AO Review: Arc’teryx Beta AR Jacket “The Gold Standard of Hardshells”
Patrik Orcutt 03.31.23
The Beta AR Jacket was privately purchased and Arc’teryx has had no input on this review, they definitely don’t even know who I am.
Arc’teryx was started in 1989 out of a climber’s basement in British Columbia. They began with four sewing machines turning out unrivaled climbing harnesses. In 1998, they launched into the apparel world debuting the most advanced alpine climbing shell available in the Alpha SV. The original company name was actually Rock Solid Manufacturing but it wasn’t until 1991 when they entered the US market that the name was changed to Arc’teryx Equipment.
The iconic symbol of the company is named after a 140 million-year-old creature, the Archaeopteryx. This creature made an evolutionary leap forward to escape the horizontal world of dinosaurs and developed the feathers for flight. Much like the Archaeopteryx making an evolutionary leap forward, Arc’teryx doesn’t focus on incremental advancements, but on making large leaps forward in the outdoor industry. In 2016, Arc’teryx opened a 243,000-square-foot manufacturing plant in North Vancouver known as Arc’One. With this Arc’teryx is the only major apparel manufacturer in the industry that owns its own factory.
The Beta AR Jacket has been a stable of Arc’tyrex’s lineup since the early 2000s. Its an all-around workhorse that brings a lot of weather resistance for its weight but the price of entry is steep! It’s also one of my favorite jackets, period.
Specifications – Arc’teryx Beta AR Jacket
- Weight: 16.2 oz
- Materials: 40D & 80D Denier with Gore-Tex Pro Waterproofing.
- Country of Origin: Burma
- MSRP: $600
Construction and Materials – Arc’teryx Beta AR Jacket
When paying top dollar for a jacket like this you come to expect nothing less than the best and that’s what Arc’teryx is known for. They really are a company known for not cutting corners when it comes to their products. I’m happy to say that Beta AR is no exception to this policy. Every detail on this jacket has been attended to, making sure you get the most out of this garment in demanding conditions.
This jacket features a reinforced 80-D Gore-Tex Pro material on all of the high-use areas. This provides the jacket with extra durability on places like the arms and shoulders allowing for the use of backpacks for years and years without signs of wear. The 40-D fabric is also incredibly durable and can be found on less abrasion frequent areas.
The zipper pulls are of the Arc’teryx variety and are elongated and work great when wearing large bulky gloves. All of the secondary zippered pockets to even include the pit zips are taped on the back and have aqua guards on the front to prevent any wind or water from entering the garment. The main zipper has a very robust wind and water-blocking seam.
Basically, this jacket is built like a tank when it comes to protection from the elements. I truly think you would have a hard time finding a more well-built hard-shell jacket than this one. In my travels, it has held up to everything I have asked of it and then some but will get more into that later.
Features – Arc’teryx Beta AR Jacket
Like all Arc’teryx products, everything is built with a minimalistic design philosophy. I think the naming conventions on a lot of Arc’teryx products are confusing so let’s break it down real quick. Beta means that this jacket is versatile yet still high-performance for diverse activities and conditions. AR stands for all around, meaning its weather performance and materials emphasize versatility in multiple activities.
Some of the stand-out features on this jacket to me are the inclusion of pit zips for dumping moisture and heat and the embedded RECCO. RECCO is a rescue technology used by organized rescue teams as an additional tool to quickly locate people buried by an avalanche or lost in the outdoors. The system is based on a harmonic radar system and composed of a detector and a passive reflector integrated into outdoor clothing and gears. This is pretty cutting-edge technology and something that, may save your life on your worst day.
Additionally, this jacket has an adjustable hood with adjustable arm cuffs with Velcro closures. There are two large mid-chest pockets in the front and one internal pocket for smaller items. While sticking true to a minimalist design there is still a lot of features included in this jacket.
Performance – Arc’teryx Beta AR Jacket
So, there I was, finding myself jogging up the side of a hill in a rain storm, in Switzerland, trying to get to the bottom of a waterfall. Why was I doing this? Because one of my friends had just said to me “ let’s run to that waterfall“ and I had no objections. That was my first time testing out the water resistance of this jacket. When I walked back down the hill my friend was absolutely drenched and so was my pants but my top half was still nice and dry.
The Gore-Tex Pro provides incredible weather protection in my experience. When I know it’s going to be raining hard and I’m going to be outside this is the jacket I reach for because I know it will keep me dry no matter what. Some of my other rain jackets will succumb to the rain and moisture after 30 or so minutes of exposure but not this jacket. Speaking of breathability that is actually one of the few knocks I have against this garment. It’s certainly not as breathable as I would like but given the amount of weather protection this has for its weight I think it’s a worthy trade-off. This is just something you will need to keep in mind while wearing it.
In the few years, I’ve had this jacket I have taken it on some brutal excursions including tracking through the Swiss and Italian alps in the winter. I have also taken it snowboarding a handful of times on mountains in New England. The wind protection is also second to none on this jacket as when I was snowboarding I stayed nice and warm while wearing this with a middle layer. I also want to note after taking many falls on my snowboard there are zero signs of wear on the shoulders and arms of the jacket. If performance is the most important thing for you with a hard shell jacket I think this is the one to go for.
Likes
- Weather Protection
- Versatile in activity and conditions
- Built like a Tank
Dislikes
- Incredibly expensive
- Not very breathable
- Limited color options depending on the season
Competitive Options – Arc’teryx Beta AR Jacket
- Outdoor Research Microgravity ($249)
- Patagonia Storm10 ($329)
- Mountain Hardwear Exposure/2 GTX Pro Light ($450)
Wrap-Up – Arc’teryx Beta AR Jacket
While owning this jacket for a few years I can say without any hesitation this is the best hard shell jacket I own. It’s relatively light it offers incredible weather protection and it’s built like a tank. Unfortunately, all of this performance comes at a very significant cost. Brand new this jacket will run you $600. While I find myself to be something of a gear snob these days, that’s even a little bit too rich for my blood. Fortunately, when I bought this jacket it was on sale for about $300. If you’re looking for a hard shell jacket that takes all the boxes and you only want to buy one for the rest of your life, I think this is the one to get. Whenever I am traveling to a place where the weather might not be very good this is the jacket I reach for out of my collection.
