Arc'teryx Gamma LT vs Arc'teryx Zeta AR

So unfortunately, i smell a bit. Luckily, you can't tell that on the video, but also i have used them quite a lot. One of the features i've really fal...

Love this rain jacket. The features are very well designed. Wears well without being noisy during movement

Coreloft on the other hand doesnt last quite as long. The strands will degrade over time, i have a 2015 atom lt which ive used quite heavily and the coreloft is slowly getting towards the end of its lifetime so for the most part i usually expect the synthetics to last around 5-10 years. Although that being said my kappa hoody I'd hope would last on the longer side of things.

Arc generally makes the most durable hardshells (as long as one isn't getting paclite), but their fleece or insulation isn't automatically also more durable (especially if one is getting the lightweight options).

Firstly, temperature. I layered the Gamma LT with a t-shirt & jumper across the 3 days and found that in the above temperatures this was perfect. Some days I could get away with just a t-shirt underneath and found that I was also relatively warm. This piece feels very breathable, so it won't keep you very warm and insulated but will keep you moderately warm (I found) if you're constantly on the move

This means no down jacket, since it doesn't breath well, as well as no Atom AR since you will get too hot.

I only have the gamma LT but want to confirm, Yes, the jacket is very heavy. It is a thicc softshell for wintersports. I use mine resort skiing and ice climbing but not for much else.

Through hikers wouldnt use them, 400g's is a lot of weight. Which is why they made the zeta fl. but the through hikers are generally frugal af and wouldnt spend 420 on a shell, thus frogtoggs.

However, if you care about every ounce and packability, go for something with down. I like the Uniqlo packable down hoody. It's a few ounces lighter than the Arc'teryx and packs down smaller.

In all honesty, I’m the type of user who isn’t hard enough on their gear to require the robustness of the Beta AR, I’m currently only doing weekend hikes so being super UL isn’t my religion, I only have hooded midlayers so I was concerned about the Beta AR hood (though I admit it’s cool), I don’t deal with a lot of snow so having something as bomber as an SV would be overkill, I don’t climb so I don’t gravitate to the Alpha line, I like pit zips so I didn’t go with the Beta LT/FL (though I almost did), I really like the quieter/softer C-Knit even if it means I have to wash it more (helps with using this more casually), and it’s actually pretty packable as I compared it to the Zeta SL and found it folds down nearly as much in my pack.

They are comfortable enough to wear all day. There isn't an Arc'teryx equivalent to my knowledge.

So you can stash it in your backpack and just take it out with you when you're not really sure what the weather's going to do. So the zita ar uses a g...

The Gamma LT feels a bit overkill for my needs. It's a little long, a little too big, and the hood too large - I know it’s built for use with a helmet but I'll never wear a helmet when hiking or just wearing around town. It’s a great, durable jacket for hiking and technical use but the whole package feels a bit overbuilt for my needs. Thinking something a little lighter weight, shorter in length, and with a non helmet compatible hood might be good

I really wanted to like this jacket and received it as a gift. Loved the cobalt blue color, material is great, but the sizing is awful. The sleeves are way too long, even when downsizing to a size Small from my typical medium fit. Other arcteryx jackets fit well