Arc’Teryx Beta Rain Jacket Evaluate

Backside Line

The Arc’teryx Beta is the jacket to convey when heavy rain and robust winds hit your subsequent hike. We have been heat and well-protected on this stellar shell whereas out in a number of the heaviest circumstances the Chugach Vary of Alaska may throw at us. The Beta stands out to us as one in every of our greatest rain jackets.

With waterproof zippers, tight cinches on the hood and waist, and distinctive sturdiness, we use this jacket for a lot of journeys when the climate takes a flip. We love this feature for its high-quality climate resistance and excessive sturdiness. Whereas it does lack pit zips that many others have, the Gore-Tex used on this jacket breathes a lot better than anticipated.

The most important deterrent is its excessive worth level – there’s no getting round that is an costly jacket. Nonetheless, it’s an funding in safety on the harshest climate days and a layer that’s assured to maintain you dry and heat.

Consolation & Mobility

In our testing, we liked the slimmer match by the physique and arms. Whereas these preferring a looser match or with a bigger torso might not take pleasure in this reduce, slender our bodies and people used to athletic layers will take pleasure in how the Arc’teryx Beta feels on the physique.

We regularly needed to cinch down the cuffs to maintain the arms from going over our palms. That being stated, extending the arms in all instructions felt unencumbered and the jacket by no means lifted or rode up whereas carrying a pack or stretching. The 2 entrance pockets are positioned simply barely excessive which we respect for ease of entry whereas carrying a pack and avoiding bunching zippers beneath the hip belt.

The Gore-Tex is quiet and lacks the telltale crunch and crinkle of equally burly jackets. When carrying the hood, the sound it made additionally was extra tolerable than different artificial waterproof layers. A brushed zipper guard on the chin is a considerate contact for consolation towards the pores and skin.

Climate Resistance

The Arc’teryx Beta is one in every of our highest scorers for climate resistance and we’re nonetheless but to search out the outermost limits of this jacket. In a chilly fall rain and even some moist sleet, the Beta saved us heat, dry, and guarded. This jacket is one in every of our high picks for heavy precipitation and we’ll hold reaching for it time and again on the wettest and coldest days.

The hood and the collar of the coat match seamlessly collectively creating a comfortable and weatherproof system that helps retain physique heat on chilly days. The structured brim of the hood sheds water away from the physique and retains the top dry. The hem of the jacket extends simply past the waist to offer superior protection and shed water rapidly and effectively off of the torso. We love this jacket for summer time monsoons, fall rains, and even early winter sleet. It is without doubt one of the most weather-resistant heavy-duty jackets to convey for inclement climate.

Air flow

In our preliminary testing, we have been shocked to search out that this jacket doesn’t include pit zips. Whereas this initially appeared like a downside, it didn’t negatively impression breathability.

We hiked with the Beta absolutely zipped with the hood up, with various ranges of the entrance zipper unzipped, and even experimented with seeing how the entrance pockets contributed to shedding warmth. All through all these totally different iterations to check air flow, we have been pleasantly shocked that the Gore-Tex used on this jacket breathed nicely sufficient by itself, unaided by opening up zips to the skin. The Beta felt much less clammy and moist than different shells throughout excessive exertion. Whereas this jacket does run on the hotter facet, it’s proper at dwelling in cool and moist environments the place we examined it in coastal Alaska.

Sturdiness

The Arc’teryx Beta’s superior climate resistance is supported by dependable sturdiness. It held up day after day in heavy rain and took longer to moist out than nearly another mannequin. When pressured to hike by the comb within the Alaskan backcountry, this jacket got here out the opposite facet with none snags, scrapes, or scratches. The smooth and refined design leaves fewer choices and locations to wear down and break down. We look ahead to persevering with to make use of this jacket on many extra journeys to come back.

Weight

For a jacket this climate resistant and sturdy, some concessions do need to be made for weight. Whereas this definitely isn’t the heaviest jacket we examined, it isn’t a real ultralight jacket both. Packing it down right into a small house proved to be a little bit of a problem. These prioritizing house and weight above the whole lot else might not select the Beta, however its superior climate resistance greater than makes up for any sacrifices in weight and packability in comparison with UL layers. We’ll proceed making room for this jacket in our pack if it means that it’ll hold us heat and dry within the worst climate.

Ought to You Purchase the Arc’teryx Beta?

In case you are one to repeatedly exit within the harshest circumstances, then the Arc’teryx Beta is the jacket for you. The excessive price ticket will not be the perfect match for some, however this price is an funding in some of the weather-resistant and sturdy choices available on the market and is certain to serve you nicely for years. The Arc’teryx Beta will not be probably the most breathable or packable jacket out of our lineup, however these are worthy trade-offs for a burly jacket that performs greatest in cool and moist circumstances. We used it on days when the climate was assured to be moist and windy and we have been heat and dry by each take a look at. We’ll belief this jacket within the harshest circumstances for a lot of extra journeys to come back.

What Different Rain Jackets Ought to You Contemplate?

Patagonia Torrentshell 3L Evaluate: Equally bombproof with a three-layer building, we use the Torrentshell in equally heavy circumstances.

REI Rainier Evaluate: When you’re seeking to spend a fraction of the price of the Beta, the REI Rainier is an ideal low-cost and high-quality jacket.

Out of doors Analysis Foray II Evaluate: Whereas the Beta might lack zips, the Foray II supplies a number of the largest and most ventilated zips of any jacket we examined.