I use the alpha fl. For an outer shell I size up. I normally wear an L but use XL for outer layer rain shell. Gives breathablity more compared to a form fitting rain shell. I personally find my gore jacket more breathable than my previous jackets one made of Pertex (helium ii) and one made of the usual rain jacket material Mountain Hardwear exponent (great jacket by the way, my go to jacket for around town)
Mine arrives tomorrow and hopefully I’ll love it, as long as it’s one that will last me the 30 days of rain i might need it in a year, am gonna be happy with it and trust it to last a good 5-7 years hopefully.
Good video... Question: for long-distance hiking/backpacking I want a shell that will protect me from winds, rain; one that doesn't wet-out and is breathable. Mainly for Northern Sweden, Finland, and high Sierras and other 13K ft. I know ArcTeryx is the best, but SO MANY options. Alpha, Beta, Zeta; AR, LT, SV; Pac-Lite +, C-Knit, Pro, Active Their website recommends the Zeta line for hiking. Help!!! Thoughts?
Hi, I'm afraid that you may be asking for the impossible when you require a jacket that doesn't "wet out". ALL jackets will wet out at some point in their life depending on the amount of wear/washing/care they receive. You can only really reduce wetting out by regularly (at least once a month) washing and re-proofing your jacket. With regard to the best jacket for your purpose, I agree that Arcteryx make some of the best kit around, and their Beta LT, made using Gore Pro would be ideal for your purposes. It's also worth looking at the Mountain Equipment Lhotse - www.trekitt.co.uk/38053/products/mountain-equipment-mens-lhotse-jacket-acid.aspx Or the Rab Ladakh - www.trekitt.co.uk/38515/products/rab-mens-ladakh-gtx-jacket-deep-ink.aspx I hope this helps and please get back to us if need any more advice. Paul.
@@trekitt Thanks, I was thinking of the FJ Keb Eco, Zeta AR, or Bergtagen. I think the Alpha line is too "stiff" But maybe the Beta LT is a good choice. I know Norrona makes good stuff too.
Thank you for the review. This made the shortlist. I don’t like the storm hood as its too big (I don’t use a helmet). I liked the 2 fabric hybrid construction. I went with the Zeta AR as I am mostly a hiker / trekker / walker. I have heard the Zeta AR is being discontinued to be replaced by the Beta LT.
I'm surprised they upgraded the main zipper to a vislon over an aqualseal (?) zipper. Anyways, great inside look. I always look to your videos when I need to learn more about the latest gear.
Vilson zippers are miles better than Aquaseal. Teeth are way more robust and can still zip up even if one of the teeth breaks off. More windproof, waterproof. Aquaseal are more suited to pit zips, if you look at the ME Lhotse jacket, a £400 Gore Pro Jacket all the zips bar the pit zips are Vislon. That jacket is miles up above this jacket but it is Gore Pro and has spilt denier in the fabric, more of a technical piece.
So this new packlite plus has more texture , so it has less contact with your skin ( 2.35 ) . Really ? It's a jacket , not a baselayer , so what bit of the jacket comes in contact with your skin ? cuffs maybe ? Go easy on the Arc'teryx/ Gore-Tex, kool-aid .
@@abidethedudeski2307 I here in the great Canadian West, it rains whenever, at any temperature, and I bring this with me in hot day hike with t-shirt and an optional thin layer. Yes, there is skin contact, but even if not, the increased micro surface area would help reduce moisture build up and increase wicking surface.
They're the Mountain Equipment Ibex Pants; I'll pop a link below. Kind regards, Harry. www.trekitt.co.uk/8243/products/mountain-equipment-mens-ibex-pant-black.aspx
Gore-tex Paclite® is like a plastic bag; skiing, biking, & hiking & the interior Paclite® areas are fully wet-out while the C-KNIT™ remains bone dry. Paclite® is like a steamy bathroom mirror, vapour magnet. I have a $2.00 emergency poncho that performs better than this thing when hiking, but the Beta SL Hybrid isn't too bad with pits open bike riding in the rain - you eventually get soaked, but it fits comfortably & reduces wind chill.
