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My god, what an unholy trinity of hippie fabrics. Guatemalan, Hemp, and Patchwork Corderoy.


You will see me wearing all of these this season. If only they had patchwork denim and purple + light blue tie dye so the circle of eye pain could be complete.

If you need a hipsack then keep it in the same theme as the thread - http://www.arcteryx.com/product.aspx?Urban-Fanny

FYI... The Sidewinder SV pant is NOT using the new exclusive Gore Poly Pro Shell after all, just the standard Pro Shell fabric. However, the Sidewinder SV jacket is.

According to Arc'Teryx, the Poly Pro fabric is "hyper-hydrophobic" as compared to the standard Pro Shell and slightly more robust. The Poly Pro fabric is heavier though, so maybe it's a good thing that the pants are not Poly Pro Shell.

SAC will have the 06/07 Arc'Teryx Seeker Comp jacket on sale today for $140. This the same jacket I just got and posted the link above.

Ever done/seen a comparison between this Gore stuff & the eVent fabric? I bought a Montane shell made of eVent(not hybrid or softshell) that just kicks ass on everything I've ever worn for breathability. Although not quite as waterproof maybe - most days hiking in I want breathability more than all other considerations. This stuff works.

From what I know eVent sits somewhere between hard and softshells. It's more like a hardshell than a softshell but breathes significantly better (though not as good as a softshell).

Goretex and eVent are both hardshell fabrics. EVent is an ePTFE membrane indentical to Goretex. Both Goretex and eVent have a PU coating applied to them to prevent them from being comtaminated by sweat, body oils, etc... What's unique about the eVent membrane is they have perfected the ability to encapsulate the PU coating which enhances the pore size and thus improves breathability.

Here's an excilent link for more percise details on eVent... this link is more informative than eVent's website - http://www.66north.com/customerservice/ ... ons/event/

I should mention... for those who like Arc'Teryx quality and design, not to mention style, but are in favor of the application of eVent fabric, you might be very interested in this new company. The company is called Westcomb and was founded by ex-Arc'Teryx employees... check them out! The Phantom jacket and Mirage jacket and pant are quite nice. www.westcomb.com

I've heard the new Goretex Pro Shell with its new Micro Grid backing is supposenly more breathable and more on par with eVent for performance. Remember any membrane is still compromised by the gluing process of the face fabric and inner backing. The gluing process according to Gore is one of their most secret technologies. They've perfected a gluing method that minimzes its negitive effect on the fabric's breathability. It would be nice to get some definative answers, but there's a lot of varibles that effect the outcome of a fabric's performance.

I was able to finnaly find a place who carries them, so I can take a look at it and give it a try. What a sweet design... they look & feel pretty bomber !!! I like the cut, and espcially the articulated knees ... the feel of the mesh inside is pretty nice too, I bet this thing "glide" really well on your base layer!!! This thing is SOOO light !!! The only thing I find so so on these pants, is the gaiter ... I have a pair of Patagonia Primo Flash of this year, and the internal gaiter is much better, but heavier too ... also, the model I tried did'nt have the instep patch ... hopefully this will be something they will add next year. Don't understand why they made it optional?!?!?!?

So I pulled in the seeker comp jacket today on SAC for $125. What a sweet deal!

I was always keeping an eye out for the Alpha Comp Hoody, but could not deny the sweet SAC deal.
So I am wondering now, what the big differences are between the Alpha Comp Hoody and the Seeker Comp?

From what I can tell they differences are:
Alpha Hoody:
Softshell Material: Tweave Durastretch
Chest Pockets
Weight: 485g

Seeker Comp:
Softshell Material: Consoltex
Powder Skirt
Recco Reflector
Sidewinder front zipper
Weight: 630g

So the seeker comp looks a bit more like a resort jacket than the Alpha , or not?
What about breathability (Tweave Durastretch versus Consoltex)? any input from the Arc experts?

P.S.
I think it might come on again tonight since they did not sell all Mediums.
http://sac.gearattack.com/items/7119

edit - they only have 6 left, but they are 50% off on
http://www.backcountryoutlet.com/outlet ... 788_308740

You so scored... great job on the find!!!

Your brake down discription on the product differences is correct. Let me fill in between the lines...

The Seeker Comp uses Goretex Soft Shell fabric in the waterproof areas. The Alpha Comp (I believe) this year is spec'ed with Goretex Pro Shell fabric (working on confirmation). Arc'Teryx is not authorized to market these jackets with the Gore name, so you'll only see it as PTFE fabric being used.

The softshell fabric difference is mainly weight and abrasion resistance. The Tweave is more robust and a slightly heavier fabric at 8.5oz per square yard. The Consoltex is a little lighter (7.9oz) and less abrasion resistant. They both breathe and resist wind/water equally well, but the Tweave is applied to the Alpha series because the it is marketed towards hardcore users who demand the most bomber fabric. The Seeker is in the the Descent line and is snowsport specific. The Consoltex serves its purpose because high abrasion resistance is less of a need in snowsports and with all the other added features (powder skirt, Recco, etc...) the Consoltex fabric is less expensive to use and thus allowing them to produce a garment at a reasonable price.

I'm seriously looking at the Patagonia Light Smoke full softshell, wearing it in most conditions for both the approach and the descent... not changing layers that much. It is really high quality. I really like how the pullcords are completely on the interior of the jacket. Like the material, like the pow skirt... the pockets are perfectly sized for skins and vent right to your heat, pushing the wetness out of your skins... this jacket is so good.

For the pants, I'm looking at the Light Smoke Flash, which are softshell with PTFE waterproof material on the knees, around the ankles, and on the ass so you can sit down on snow

they're recycled material

I think a full softshell will cover almost all conditions... cool to cold, wind, snowing, blowing hard, working hard, getting big face shots etc.
and if it's too warm out, I'll delayer while skinning and then relayer at the top. With a full soft shell I think I'll be able to layer a little warmer but be comfortable over a much broader range of effort level in the conditions at hand.

I figure this way, I can size the softshell small, and I'll have a light, slightly oversized hardshell with me anyway to both go overtop the down jacket when stopped for a good while, and to use if it starts dumping wet flakes or raining
I'm slightly sketched of not having fully waterproof pants... but then again, all season I probably got rained on or wet snowed on very little.

What I really want is Osprey to make a Switch 36 with an airback like Stratos 40...

What do you guys use as gloves while skinning? I used to use schoeller softshell cloudveil flyfishing gloves (actually really good, very thin, windproof, breathe well, good grip on the fingers you use), but they got destroyed by BD flicklocks, split components, snowboard edges and snowpit equipment... and they get wet in the pit sometimes!
I'm thinking of using 0.5mm river neoprene gloves... Do they make any with flat seems? What do you guys use?

I have the Beta LT pant and jacket. I have 5 seasons on them, mostly resort use for the jacket, the pants I wear every day out that it is snowing or really cold. They look only slightly more used than when I bought them.