwards zipper I would put this jacket as pretty much perfect.

Un impermable plus long (en bas des hanches) serait utile pour la marche en ville ou en sentier lger. Je ne discredite pas pour autant le produit que vous offrez pour les randonnes en montagne et pour toutes les raisons que vius voques

Great hardshell. I have had mine for a couple of years now and it still looks brand new. I snowboarded in it last season (with many falls) and not a scratch on it, very durable.

As far as waterproofing and windproofing, this jacket is killer. With its super durable construction, it shows virtually no signs of use after being worn 60+ times. My complaints concern fit. It's definitely relaxed, which works well to accommodate layers, but isn't very flattering. I'm 5'7," 125 pounds, small chested and the small has just been... Awkward. It appears to puff out in the chest; for my body, there's just too much room in the circumference. (But--I'd be concerned that going down a size would become too tight in the armpits if I were trying to layer, and too short on my waist.) As such, I never wear it "out and about." I don't use it as a rain jacket (which I was hoping to); again, it's just too baggy (and a bit bulky). It's listed as "hip length," which turns out to be too short for me and what I've ended up using it for (re: snowboarding, skinning, and cross country skiing). But that's not Arc'teryx's fault--it's intended for and listed as "all-around" use; I should have considered something ski/snow specific, like the Sentinel or Scimitar. Finally, I'm not a fan of the drop hood. If I'm layering with the Atom AR (or any other mid-layer with a hood) but have both hoods down, the collar of the Beta AR sort of forces the hood of the mid-layer to puff up and crowd the back of my head. Looks and feels awkward. As such, if I were to get another Arc'teryx shell, I'd get one with a Storm hood for sure. In short--not a bad jacket, just not a good one for me.

J'ai acquis cette veste pour gravir les montagnes du Npal. De faon plus gnrale cette veste m'accompagne partout o je pense que les lments extrieurs seront hostiles (pluie, vent, neige). Parfaitement tanche, il m'est mme arrive de courir avec par temps trs froid. Les trs grandes aration sous les bras permettent un excellent aration vitant ainsi l'effet tuve.Un excellent coupe vent ! Elle n'est pas trop bruyante, mon pouse va travailler avec dans un bureau :-). Les scratches sont parfaits et tiennent bien avec le temps. Le seul bmol vient du col qui est un peu trop large et peut laisser passer l'eau par coulement. Il faudrait juste un petit cordon de serrage pour rectifier ce petit dfaut. Pour conclure, ce serait refaire je n'hsiterais pas la racheter. Je l'utilise depuis 2014 aprs deux ans de bourlinguante elle su rsister toutes mes pripties.

I have only had the jacket for a month. It has been used primarily for skiing. So far so good. I have one complaint that I have not experienced with other quality shells I have owned: the storm flap (wind flap?) behind the primary zipper is so narrow that it catches the zipper when zipping up one-handed. To be clear, the flap does not get caught in the zipper so as to jam it, but it does get scraped by the zipper. I expect it will eventually fray on the edge. A minor issue in terms of performance, but an annoyance and presumably something that could be designed away.

This jacket is the most versatile jacket I have come across. It is completely waterproof, can be used as a shell on summer hikes in the rain, fall events in wind and rain, cross country skiing during the winter, or for a casual night out on the town. The fit is great; I am a 5'1 female and have found most of Arc'teryx's products to have a tall fit, but this one fits right below the hips (right on the hips for normal-sized people). Also, it is roomy enough to throw a few layers on underneath without looking bulky, and without looking too loose without any layers.

This jacket is the most versatile jacket I have come across. It is completely waterproof, can be used as a shell on summer hikes in the rain, fall events in wind and rain, cross country skiing during the winter, or for a casual night out on the town. The fit is great; I am a 5'1 female and have found most of Arc'teryx's products to have a tall fit, but this one fits right below the hips (right on the hips for normal-sized people). Also, it is roomy enough to throw a few layers on underneath without looking bulky, and without looking too loose without any layers.

