Just realised the Alpha doesn't have outside pockets lower down to put your hands in while you're walking. Don't understand that at all.
Anyone have a Beta? Any thoughts on the AR Vs SV? £500 on a coat seems wild to me but if you're already £500 deep may as well find the extra £100 or so for the SV?
I can’t comment on the SV but i’ve had the AR for a couple of years now and it’s everything i’ll ever need i reckon. I’ve just washed it last night and it looks almost new.Originally Posted by wileeeeeey
Inside pocket is a bit minimal but the outside ones are more than adequate. I’m going to get the Atom AR to go underneath for when the cold weather comes.
Just bought a alpha SV this month from snow and rock with a 15% discount code I found online. It’s a beast, though think a lot of the extra cost is due to it being made in Canada still. I don’t think I really needed the SV but I’m a gear head and love technical stuff, it really is only aimed at proper mountaineering. The reason for no lower pockets is because they’d get impeded by a harness when climbing. The alpha also has a tougher outer layer so makes it quite loud and not as pliable as the beta. If I were being sensible I should have opted for the cheaper AR. Also have a look at the mammut range, they make some great stuff too. Cheers
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I've had an AR and my wife a LT for a couple of years now and both are very good, with the main difference being the thicker fabric on more of the AR. I can't imagine needing more unless you're mountaineering and whilst they do stop beading and need refinishing they have withstood torrential rain as well as could be expected.
I think the SV is overkill but I'm also a gear head and specialise in "all the gear, no idea" so it's singing to me.
https://outlet.arcteryx.com/gb/en/sh...beta-sv-jacket
Shame this isn't black for £150 off I can't really complain. Will mull for a bit and try shop around but an SV for less than an AR should be job done.
That’s a cracking price to be honest and that colour would be the one for me over the black, looks really nice.
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That’s a cracking price to be honest and that colour would be the one for me over the black, looks really nice.
Currently sweating it in my Alpha SV on the train - doesn't feel like overkill 😂
Ok, Beta SV ordered, thank you enablers.
Everything I've got is the same size but the Atom AR I probably should have sized down in as it's quite big so I've got two sizes coming. Hopefully the returns process is good.
May i ask where you got the Atom AR from please mate?
From Trekkit last year with the Winteryx code - 20% off I think.
Sadly Winteryx and Marctery codes both don't work anymore.
Thanks anyway.
Think i’ll wait a while to see if any offers come up. The stock on the outlet site has improved quite a bit over the last week or so, there wasn’t anything like the choice on there at the moment.
Tha Alpha doesn’t have lower pockets as it’s designed for high mountain work with a harness, the arms are long so you can reach out without the sleeves riding up. I love mine, but it has spent a fair bit of time at the top of hills along the way and never let the weather in.
Mines the SV, and I put an atom Sv under it when it gets really cold.
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I think the philosophy is, if you have a rucksack on your back and have the hip belt tightened round you, then the belt may dig into the hand pockets and make it uncomfortable. Several other manufacturers do this and usually these jackets are designed for the more adventurous lugging weight, rather than the general public taking the dog for a walk.
As a side note, I'm looking for a pair of waterproof trousers for general walk's/ low level hillwalking. Any recommendations from the Arcteryx range ?
The difference between the AR and SV is the cut, and the toughness of the fabric. Beta AR is N40d, Beta SV is N80d, Alpha SV is N100d. The higher the number, the tougher the fabric. SV is also cut differently, generally bigger for layering underneath, hence SV: Severe weather, instead of AR: All Round use.
I have many Arc'teryx jackets, Alpha SV is the one I reach for when guiding Scottish winter climbing, e.g the worst conditions imaginable. It's the best coat I've owned for extreme conditions. Beta LT is one I use for general hiking in the rain. A Squamish hoody is the one I wear the most, it's a brilliant windproof layer that packs down to nothing. An Atom LT or a Proton underneath any of the shells is my general winter/ extra layer option, plus an Atom vest if it's really chilly or I'm stood around.
