Customer Reviews Arc'teryx Beta SV Jacket

Bought this jacket in size small and ended up returning it. It's a bit baggy for my liking and I might try a XS. I have the beta AR and the alpha SV (I know...I don't need that many). I'm 5 feet 11 inches and 152 ish pounds. I love the inside and outside pockets. The chest pocket is awesome if you're wearing a pack with straps as the side pockets are hard to reach when your bag is strapped down. Aside from the fit, it's an awesome jacket and I wish they carried more of them in store.

My Beta AR had issues so Arc'teryx helped me get my hands on a solution. The fit and quality of the material on the SV is much better in my opinion. I like the hood design way more as it's easier to layer with other hooded pieces underneath. Definitely fits larger and longer than the Beta AR which is nice for wearing as a ski shell but also fits well with just a shirt underneath giving an oversized feel. I like it! Get it if you are a taller person!

I purchased the SV to replace a 2004ish AR. I chose the SV this time around for 4 reasons...the hood...the chest pocket...the longer length...and the colour (Distortion). As per past experiences with Arc'teryx products, the quality appears exceptional. The colour (Distortion) is quite nice. It's kind of a muted greenish grey. Something I could wear anywhere while not defaulting to my usual black. As far as fit, at 5'9" and 170lbs, I selected medium (my older AR was also a M). I had read the newer silhouette may be a bit more 'slim' than my older AR...but had also read the SV was a bit more 'roomy' than the AR...so without being able to try it on I made an educated guess. I've got to say I prefer the cut/fit of the old AR. In fact, with a few more cms in length, the old AR may have been the perfect cut/fit. Whether it be less taper in the body, a lightly narrower silhouette across the shoulders, or higher 'cut' arm holes, I find the newer SV to be a bit more constraining from pit to pit.

I bought this jacket 4 years ago, and it's been awesome. Unfortunately, it started to delaminate... but Arc'teryx is going to warranty the jacket, which is awesome. However, when I went to look at it's replacement...the shoulder pocket is no more! This was a great feature for buying this jacket as a resort jacket. It was the perfect feature to have it there. It was a great alternative to the insulated jackets like the Sabre. Alas, it is no more.

Bought this a month ago for some late season skiing. Excellent quality in the jacket. Certainly wind proof and actually looking forward to stepping out in the next rain storm with it. While the fit of the jacket is more relaxed it is built for the typical tall and lean bean customer Arc teryx clothes seem to be designed for. Looking forward to many great seasons of abuse as I think it will hold up well. Only reason for 4 stars and not 5 is price to value. It is a pretty minimalistic jacket for the cost but hey, it does look great

I was looking for a durable, versatile shell for year round use, and the Beta SV has worked out really well. I initially only wanted to wear this piece for outdoor activities and while it has worked very well for shoulder season hiking in adverse conditions, skiing, and as a rain coat. I like the deep chest pockets for stowing gear and the longer rear of the coat. The Beta SV is comfortable enough for daily, casual use (looks nice). I have been walking to work in the rain and snow with the beta, and stay dry no matter what the activity. I also find the complaints about the noise to be overstated, as I simply don't find it to be annoyingly loud at all. I'm 5'10.5", 205 pounds, athletic build, broad across the back, and have a 44" chest. Large was the way to go. I have just the right amount of room for a warm mid layer and the jacket doesn't feel too big with just a t- shirt or thin long sleeve. The sleeves come a little bit above my knuckles with my arms down to the side. I would say the jacket fits on the slightly larger end of the spectrum and the XL is far too long in the sleeves, and is too baggy for me. I wouldn't call the fit tapered at the waist in the large with my body type, but it doesn't look baggy either. I feel the fit with arcteryx is somewhat tricky in these jackets, and I highly recommend trying different sizes if you can. For those who are in that 6 foot to 5'10" range, i definitely think the large will likely be too long in the sleeves with an unflattering fit unless you are wider across the back with a fairly athletic build. The medium is the way to go for those with slighter builds in this case. Cheers.