This jacket was my entry into the world of Arcteryx. I love its minimalistic design, sleak enough to wear it downtown when the sky is crying over New England. Ideal for climbing and mountaineering, harness fits well underneath. Well designed storm hood, keeps you perfectly protected. So far, no problems at all with waterproofness. Had the jacket for a year and wore it all year round. Unfortuntely and to my surprise, the inner lining started to rip after only three month. I expected this jacket to hold for longer. Nonetheless, I sent the jacket to Arc'teryx and received it back three weeks later - the repairs are invisible. Great customer service. The lifetime guarantee was definitely an argument for me to buy the jacket in the first instance. And yes, ahem, the jacket might cause envy among your outdoor friends...or even from your totally not-outdoorsy mom.... As the picture shows, the Beta AR protects you from the elements..

I had to move up to one size larger than normal to accommodate the layers that I use during the winter months. The multiple layers made it tight in the shoulder and armpit area. I'd rather take off layers than feel cold. I also use it in the spring and fall for sailing and boating, since the seams are welded and the zippers are waterproof. I have the version made in Canada - I understand they are now made in China.

I want to buy a men's Beta AR jacket but the colour selection right now is awful. Phenom, daze (ugly yellow) and bitters colours are awful looking. Please bring back Vitality and Fluidity blue and the bright yellow from last season. I'll keep checking the website until better colours arise!

Have had this jacket for about 6 years. Liked the model, used it weekly, both in town and regular trekkings. Took care of the jacket as recommended by you and your instructions, It`s important to me to have a product that really works, function in bad weather. After 4-5 years, it leaked over shoulders and back, and around my sleeves, really bad. Most seams fell apart during the same time. To bad durability for this price. Not sure that gore-tex is a reliable product over time.

I bought this jacket, expecting I could fit my phone into the inside pocket. But guess what: THE POCKET IS TOO SMALL TO HOLD A PHONE. Unbelievable. The only thing people would likely put into an inside pocket is a phone and they make the pocket too small. Seriously guys? Very disappointed.

I bought this in March '21 and have used it pretty extensively in a variety of contexts, both as an everyday shell and an essential piece of rain gear when in the wilderness. I'd like to say it has performed above and beyond my expectations but it has been rather spotty performance-wise due to the rather short half-life of the DWR treatment it arrived with. However, when I've recently reapplied DWR to it, it is fantastic.

I bought the updated Beta AR last fall for backcountry skiing and ended up selling it this fall. The first time I wore it skiing I had to go between two pine trees whose branches brushed either arm. I ended up with substantial scratches on both arms. I thought this was updated with "Most Rugged" material? I am also not a fan of the drop hood at all. If you have any hooded layers underneath the hoods bunch up around your neck and are very uncomfortable. It is also not as protective as a storm good. Plus, when worn casually the collar does not look good at all folded down. The cut of the Large size has too narrow shoulders and too expansive of a midsection so when worn with a thicker midlayer your silhouette is very round. All that being said it is a very well built piece which strikes many good compromises to be the only shell you need.

I bought this jacket a year ago for a long stomp around Europe (I intended to get the Zeta AR but came out the store with this instead) I was out for a whole winter in this, one week in the worst rainfall I've ever been caught in and I was comfortable, if not pleased, to be out hiking in that. Also came back without a scratch or a stain despite the rough treatment it was given. So when it really counts, this jacket aces it! But on the day-to-day or to take with you just-in-case it's a nuisance. The hood is just irritating, the fabric is noisy and the fit is awful if you aren't properly layered. I ended up buying another 3L in a similar style to the Zeta which is my go-to while this has stayed in a wardrobe undisturbed for several months until conditions made it worth breaking out again recently. The jacket is undoubtably a worthwhile investment for serious outdoor types with frequent cause to be layering up, wearing helmets and getting the use out of the jacket it is marketed for. If, like me, you are mainly out and about in mild but wet conditions and not climbing on anything more challenging than the back of a horse, I'd say Arc'teryx have better products for you to splurge on. The three stars reflect the cast-iron five stars it deserves for the four months of the year I've got out of it.

Bought this jacket specifically to wear for Kilimanjaro climb. On the summit night, it was sleeting with temperatures definitely in below freezing point. Maybe because it was so cold the jacket's waterproofing didnt hold as advertised. The synthetic jacket I was wearing underneath the Beta got wet. Luckily I had on a fleece layer under to keep me warm.

The 3rd outing with my jacket resulted in it getting 'wetted out' I.e. the gortex got so wet by the rain it affected its performance and ability to breathe which in turn made me pretty uncomfortable and susceptible to cold from the moisture inside.The recommendation is that a DWR coating should be reapplied but I find it hard believe that this should be necessary so soon. I would not recommend this jacket especially if you are working hard in the mountains and really need both a very breathable and waterproof shell.

