Customer Reviews Arc'teryx Beta AR Jacket

This is the best shell I have ever bought. The cost was a little detouring, but not a deal breaker. ARC'TERYX makes the best shells, so if you are looking for any type of shell I highly reccamend them.

I bought this shell for skiing and use it every time I go. The New England weather can dish out a lot of lousy conditions and I've never had any issues staying warm and dry. It's a very comfortable jacket and quite easy to layer underneath, depending on conditions. Buy this jacket, you won't be disappointed. Plus you'll look marvelous. Skiing, hiking, shoveling snow, rainy camping...stay fresh my friends.

I bought this shell for skiing and use it every time I go. The New England weather can dish out a lot of lousy conditions and I've never had any issues staying warm and dry. It's a very comfortable jacket and quite easy to layer underneath, depending on conditions. Buy this jacket, you won't be disappointed. Plus you'll look marvelous. Skiing, hiking, shoveling snow, rainy camping...stay fresh my friends.

bought my mother one about 6 years ago and it is still going strong, no delamination, no discoloration, and no glue breaking down. The zipper coating and are still doing a great job sealing out rain, which is one thing that has in the past been for me the first to go on my older beta ar. She loves the jacket and wears it everyday in the fall and winter in the rain when she is walking the dog. She does not do any mountaineering so this jacket is kind of overkill for her. These jackets are pretty bombproof with the proper care and DWR treatment.

Hi! I LOVE this jacket. It is very durable and great for every activity. What makes it the best for me (I've bought FOUR of these jackets in the past - two for myself as well as some for family/friends!) is the fit. As a rock/alpine climber its very hard to find a company that builds clothes that fit a climbing women's body (developed shoulders and back and narrow waist). t is flattering and accommodates movement very well. I fact Arcteryx is the only company that makes jackets that fit an athletic women's build this well! I was surprised to see the first reviewer did not like the fit. I find the fit is the best and there is nothing like it! Please don't change!! This jacket is the best!

I picked up this shell along with a alpha fl pack prior to a trip i was making up north to the ski resorts in southern canada to some various trekking trips with a few local friends up near alberta a season or two ago. Given that timeframe, my thoughts of the beta line have been revitalized, I had or still own a beta lt that underwent water soaking in short periods of exposure and still is a minor issue with the replacement i got from the company. My thoughts of the lt is that if you are expecting to be stuck in long periods of downpour it will not be the ideal piece to keep you dry. The beta ar purchase for the trip was a gamble and it surely paid off. You can tell off the initial impression that this shell is more ideal for heavy set exposure to the elements, its heavier, burlier, and feature packed. Kept me dry during all of my trip in canada where i was trekking/touring for 14 hours a day in rain/snow conditions. Venting is great in this shell due to the pit zips, something that lacked in my previous LT but features as you will come to know in the arcteryx brand is available with more $$ and surely it is worth spending the additional green if you are in dire need of depending on your gear for long periods of time out in the outdoors. Prior to my lt, i was a heavy alpha shell user but the way the pockets are located and my needs, the beta was what drew me in initially with the LT and back again with the AR. Both great products but it all comes down to the activity and the purposed use and I prefer the design of the beta for most of my needs. I have the two tone gray beta shell and its held up very well and will see more uses to come. As for the lt, ill keep that for light commuting on my bike or treks, this AR is surely something i can depend on for something outside those bounds. For my small con, make sure you try on all of the shells you intend to purchase, arcteryx has a variety of fits and styles that they change between model sets and within those model lines as well. For example the beta lt, I am a medium as its more form fitting, the AR and my Theta, I had to size down. Other than that, arcteryx has done good on this AR, cant imagine if they will release a BETA SV, would be interesting how much better they can improve on this one. I have been wearing arc products since I saw and bought the alpha sv from the movie "Vertical Limit" since than i have been loyal and a follower of their quality products.