I was looking for a durable, versatile shell for year round use, and the Beta SV has worked out really well. I initially only wanted to wear this piece for outdoor activities and while it has worked very well for shoulder season hiking in adverse conditions, skiing, and as a rain coat. I like the deep chest pockets for stowing gear and the longer rear of the coat. The Beta SV is comfortable enough for daily, casual use (looks nice). I have been walking to work in the rain and snow with the beta, and stay dry no matter what the activity. I also find the complaints about the noise to be overstated, as I simply don't find it to be annoyingly loud at all. I'm 5'10.5", 205 pounds, athletic build, broad across the back, and have a 44" chest. Large was the way to go. I have just the right amount of room for a warm mid layer and the jacket doesn't feel too big with just a t- shirt or thin long sleeve. The sleeves come a little bit above my knuckles with my arms down to the side. I would say the jacket fits on the slightly larger end of the spectrum and the XL is far too long in the sleeves, and is too baggy for me. I wouldn't call the fit tapered at the waist in the large with my body type, but it doesn't look baggy either. I feel the fit with arcteryx is somewhat tricky in these jackets, and I highly recommend trying different sizes if you can. For those who are in that 6 foot to 5'10" range, i definitely think the large will likely be too long in the sleeves with an unflattering fit unless you are wider across the back with a fairly athletic build. The medium is the way to go for those with slighter builds in this case. Cheers.

So this jacket needs a waist since like the theta at had. The torso is a bit baggy, not bad, but a little. Although both the beta sv and alpha sv both say regular fit, the alpha is more trim and layers more Efficiently than the beta sv. If you put an atom ar fleece and base layer under this you will have extra room around the mid section. Do this with an alpha sv and they just work flawlessly without looking too baggy with a t shirt.a waist since would help and make it a great All mountain shell. Having owned both, I prefer the alpha. It's long enough for tall guys like me and just has a better, even legendary fit. Also the n100pX is better at holding a dwr. If you tried the alpha and felt it was too slim, try the beta and I think you will be happy.

I bought this as a replacement for another jacket that began to de laminate after years of great service. I bought a large (like ALL of my other jackets) but it was HUGE! Am now in a medium, and it fits better. A little small I think, a trim fit with a light down underneath, but I can deal with it. I am not a fan of how snug the jacket fits over the hips. I get nervous sitting down in the car, thinking that the bottom of the zipper will blow out if it I don't hike the jacket up. Maybe its the length of the jacket that I am just not used to dealing with, but that and the noise are the only niggles that I dont like. Still early in the life of this jacket. Will add more details if there is something of note comes up.

I use the jacket for skiing in colorado in the winter and I use it for backpacking and all kinds of adventures in the summer as a great rain jacket. It gets all year round use and it serves both purposes very well. Best jacket I own.

Got this jacket from sportpursuit as a sample product. Bought to replace my old north Face point five jacket, it's better in every way! The fit and feel of the jacket is awesome! Like all arcteryx products it looks quality and isn't shouty. It's really light for such a robust jacket, the face fabric feel tough but not ridged. Never let a drop of water in. The zips and toggles are solid and well made. The only gripe I have is the adjusters for the hood that sit on the front of the collar don't hold at all, when I pull them down to bring the front of the hood down as soon as I twist my head or look up the just pull loose, they're useless, this may actually be a fault on my jacket as all the other adjusters hold firm, if I'd bought it from a shop I would've returned it but as it was a sample from sportpursuit I'm not sure where I stand. The ones on my fission Sv hold perfectly. Probabaly need to email arcteryx customer support. Other than that it's an awesome bit of kit!

Got this jacket from sportpursuit as a sample product. Bought to replace my old north Face point five jacket, it's better in every way! The fit and feel of the jacket is awesome! Like all arcteryx products it looks quality and isn't shouty. It's really light for such a robust jacket, the face fabric feel tough but not ridged. Never let a drop of water in. The zips and toggles are solid and well made. The only gripe I have is the adjusters for the hood that sit on the front of the collar don't hold at all, when I pull them down to bring the front of the hood down as soon as I twist my head or look up the just pull loose, they're useless, this may actually be a fault on my jacket as all the other adjusters hold firm, if I'd bought it from a shop I would've returned it but as it was a sample from sportpursuit I'm not sure where I stand. The ones on my fission Sv hold perfectly. Probabaly need to email arcteryx customer support. Other than that it's an awesome bit of kit!