I have worn Arcteryx gear for many years on many outdoor adventures and always loved the comfort and durability, however something odd happens when I layer my Beta AR over a Nuclei Hoody or Cerium LT. The oddity is that almost immediately excessive moisture builds up between the inside of the Beta AR and the outer layer of my Nucei or Cerium. I am not a 'sweaty guy', however, a lot of moisture gets trapped between the 2 layers with no where to go. I have tried opening the pit zips to no but the arms and back or still soaked in moisture (and opening the pit zips defeats the sole purpose of layering up...too keep warm!). Not sure if Arcteryx testers have experienced this... thanks to anyone that can share their thoughts.

I have worn Arcteryx gear for many years on many outdoor adventures and always loved the comfort and durability, however something odd happens when I layer my Beta AR over a Nuclei Hoody or Cerium LT. The oddity is that almost immediately excessive moisture builds up between the inside of the Beta AR and the outer layer of my Nucei or Cerium. I am not a 'sweaty guy', however, a lot of moisture gets trapped between the 2 layers with no where to go. I have tried opening the pit zips to no but the arms and back or still soaked in moisture (and opening the pit zips defeats the sole purpose of layering up...too keep warm!). Not sure if Arcteryx testers have experienced this... thanks to anyone that can share their thoughts.

Bought this jacket based on so many positive reviews but very quickly was met with sore disappointment at how short this jacket is up front. I have many mid-layers and all but 2 protrude from the bottom of the front of this jacket .... by less than 1". Seriously!? The front of the BETA AR is cut in a weird way that won't cover mid-layer products at the front of the jacket because it's cut and sewn short. The weirdest part is I tried the same jacket - a different L in store and it seemed longer up front but the jacket was much larger in the armpit area. Who cuts the material before the jackets are sewn!!??? The one I brought home was just right, but was shorter at the zipper. Go figure. Nice looking jacket, would be my new go-to jacket for back-country and city outings, but the high cut front is a real shame and a deal-breaker!!! Set my sights on this jacket after a lot of research and reading - won't be wearing it and can't recommend it either, back it goes and back to the drawing board for me. Arc'teryx folks, if you're reading this - make the front 1" lower and leave the back as it is, add a pocket in the sleeve, make the inside pocket larger and you'd have a SOLID winner. Current (2017/2018) colour combinations are great, BTW.

Bought this jacket based on so many positive reviews but very quickly was met with sore disappointment at how short this jacket is up front. I have many mid-layers and all but 2 protrude from the bottom of the front of this jacket .... by less than 1". Seriously!? The front of the BETA AR is cut in a weird way that won't cover mid-layer products at the front of the jacket because it's cut and sewn short. The weirdest part is I tried the same jacket - a different L in store and it seemed longer up front but the jacket was much larger in the armpit area. Who cuts the material before the jackets are sewn!!??? The one I brought home was just right, but was shorter at the zipper. Go figure. Nice looking jacket, would be my new go-to jacket for back-country and city outings, but the high cut front is a real shame and a deal-breaker!!! Set my sights on this jacket after a lot of research and reading - won't be wearing it and can't recommend it either, back it goes and back to the drawing board for me. Arc'teryx folks, if you're reading this - make the front 1" lower and leave the back as it is, add a pocket in the sleeve, make the inside pocket larger and you'd have a SOLID winner. Current (2017/2018) colour combinations are great, BTW.

Debating keeping this jacket. I like everything, but the fact that the Internal pocket is not big enough for and iPhone 6 or s8+. That only leaves hand pockets for cell phone, or pants pockets which is too awkward for climbing or skiing. No reason they couldn't have made the pocket entrance bigger. If I hold my phone up to the pocket it looks like it would fit, but as the zipper is only 3/4 of the way across in the middle there is no way to get it in. I'm worried the other models of the jackets would be the same.

Debating keeping this jacket. I like everything, but the fact that the Internal pocket is not big enough for and iPhone 6 or s8+. That only leaves hand pockets for cell phone, or pants pockets which is too awkward for climbing or skiing. No reason they couldn't have made the pocket entrance bigger. If I hold my phone up to the pocket it looks like it would fit, but as the zipper is only 3/4 of the way across in the middle there is no way to get it in. I'm worried the other models of the jackets would be the same.