My Beta AR was one of my first Arc pieces. As a cross over athlete I had been involved in testing another line of all mountain apparel over the past decade. What origianlly attracted me to Arcteryx was finding an approprate all around fit for myself with the right amount of material in the right places but not too much. My past experiences with other lines is that for an athletic build individual as myself, there was excess material in some places and too restrictive in others of most designs. Im 5'9'' and about 160lbs and come from a multisport / endurance background. What Arc had to offer was unique at least for me because it was highly functional in over all fit and performance for a build like me. I have a number of Arc Gortex Shells from WhiteLine Category but have really discoverd the high versatility of the Beta AR in how it crosses over in its performance into a number of activities and performs exceptionally....out of bounds side and backcountry ski ski recons and descents, climbing, backcountry pursuits, layering and stand alone in the flex of continued changing climate and all mountain conditions. If you need to grab and go one shell piece to cover a broad range ....its a definite Go To piece! Guess thats why its in Essential Category. Keep charging!

J'ai cette parka depuis 3 ans, toute l'anne, pour toutes mes activits et la vie quotidienne. Trs confortable, j'apprcie son tanchit parfaite mme aprs plusieurs heures de pluie! Les grandes poches permettent de ranger les gants ou bonnet en hiver, ainsi qu'une carte topographique. Elles sont accessibles mme lorsque l'on porte un baudrier ou un sac dos avec ceinture sur les hanches, et rien que a c'est GENIAL! La capuche peut tre porte sur le casque, trs pratique! Coutures et zip tanches et robustes. Les zips sont manipulables mme avec de gros gants en hiver. La coupe est plus longue sur l'arrire donc chaleur garantie lorsque l'on range les peaux de phoque! Un produit incontournable,

Best quality shell I have ever owned and would never consider buying anything else from now on! 100% waterproof and has never let me down in about 4 years... Used for a variety of activities but where it proved its self to me is when I was on my mountain bike, slid off on a piece wood and slid literally 15 ft on solid concrete (this jacket taking the grunt of the fall). Wiped the muddy water away and you couldn't tell the difference between its condition then and the condition straight from the shop! Work Horse!!!

Been wearing this jacket biking and walking to work in the pouring rain. Perfectly rain/water proof.

I absolutely love this jacket. I'm 170lbs, 5'8" and a medium fits me perfectly. Has room to add layers but still looks and feels great with very little underneath. It performs flawlessly as you expect from any of their products. And it comes with great service and warranty, as this is my second one. I had the first one for 7 or 8 years and did everything in it. After lots of use the seem for draw string around the waist came apart. I sent it to them and they said they could fit but the material was starting to break down. So they replaced the jacket with a brand new one. I just had to pick the colour and size. Very pleased costumer!

I've always wanted an Arcteryx Jacket but put off the purchase for a long time, lets face it, it's realy expensive. Now that I purchased the Beta AR i'm not sure how I might be able to wear anything else. I'm 5'10" 160 and purchased the Large. It fits great both with a down puffy jacket for insulation or a fleece shirt without the down. I used the jacket this past week in Smugglers Notch, VT. My first trip out was a hike on Route 108 into the Notch , the wind was wipping, probably 20-30 MPH and it was snowing hard with Temps in the teens, I had a down jacket in my pack but never needed it. Under the Beta AR I wore an Under Armour base with a long sleeve fleece on top of it and I was really comfortable. I never felt the wind at all and the snow that was falling, while not a blizzard, was no match for the jacket. The hood fit great over my hat, just tighten down on the cords slightly and it it doesn't move and keeps the wind off of your neck . I purposely tried to wear something not to heavy under the jacket to gauge its warmth and protection. I was warm the entire time. If you do stop for the a long period you will need the insulating jacket. I then wore the jacket 2 other days to ski at Smugglers Notch, The first day Temps were in the teens and it was windy again on the Mountain and on the lifts. Under Armour base with a thin fleece shirt and 800 fill down down jacket under the AR and I was comfortable the entire day. The helmet compatible hood worked great, never used one before , it really keeps the wind out and warmth from escaping from front and back of neck. Just sinch the cords a little to keep the hood on your helmet. Second day was a little warmer, 20, and not as windy. Wore the AR with only base layer and medium weight fleece long sleeve shirt, with the collar up around your neck. The jacket is bomb proof, amazing, it was everything that you would expect and more. Even while bombing down the mountain at high speeds you never feel the wind penetrating through the jacket. The jacket fully zipped covers your neck and chin area and eliminated the need for a gator. The jacket, by itself, is obviously not a warm insulating jacket and sitting around on a cold chair, you could eventually get cold but for anyone into the outdoors, skiing , AT, climbing , Hiking, etc if you can afford one it will be your go to piece of gear and I think will be well worth the investment.