I'm writing this review as someone coming from wearing Burton [AK] jackets for the past 15 years. Over the past 4 - 5 years Burton has been tinkering with their sleeve length and cut for the current jacket range. Their sleeves are now about 3 inches too short for me with arms out stretched... so time to try something else. From a durability, waterproofing, wind proofing, hood design standpoint there's really not too much difference between a 3L AK jacket and the Arcteryx Beta SV. They're both world class bomb proof jackets that run right around the same price point. The arm length is great on the Beta SV and with my arms fully outstretched they don't ride up my forearms. Problem solved! My only real issue (and they're minor) with the Beta SV that prevents it from being 5 stars is the ergonomic of the pockets. First are the two external chest pockets. Instead of access to the pockets being located just to the left and right of the main centre line zipper, they're situated closer to the arm pits. This makes accessing them a bit of a pain. You pretty much need to chicken wing your arm to unzip them and to get your hands in. On an [AK] jacket access to the external pocket zippers are located toward the middle of the chest Napoleon style. Reaching just across your chest center line with the opposite arm is a much easier and comfortable motion especially if you're confined to a chairlift with people sitting directly to your left or right. You wont accidentally elbow them in the face. Next is the internal zippable pocket. Size wise it's great but it sits too far down the chest. To get at it you have to un-zip your jacket an inch or so below your sternum to fully access it. Other that that it's a phenomenal jacket. I've been at the top of Blackcomb with very high winds and blowing snow, -15 deg and it's completely windproof. I've been sitting on the chairs at Cypress and Seymour in the pouring rain and it's kept me totally dry. Can't ask for much more than that to shield you from the elements.

I'm writing this review as someone coming from wearing Burton [AK] jackets for the past 15 years. Over the past 4 - 5 years Burton has been tinkering with their sleeve length and cut for the current jacket range. Their sleeves are now about 3 inches too short for me with arms out stretched... so time to try something else. From a durability, waterproofing, wind proofing, hood design standpoint there's really not too much difference between a 3L AK jacket and the Arcteryx Beta SV. They're both world class bomb proof jackets that run right around the same price point. The arm length is great on the Beta SV and with my arms fully outstretched they don't ride up my forearms. Problem solved! My only real issue (and they're minor) with the Beta SV that prevents it from being 5 stars is the ergonomic of the pockets. First are the two external chest pockets. Instead of access to the pockets being located just to the left and right of the main centre line zipper, they're situated closer to the arm pits. This makes accessing them a bit of a pain. You pretty much need to chicken wing your arm to unzip them and to get your hands in. On an [AK] jacket access to the external pocket zippers are located toward the middle of the chest Napoleon style. Reaching just across your chest center line with the opposite arm is a much easier and comfortable motion especially if you're confined to a chairlift with people sitting directly to your left or right. You wont accidentally elbow them in the face. Next is the internal zippable pocket. Size wise it's great but it sits too far down the chest. To get at it you have to un-zip your jacket an inch or so below your sternum to fully access it. Other that that it's a phenomenal jacket. I've been at the top of Blackcomb with very high winds and blowing snow, -15 deg and it's completely windproof. I've been sitting on the chairs at Cypress and Seymour in the pouring rain and it's kept me totally dry. Can't ask for much more than that to shield you from the elements.