Honestly for general wear a Beta AR would do the job easily. Alpha SV comes in to it's own when wearing a harness (it has small padding in the waist hem so it doesn't ride up when swinging ice axes, for example). If you like to walk or scramble in torrential rain for 7 hours, the Beta SV would also be a good shout.
You can't really go wrong with Arc'teryx kit!
I recommend the Beta LT, on the basis they have full length side zips so easy to put on and off without taking your boots off if it starts raining. They're pretty durable too, mine are a 3 or 4 years old and doing great.
The Zeta might be worth a look if you want something lighter and happy to sacrifice the full length zip.
Thanks, I'll take a look.
In the outlet the Beta AR is only available in Orange or Burgundy so I'm going to stick with the Beta SV purely on the colour.
I won't be hiking up the mountains, just using it as a general coat and out walking in the Essex countryside with the Proton or Atom underneath but it should work well with all jackets being the same brand.
If mine’s anything to go by the Dynasty is much, much closer to red i think.
I’ve just received a 1000 fill down ultra light jacket from Stellar, I haven’t worn it outside yet but it certainly looks well made.
This is my first piece from this company, it’s an alternative to Arcteryx and well priced kit.
The jacket I bought isn’t showing on the site today so may be sold out?
https://www.stellarequipment.com/?gc...xoCxUcQAvD_BwE
Another place to look is PHD they are really good kit and you can get made to measure if your not a standard size.
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Thanks, I’ll have a look there too.
The arcterx outlet had the beta sv at £450 down from £600. I’m tempted. I had the beta ar last year and love it but my son has managed to claim it
I caved and got two in the kingfisher blue. Will decide on a size Monday when they come and return the other.
I've never spent £450 on a jacket so I'm expecting good things! Shame it wasn't black.
Nice colour mate. I’d go for that or the destiny newer colour but can’t find any discounted.
Got £60 in cashback from Trekkit so was hoping to use it there but the outlet price was too good.
Might put it towards a Atom vest but that could put me into full kit W territory.
Anybody have any experience of Veilance? Like the look of the Gore-Tex field jacket.
Just ordered a rush arcteryx jacket from ld mountain £385 down from £579
Incredible price to go with the incredible quality - fit is different however, so worth trying on. You found any nice discounts?
Beta SV is here. If anyone's interested the fit is more in line with the Proton FL and Gamma MX than the looser Atom AR which is great.
The kingfisher blue is quite nice. Same as my Proton FL but still would have preferred black, just not for £150 extra. Might try something like a Cerium without a hood underneath and see how I get on.
Cannot believe it's a £450 jacket in my hands, let alone £600, but I'm sure it'll be better than the 15 year old Berghaus it's replacing.
No, only some second hand items on Marrkt. I think the field jacket is £415 but new were something like £1100. Crazy prices. Might see if I can find some to try next time I’m up in town!
Could anyone advise if an Arcteryx shell with a down under layer would work for skiing? I need to get a jacket but I’m loathe to buy anything decent for a week a year.
I have used that combination for skiing in the past (Sidewinder SV and Cerium LT) and do have a non Arcteryx combination I use now but only for very cold days, in most weathers an Atom LT or similar makes a better mid layer.
Yep, I always wear a GTX shell to ski (Arc'teryx Rush jacket) and then layer under that as required for the day. Somewhere between 2 layers and 7, depending if it's spring in the Alps or January in Whistler! Much more versatile than a more traditional insulated jacket. When looking, some models (but not all) have an arm pocket, which is handy for your lift pass.
Any further review on this having had it a few days? I like the look of their 800 full jacket and since arc’teryx no longer do the Ceres SV I think it will do exactly what I’m looking for but wouldn’t mind some first hand experience.
I'm sure you'll have already experienced this but although the returns process is easy (they include a label in the box and you drop it off at a UPS point) and free, the refund part isn't very friendly. You send the return to Scotland (mine arrived with them the following day) but apparently they don't release the refund until it's back in Germany and has "been checked". This can be up to 30 days...