It sounds like you have the older version of Pac-Lite which did unfortunately show up some condensation on the inside due it having no absorbent inner layer. However it is a very breathable fabric. C-Knit has an absorbent lining, so any moisture that doesn't escape is absorbed into the lining and you don't see it, giving the appearance of it being "dry". The new Paclite Pro fabric has a much "drier" feel thanks to a new inner surface and it is still one of Gore's most breathable fabrics. Paul.
Cknit is terrible. I had an arcteryx Zeta AR that literally lasted about 20 backpacking wears before the Cknit started to peel apart at multiple spots. You may think that the companies warranty world cover this, you'd be wrong. They don't cover wear and tear even if it is after only a handful of wears. But for an extra $100 on top of the $600 you've paid they'll fix it for you. True story.
That's a shame you had such a bad experience with C-Knit. In our experience it works perfectly for hiking with a small daypack, but for more arduous use we'd always recommend Gore Pro. Paul.
I just ordered the Zeta AR for the Camino de Santiago which may involve many kms walking with a backpack. Alarming. Wouldn’t Arc’teryx perform longterm tests before using C-knits in the hard wearing areas of a jacket? I am a little worried now. The Zeta AR is also supposed to have a N70 denier fabric.
If I'm honest it's not really a brand I would see myself buying. I think it's a little more expensive than other brands, but I don't doubt their quality.
Excellen jackett but size up if wearing a insulated jacket and baselayer etc underneath 👍🏻I'm usually a large but went xl and it's excellent 👌🏻
I use the alpha fl. For an outer shell I size up. I normally wear an L but use XL for outer layer rain shell. Gives breathablity more compared to a form fitting rain shell. I personally find my gore jacket more breathable than my previous jackets one made of Pertex (helium ii) and one made of the usual rain jacket material Mountain Hardwear exponent (great jacket by the way, my go to jacket for around town)
Very good informative review but it would have been better if you demonstrated how small the jacket packed down.
We'll make a note for next time 👍
Mine arrives tomorrow and hopefully I’ll love it, as long as it’s one that will last me the 30 days of rain i might need it in a year, am gonna be happy with it and trust it to last a good 5-7 years hopefully.
Jay Bee one way to use this and get the money’s worth 😂👍🏻
Great review! You do a great job with the details
Good video...
Question: for long-distance hiking/backpacking I want a shell that will protect me from winds, rain; one that doesn't wet-out and is breathable. Mainly for Northern Sweden, Finland, and high Sierras and other 13K ft. I know ArcTeryx is the best, but SO MANY options.
Alpha, Beta, Zeta; AR, LT, SV; Pac-Lite +, C-Knit, Pro, Active
Their website recommends the Zeta line for hiking. Help!!! Thoughts?
Hi, I'm afraid that you may be asking for the impossible when you require a jacket that doesn't "wet out". ALL jackets will wet out at some point in their life depending on the amount of wear/washing/care they receive. You can only really reduce wetting out by regularly (at least once a month) washing and re-proofing your jacket. With regard to the best jacket for your purpose, I agree that Arcteryx make some of the best kit around, and their Beta LT, made using Gore Pro would be ideal for your purposes. It's also worth looking at the Mountain Equipment Lhotse - www.trekitt.co.uk/38053/products/mountain-equipment-mens-lhotse-jacket-acid.aspx
Or the Rab Ladakh - www.trekitt.co.uk/38515/products/rab-mens-ladakh-gtx-jacket-deep-ink.aspx
I hope this helps and please get back to us if need any more advice. Paul.
@@trekitt Thanks, I was thinking of the FJ Keb Eco, Zeta AR, or Bergtagen. I think the Alpha line is too "stiff" But maybe the Beta LT is a good choice.
I know Norrona makes good stuff too.
Trekitt agreed... rain gear is always a tough call... 😢
I have beta AR, proven waterproof in very hard rainy conditions
Video outlining the different forms of Gore Tex (paclite, c-knit, pro etc)?
We'll add it to the list.
Yes please!!
Thank you for the review. This made the shortlist. I don’t like the storm hood as its too big (I don’t use a helmet). I liked the 2 fabric hybrid construction. I went with the Zeta AR as I am mostly a hiker / trekker / walker. I have heard the Zeta AR is being discontinued to be replaced by the Beta LT.
Zeta is a good choice!
I'm surprised they upgraded the main zipper to a vislon over an aqualseal (?) zipper.
Anyways, great inside look. I always look to your videos when I need to learn more about the latest gear.