First. I'm going to explain what the Beta jackets are by commenting on the Alpha series. Imo. The Alpa jackets are not for climbing per se, but they are jackets with a dedicated "athletic fit" made for a V-shaped body. If you have ( or are working on ) this type of body ? then you should buy the Alpha regardless if you are going to climb 90 degree rocks because no other series will fit like an Arcteryx should. A proper hard shell from Arcteryx should feel like "the air inside a living room" when walking around town. That said. The 2017 Beta SV jacket is a strange creature. Sown with "e3D patterning" it still ends up as a cylinder or in rough terms "sown around a wooden barrel". My measurements are, chest 101 cm and waist 88 cm, which puts me in between athletic and the usual body type and this jacket is usable for me but it doesn't fit as well as my 2010 Arcteryx Alpha packlite. My 2010 packlite is still twice the jacket for half the price but it doesn't hold up to high winds and prolonged rain considering its age. Medium is the only size that fits me without the drawbacks of long sleeves or a hanging jacket around the hip. This has posed a lot of issues as opposed to 2010 when I bought the first Arcteryx I tried ( I didn't know anything about the models ) and it fitted me better than the entire Arcteryx library of 2017. There have been "stealth cuts" to the fit of Arcteryx jackets since then and even if a designer subtracts half of an inch from the chest and a forth of an inch from the shoulders it can ruin the experience for a lot of users, namely everyone that was "in between sizes". You get used to a size of a certain series and then somebody performs a "stealth cut" ( for a theoretically improved ventilation ) or, the jackets are turned into "trim fit" ( without anyone informing you ) and you become a displeased customer and often without knowing why. In my case. The 2010 packlite medium with a "regular fit" can not be obtained. The cheapest "regular fit" is now the Beta SV or the Alpha AR. I also bought medium in the Alpha SL and Zeta AR ( both of which are "trim fit ) and they were not usable. After wearing the jackets for more than a day I felt suffocated. I checked and re-checked the size and could hardy believe my reaction. I thought it was me. Could it be yesterdays hangover or a cold that hadn't passed ? No. I had to morph into a detective slash designer to make any sense of it. So much money and it felt better to walk around without a jacket even if the temp was close to freezing. Fortunately. The store accepted the returns and now I own the 2017 Beta SV but I still use my old packlite and keep this one as a backup or for when it's extremely bad weather because of the tight fit combined with the sturdier N80p. Yes. The Beta SV states "regular fit" but compared to before this jacket ( along with all ) has succumbed to the collective mania of "trim fit". Everything has been trimmed down and you will be forced into long sleeves whichever type of jacket you choose. ( if you had a perfect fit in 2010 ) The scourge has won. People wanted to be "athletic". Not by working out and gaining strength but by downsizing the fit so that they feel bigger and all of the retail brands followed suit. I'm still perplexed to the intended use of this jacket. The 2017 Beta SV is tighter around the chest/shoulders, neck ( even the hip ) than my 2010 Alpha. This is not something that is bothersome when walking but for all other movements i.e. laying down, crawling, picking up stuff ( some days I pick up 200 bird droppings for checking health or cleaning ) and for gathering plants and mushrooms. For working with your hands and upper body, the 2017 Beta SV is awful compared to the movement of the 2010 Alpha. What I mean is. For a jacket. Gathering stuff from a ground level, tying your shoes while standing up, is identical to climbing. This jacket is gripping into the shoulders every time I pick up stuff. There is zero space left for my hip since I have relatively sturdy legs. Since the Beta Jacket has a longer body than the 2010 Alpha. Shouldn't the hip radius be ( at least ) as wide as it was on the shorter Alpha ? Considering that the Beta is long enough to cover your entire butt. Instead. The hip radius of the 2017 Beta is smaller ( ? ) which is a, - What ?? Movements that you want to execute freely in a forest environment even if you will never climb. These movements are counteracted by these strange "new fits". This is extra important because the N80P fabric will basically never stretch unless it breaks. The only positive to the tighter fit is the slight improvement of wind resistance and breathability that a tighter jacket provides, but I bought Arcteryx for the comfort that I will ( consequently ) never find again outside of a custom fit. But who is this jacket for ? and for what activity ? Well. I guess. If you have a pear shaped body ? with relatively long arms and a vastly undersized hip, then this jacket will fit. That should be about 5 % of the active outdoors population. In its defense. The strange shape of the Beta SV has an edge for riding a bike in bad weather, for fishing standing up in a static way ( standing still while holding a fishing pole ) or for moving around if you happen to have below average shoulders or if your waist is larger than your chest. Personally. I would change the label of "Beta" and call it "Fisherman's friend" or the "Queens Guard". Apart from the strange fit everything else is cake. The cool color of "iron oxide". The quality of the fabric. I actually recommend this jacket. Just beware of what I wrote. Happy hunting !