I questioned this on the phone - why send to Scotland if no-one looks at it and why does it take up to 30 days (I'm on about day 13 and no sign) to refund when it takes them seconds to take the payment on purchase. The answer was "because of Brexit".
Not very premium brand service in my view, I know it's the outlet but it was still £450 on a jacket. I've been a long term Arcteryx fan but this has left a sour taste.
Yep, found this out the hard way. Next time I'll think twice before ordering two £450 jackets.
I emailed asking when to expect a refund as the refund bad been signed for 8 days earlier. This was their response. Obviously they need a fully functioning UK warehouse but I doubt they're making it difficult on purpose.
No refund yet but it's Friday tomorrow and I'll reply to them after lunch if I haven't got it by then.
Thank you for contacting Arc'teryx.
We recently changed our UK order return shipping policy due to BREXIT. Instead of shipping straight back to Germany the returns are now going to our facility in Irvine, Scotland, then are being forwarded on to our European warehouse from there. This should be happening in one large consolidated shipment, around once a week. However, this process and the current situation surrounding Brexit and Covid is inevitably causing delays.
The refund should be processed by next Friday the latest, if you won't hear back from us please reply directly on this email and I will push it through manually.
Regards,
^^thanks for that. Would you mind posting back whether it comes through please as I may have to follow the same process and ask for the manual refund?
Sure, will update tomorrow evening
It’s not only Arcteryx ! I got a pair of Merrell’s, they come from Holland, when I returned them it took 3 months for the refund even though they were delivered back to them in 2 days.
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No refund today. Just emailed the guy to ask for a manual refund. Probably get a reply back Monday.
Thanks for coming back - I think I'll give them a ring on Monday.
I'm still waiting - any joy?
Got this yesterday but no refund today. Have popped a message back asking if there's a timescale on it. Awful experience really.
Thank you for your reply,
I will escalate this issue to our account department. As soon as they will get back to us and confirm the refund, we will let you know.
I apologize for any inconvenience caused.
Thank you and have a nice day.
Pretty poor, isn't it. A company this size and with this profile really shouldn't be treating customers like this - I'm getting pretty fed up with "it's Brexit" or "it's covid" to excuse poor service. They seem to be able to take payment quickly enough despite these challenging hurdles. I know I'll be remembering these experiences in the future and will be spending with people who seem to value me as a customer.
More generally, modern business practice seems to be to push the barriers of just how badly they can treat customers before they leave, then take half a step back. I can't be the only one who, when having to phone a company, just expect it to take at least 30 mins and probably won't have the outcome I want. It really takes me by surprise these days when I have a good experience because it's such a rarity and I'll go out of my way to let people know I appreciate it.
TL:DR - Old man yells at cloud.
Yep. They've had it long enough to put that money back in my bank. Especially when it's £450 for a jacket, outlet or not.Delivered On
Friday, October 15 at 10:12 at Reception
Refund email from PayPal.
Interesting. I've had another email back apologising for the delay and again saying "because Brexit". I've politely asked them to explain why Brexit doesn't affect them taking orders and shipping directly to the UK (my order was with me 48 hours after I placed it) but it seems to going the other way. I'm actually genuinely interested although I suspect the truth is "we want to take your money asap but we don't want to give it back and this Brexit lark seems like a good reason not to".
One thing that's genuinely puzzling is why they're sending everything to Scotland (at their cost) and then on to Germany again at their cost. Obviously this adds apparently unnecessary time into the refund process but it must be costing them more too?
Will just have to wait and see.
They might be doing one massive load every 1-2 weeks (or depending on the need) and just telling everyone it's weekly. Must benefit them somewhere or they wouldn't do it.
I've had the refund email from Arcteryx now too so will wait for the money to go back into my bank, probably by Friday.
Arcteryx is a sub-brand of Amer Sports who've been in Irvine since the 1960s, although better known locally as Wilson Sporting Goods. There's easy access to cheap air freight to Germany from Prestwick Airport, a DHL Hub, which is less than 10 miles away.
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Jim.
Thanks for the explanation - that makes more sense.
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