Vilson zippers are miles better than Aquaseal. Teeth are way more robust and can still zip up even if one of the teeth breaks off. More windproof, waterproof. Aquaseal are more suited to pit zips, if you look at the ME Lhotse jacket, a £400 Gore Pro Jacket all the zips bar the pit zips are Vislon. That jacket is miles up above this jacket but it is Gore Pro and has spilt denier in the fabric, more of a technical piece.
@@Jacobtaylorabreu Yes, I'm aware of the advantages of Vislon, I just figured Arc'teryx would cheap out on their "budget" SL hybrid.
Would you prefer a NeoShell because it breathes better ?
NeoShell does breathe exceptionally well, but it can't match the durability and longevity of Gore-Tex.
What color of jacket are you wearing now?
Hi, the colour that Will is wearing in the video has since been discontinued, the nearest available option would be "Cobalt Sun".
So this new packlite plus has more texture , so it has less contact with your skin ( 2.35 ) . Really ? It's a jacket , not a baselayer , so what bit of the jacket comes in contact with your skin ? cuffs maybe ? Go easy on the Arc'teryx/ Gore-Tex, kool-aid .
it's an extremely light jacket. I usually wear it with a T-shirt. Hot climate with lots of rain. It serves it's purpose well
@@abidethedudeski2307 Ok thanks for your thoughts . Here in Scotland colder climate Tshirt + jacket not usual .tks
@@robduncan599 No problem!
@@abidethedudeski2307 I here in the great Canadian West, it rains whenever, at any temperature, and I bring this with me in hot day hike with t-shirt and an optional thin layer. Yes, there is skin contact, but even if not, the increased micro surface area would help reduce moisture build up and increase wicking surface.
Great review thanks
Nice review. What pants are you wearing?
They're the Mountain Equipment Ibex Pants; I'll pop a link below. Kind regards, Harry.
www.trekitt.co.uk/8243/products/mountain-equipment-mens-ibex-pant-black.aspx
Gore-tex Paclite® is like a plastic bag; skiing, biking, & hiking & the interior Paclite® areas are fully wet-out while the C-KNIT™ remains bone dry. Paclite® is like a steamy bathroom mirror, vapour magnet. I have a $2.00 emergency poncho that performs better than this thing when hiking, but the Beta SL Hybrid isn't too bad with pits open bike riding in the rain - you eventually get soaked, but it fits comfortably & reduces wind chill.
It sounds like you have the older version of Pac-Lite which did unfortunately show up some condensation on the inside due it having no absorbent inner layer. However it is a very breathable fabric. C-Knit has an absorbent lining, so any moisture that doesn't escape is absorbed into the lining and you don't see it, giving the appearance of it being "dry". The new Paclite Pro fabric has a much "drier" feel thanks to a new inner surface and it is still one of Gore's most breathable fabrics. Paul.
@@trekitt so the packlite plus is more breathable than the cknit?
is this the heron color?
It's called 'Tui', however this colour is now discontinued. The closest equivalent now is 'Exosphere'. Kind regards, Harry.
Highest rated rainjacket on pct and cdt according to thru-hiker survey
It's a belter! Thanks for watching.
Cknit is terrible. I had an arcteryx Zeta AR that literally lasted about 20 backpacking wears before the Cknit started to peel apart at multiple spots. You may think that the companies warranty world cover this, you'd be wrong. They don't cover wear and tear even if it is after only a handful of wears. But for an extra $100 on top of the $600 you've paid they'll fix it for you. True story.
That's a shame you had such a bad experience with C-Knit. In our experience it works perfectly for hiking with a small daypack, but for more arduous use we'd always recommend Gore Pro. Paul.
I just ordered the Zeta AR for the Camino de Santiago which may involve many kms walking with a backpack. Alarming. Wouldn’t Arc’teryx perform longterm tests before using C-knits in the hard wearing areas of a jacket? I am a little worried now. The Zeta AR is also supposed to have a N70 denier fabric.
How did they fix it? Replace it or patch it up??
@@FABM27 how did the jacket go for you??
If I'm honest it's not really a brand I would see myself buying. I think it's a little more expensive than other brands, but I don't doubt their quality.
Paclite was a failure
The new version is much better!
good review but awful sound. You could use the limiter....