First. I'm going to explain what the Beta jackets are by commenting on the Alpha series. Imo. The Alpa jackets are not for climbing per se, but they are jackets with a dedicated "athletic fit" made for a V-shaped body. If you have ( or are working on ) this type of body ? then you should buy the Alpha regardless if you are going to climb 90 degree rocks because no other series will fit like an Arcteryx should. A proper hard shell from Arcteryx should feel like "the air inside a living room" when walking around town. That said. The 2017 Beta SV jacket is a strange creature. Sown with "e3D patterning" it still ends up as a cylinder or in rough terms "sown around a wooden barrel". My measurements are, chest 101 cm and waist 88 cm, which puts me in between athletic and the usual body type and this jacket is usable for me but it doesn't fit as well as my 2010 Arcteryx Alpha packlite. My 2010 packlite is still twice the jacket for half the price but it doesn't hold up to high winds and prolonged rain considering its age. Medium is the only size that fits me without the drawbacks of long sleeves or a hanging jacket around the hip. This has posed a lot of issues as opposed to 2010 when I bought the first Arcteryx I tried ( I didn't know anything about the models ) and it fitted me better than the entire Arcteryx library of 2017. There have been "stealth cuts" to the fit of Arcteryx jackets since then and even if a designer subtracts half of an inch from the chest and a forth of an inch from the shoulders it can ruin the experience for a lot of users, namely everyone that was "in between sizes". You get used to a size of a certain series and then somebody performs a "stealth cut" ( for a theoretically improved ventilation ) or, the jackets are turned into "trim fit" ( without anyone informing you ) and you become a displeased customer and often without knowing why. In my case. The 2010 packlite medium with a "regular fit" can not be obtained. The cheapest "regular fit" is now the Beta SV or the Alpha AR. I also bought medium in the Alpha SL and Zeta AR ( both of which are "trim fit ) and they were not usable. After wearing the jackets for more than a day I felt suffocated. I checked and re-checked the size and could hardy believe my reaction. I thought it was me. Could it be yesterdays hangover or a cold that hadn't passed ? No. I had to morph into a detective slash designer to make any sense of it. So much money and it felt better to walk around without a jacket even if the temp was close to freezing. Fortunately. The store accepted the returns and now I own the 2017 Beta SV but I still use my old packlite and keep this one as a backup or for when it's extremely bad weather because of the tight fit combined with the sturdier N80p. Yes. The Beta SV states "regular fit" but compared to before this jacket ( along with all ) has succumbed to the collective mania of "trim fit". Everything has been trimmed down and you will be forced into long sleeves whichever type of jacket you choose. ( if you had a perfect fit in 2010 ) The scourge has won. People wanted to be "athletic". Not by working out and gaining strength but by downsizing the fit so that they feel bigger and all of the retail brands followed suit. I'm still perplexed to the intended use of this jacket. The 2017 Beta SV is tighter around the chest/shoulders, neck ( even the hip ) than my 2010 Alpha. This is not something that is bothersome when walking but for all other movements i.e. laying down, crawling, picking up stuff ( some days I pick up 200 bird droppings for checking health or cleaning ) and for gathering plants and mushrooms. For working with your hands and upper body, the 2017 Beta SV is awful compared to the movement of the 2010 Alpha. What I mean is. For a jacket. Gathering stuff from a ground level, tying your shoes while standing up, is identical to climbing. This jacket is gripping into the shoulders every time I pick up stuff. There is zero space left for my hip since I have relatively sturdy legs. Since the Beta Jacket has a longer body than the 2010 Alpha. Shouldn't the hip radius be ( at least ) as wide as it was on the shorter Alpha ? Considering that the Beta is long enough to cover your entire butt. Instead. The hip radius of the 2017 Beta is smaller ( ? ) which is a, - What ?? Movements that you want to execute freely in a forest environment even if you will never climb. These movements are counteracted by these strange "new fits". This is extra important because the N80P fabric will basically never stretch unless it breaks. The only positive to the tighter fit is the slight improvement of wind resistance and breathability that a tighter jacket provides, but I bought Arcteryx for the comfort that I will ( consequently ) never find again outside of a custom fit. But who is this jacket for ? and for what activity ? Well. I guess. If you have a pear shaped body ? with relatively long arms and a vastly undersized hip, then this jacket will fit. That should be about 5 % of the active outdoors population. In its defense. The strange shape of the Beta SV has an edge for riding a bike in bad weather, for fishing standing up in a static way ( standing still while holding a fishing pole ) or for moving around if you happen to have below average shoulders or if your waist is larger than your chest. Personally. I would change the label of "Beta" and call it "Fisherman's friend" or the "Queens Guard". Apart from the strange fit everything else is cake. The cool color of "iron oxide". The quality of the fabric. I actually recommend this jacket. Just beware of what I wrote. Happy hunting !