I have bought the Sentinel, Zeta AR, Tempest and Beta AR from online retailer. I've returned all kept the Beta AR. Sadly no one locally carries these styles for me to try on. The Sentinel and Tempest do not have as much wiggle room at the armpit and hip. The Zeta that I tried on didn't have pit zips if memory serves. The Beta AR feels more relaxed. I can wear a fleece layer under and the armpits do not feel tight. I can move my arms to the front of my chest without feeling restricted. I used velcro to adjust the arm length because it is slightly long. My hip is around 39" and there is some room left if I choose to cinch the toggle tight (but I don't use it). The hood has multiple adjustments (around the face, at the nape of the neck to adjust the height of the hood, and the middle of the head to cinch the two sides) that you can tailor to your head size. I wore this in pouring rain in Atlanta for hours while sightseeing and it kept me dry. The pit zips come in really handy. Love, love this jacket. I have Pink Guava (Winter 2015) and Malachite (2013) which is a beautiful green. I also like Genziana Blue and Vultee Blue from past seasons. I am normally size 6-8 and bought medium.

This is a great shell and I love the vibrant colours it comes in. I personally found this shell quite short in the body. If I raise my arms, it will show my torso, and only just covers my bum. I went to size up but it was just too large. I think if Arc'teryx added a bit more length to the jacket, this would be the ultimate shell for women. The only other thing I found is that there seems to be a lot of room around the top of the sleeve that is really baggy on me even when I've layered. A little more trim there would be ideal but then again, that's just me! All-in-all a great shell, I love mine, I just wish it was a little bit longer.

I owned a beta AR for 4 years and through all the trips, it finally began breaking down. This jacket however has been my favorite gift I've ever got, i had a really nice rain jacket from a competitor and needless to say it hasnt seen the light of day in quite sometime. I found myself wearing my beta always. The waterproof seems started falling off and the bottom hem came apart a couple of months ago, and so i shipped it in and they have since replaced it. So if you are hesitant on the price i assure you, you will get your money out of just one these jackets let alone if you get a second one from Arcteryx's amazing repair/replacement policy My only negative is: a couple of my friends with this or the alpha/theta shells have also had a problen with the drawcords hem coming apart, but as previously mentioned they will repair this

Beta AR is My latest Arcteryx jacket . What I like most is the athletic fit of this jacket. I am 1.80 cm - 78 kg. I got M size. I can easly wear 3- 4 layers under it. Pockets are just right , I think this jacket is the most elemantery Arcteryx shell you need to own. I love this jacket.

Die Jacke entspricht genau meinen Erwartungen. Die ersten Einstze in strmendem Regen mit mehr oder weniger starkem Wind und 35 l Rucksack in den Bergen waren berzeugend: Ich war auch nach 3 Stunden Dauerregen noch vollkommen trocken, alle anderen in der Gruppe eher nass bis patschnass. Die Kapuze sitzt dank guter Verstellmglichkeiten ber der Mtze und ber dem Helm wirklich sehr gut, was ich insbesondere bei Wind sehr geschtzt habe. Die Passform ist fr mich genau richtig, um noch eine wattierte Jacke (bei mir eine Atom LT Hoody in M) drunter zu ziehen und mich dann immernoch gut bewegen zu knnen. Ohne die Isolierschicht ist sie entsprechend eher etwas grozgig. Bin wirklich gespannt, wie sie sich auf die Dauer hlt ...