The Beta SV is a great jacket. I'm quite stocky at 5' 8"and 230lbs as such it is very difficult to find jackets that fit properly. The Beta SV more or less does. It fits perfectly in the body but the sleeves are way too long. This doesn't matter much since it has excellent cuffs which can be cinched down as tight as you want. I don't kbow why no other company seems to be able to get this right. Also the hood is huge but can easilly be fit to a un helmeted head. But as good as it is it could still benifit from a few additional features. 1st I wish it had a 2 way zipper. It is very long which is a good thing but since it lacks a two way zipper it is quite difficult to sit down without unzipping it. Also if it had a 2 way zipper they could even make it longer without a problem. 2nd while it has a very nice durable fabric it would be nice if it had the same fabric as the Alpha SV. 3rd it is generously cut which makes weraing multiple layers easy but when it is worn on its own it can be fairly voluminous. This could be alleviated with the addition of a waist drawcord in additon to the hem drawcord. 4th it would be nice if it had two Napoleon pockets in addition to the hand pockets like the ones on the Gamma MX and Fission SV. 5th the pit zipps can be somewhat hard to open so it would be nice if they changed them to the style of pit zipps that go all the way to the hem; I find this type of pitt zip to be much easier to use and it allows you to vent even more than the traditional pit zips most jackets have. And finally it would be really nice if they could replace all of the old style cord locks with Cohaesive ones as they are much easier to use. Also another side note the embroidery on this jacket doesn't seem to be as nice as the embroidery on many of Arcteryx's other jackets. There are little sections of additional stitching between the letters. This can be seen if you look closley at the product shots. It would be nice if they used the same high quality embroidery as on the Alpha SV and Fission SV. This doesn't affect the performance at all but I thought it was a little weird. Overall an excellent jacket and with the addition of a few more features it could be a true expedition hardshell unrivaled by any other.

The Beta SV is a great jacket. I'm quite stocky at 5' 8"and 230lbs as such it is very difficult to find jackets that fit properly. The Beta SV more or less does. It fits perfectly in the body but the sleeves are way too long. This doesn't matter much since it has excellent cuffs which can be cinched down as tight as you want. I don't kbow why no other company seems to be able to get this right. Also the hood is huge but can easilly be fit to a un helmeted head. But as good as it is it could still benifit from a few additional features. 1st I wish it had a 2 way zipper. It is very long which is a good thing but since it lacks a two way zipper it is quite difficult to sit down without unzipping it. Also if it had a 2 way zipper they could even make it longer without a problem. 2nd while it has a very nice durable fabric it would be nice if it had the same fabric as the Alpha SV. 3rd it is generously cut which makes weraing multiple layers easy but when it is worn on its own it can be fairly voluminous. This could be alleviated with the addition of a waist drawcord in additon to the hem drawcord. 4th it would be nice if it had two Napoleon pockets in addition to the hand pockets like the ones on the Gamma MX and Fission SV. 5th the pit zipps can be somewhat hard to open so it would be nice if they changed them to the style of pit zipps that go all the way to the hem; I find this type of pitt zip to be much easier to use and it allows you to vent even more than the traditional pit zips most jackets have. And finally it would be really nice if they could replace all of the old style cord locks with Cohaesive ones as they are much easier to use. Also another side note the embroidery on this jacket doesn't seem to be as nice as the embroidery on many of Arcteryx's other jackets. There are little sections of additional stitching between the letters. This can be seen if you look closley at the product shots. It would be nice if they used the same high quality embroidery as on the Alpha SV and Fission SV. This doesn't affect the performance at all but I thought it was a little weird. Overall an excellent jacket and with the addition of a few more features it could be a true expedition hardshell unrivaled by any other.

Please see pros and cons for my main points. However, I should say that the cons I feel are somewhat minor, and the pros major. Overall, this really is a good shelter. the drawcord buttons need to be stronger though, and ideally all changed to the button style lock, not the thin fiddly ones. however, it's still a fantastic overall shelter and those negatives won't really be too noticable. You'll know it's not perfect and you'll feel it as well. But perfection is a different ball game, even though this is still quite expensive. Overall, still great if you find yourself outdoors in cold/wet.

Please see pros and cons for my main points. However, I should say that the cons I feel are somewhat minor, and the pros major. Overall, this really is a good shelter. the drawcord buttons need to be stronger though, and ideally all changed to the button style lock, not the thin fiddly ones. however, it's still a fantastic overall shelter and those negatives won't really be too noticable. You'll know it's not perfect and you'll feel it as well. But perfection is a different ball game, even though this is still quite expensive. Overall, still great if you find yourself outdoors in cold/wet.

Slightly longer and baggier through the body than the Beta AR (and just a tad shorter than the Theta AR), this jacket layers well. Sleeves extend a little longer than AR versions and with more room through the chest than the athletic fit jackets, even with my 40L frame I enjoy full coverage through a complete range of motion. Material keeps anything out, living up to the SV attribute, but the cost is poor thermal efficiency, and I overheat rapidly without fully opening the pit zips.

I love everything about this jacket, the looks, fit, pockets and ruggedness. But the entire chest and sleeves area has some production mistake or is delaminating along the seam where the fabric is sewed / glued together. I have opened a product service request and will update this post with the result. I bought the jacket less than a year ago and have used it this winter holidays for the first time.

I love everything about this jacket, the looks, fit, pockets and ruggedness. But the entire chest and sleeves area has some production mistake or is delaminating along the seam where the fabric is sewed / glued together. I have opened a product service request and will update this post with the result. I bought the jacket less than a year ago and have used it this winter holidays for the first time.

I purchased this for winter hiking and resort skiing. Overall I think it well made but the armpits are very high and tight which made the jacket uncomfortable. Also, the stiff pit zips also made for an uncomfortable bunching in my underarms. I had the same issue with my alpha AR. This was used with a baselayer, lightweight fleece shirt and light puffy layer. I haven't had this issue with my sabre AR, sabre LT or beta LT. Also the hood is too big without helmet. 155lbs, 6'0". Size medium

Pity the cut isn't like my Alpha SV, which now wets out. My Sidewinder SV is also perfect but after 6 years is wetting out really badly despite very careful nikwax treatment. My Alpha SV suffers the same, but i do live in a superwet climate. I don't know if this is a general trend but over the last 2 years I feel like the cut of the technical jackets doesn't reflect most of the target audience. They're gettin narrower up top and wider down below. For reference I'm 6'2" and 65kg and always chose medium - includes 2 x Ceres SV, Atom AR, Dually, Cerium SV, both SL and LT Cerium vests, a Keppel for the city, plus a bunch of midlayers. Only jacket i ever returned was a Firebee as it had the "narrow shoulder big torso short arm" issue too. Yeah i have too many jackets ;) But i depend on them a lot.