Love this jacket in every way except the length isn't long enough. But that was my own fault, I went against reviews and advice. If you are over 6 feet tall strongly consider buying the theta, otherwise this is a great jacket. I've had it for 3 years and it functions and looks brand new.

Have had this jacket more than two years now and haven't had a single issue yet. Seams and zippers have held up amazingly after wearing on several hiking and backpacking trips. Along with everyday use around town. Holds up to the high expectations I have for all Arcteryx and goretex products.

Pour moi, un matre achat en matire de veste ! Indmodable car disponible chaque anne, classique, passe partout et efficace ! Compact, lgre ... Les seules choses que je pourrais lui demander de plus ... la critique ... C'est une encolure un peu moins vaste de 2 ou 3 cm pour pouvoir tre un peu plus proche du cous ! La largeur du col est t'elle qu'elle est souvent une belle entre pour le vent et l'eau de ruissellement ...Dommage, car sinon parfaite. La capuche est aussi un peu trop vaste si on ne sert pas tous les rglages ! Si vous avez une corpulence forte , ce sera parfait ... si vous tes fin et pas trop grand, il est peut tre mieux de regarder vers un modle femme !!!

Dette var mitt frste Arcteryx-plagg og jeg har vel hatt jakken i snart 2 r n. For meg er det en helrsjakke, selv om den brukes mest p vren og hsten. Jeg bruker den av og til p langrenn med Arcteryx Hyllus og base layer under. Fantastisk fin fit. Noe strre enn hva som er typisk i Europa, men det liker jeg. Dessuten s ser den helt r ut og kvaliteten er veldig god, noe som har ftt meg til kjpe MYE Arcteryx-klr etterp.

Yeah, the above might not be the most important thing to consider when buying a shell jacket, but the Beta AR does look darned good! Compared to most Northern European manufacturers, this one is not made for 6'7 130lbs apes, with arms long enough to be able to scratch the underside of their feet whilst standing straight... This is my first foray into the world of Arc'teryx shell jackets, and I am definitely staying. I have only had it for a few months (winter time), but I have come to the conclusion that this is an awesome jacket! The fit is true to size, albeit on the large side (as most Arc'teryx gear is). I'm 5'8 and 165lbs (with a not-so-athletically-shaped upper body), and could probably get away with using a size S, but the M is great for those -40 days when I need to cram lots of layers underneath. All in all, I am really happy with it, and I am hoping it will last!

I use this jacket for on-resort and backcountry skiing. It is surprisingly warm, traps in heat, and highly breathable. Have skied in the rain, and been completely dry. It is the perfect length, and does not ride up. Best helmet-compatible hood I have had, total coverage and wind protection. Awesome jacket, great investment.

I bought my first Beta AR ~5 years ago. Since then the jacket has been dragged across the mountains of BC hunting sheep, exposed to the African sun hunting kudu, and scrapped through the Northern QC forests for Moose. It has survived it all and insured I did as well. It has been worn all year round to protect from sun, rain, snow, and wind. I can't recommended this jacket enough- It can take some serious abuse and not only keep going, but be comfortable along the way. I've now just bought my second as I wouldn't consider another. The Beta AR has become a second skin. My only complaint about the jacket: My first one was made in Canada. My newest is made in China. I wish Arc'Teryx would hire and pay Canadians to make such great gear.

This is my third season with the Beta AR jacket and it has never let me down yet. I'm a geologist and I used to work in the Northern BC coastal mountains year round. I bought this jacket originally for field work. I've worn it in conditions ranging from a blizzard in -20C to pouring rain in the high alpine. Paired with a good base layer and an Atom LT jacket or Corvert Fleece, I've been comfortable in -20C as long as I kept moving. I've used this jacket on a 4 day trek over the Inca Trail in Peru and it kept me dry in the rain and cold. The jacket stands up well to abuse. Doing field work, I wear a heavy vest over top of the jacket and it shows no signs of wear on those contact points. I've carried small rock samples in the pockets without damaging anything. I've also got the jacket very dirty and put it through several wash cycles and it has held up very well through the washes and always comes out looking new.