Beta SL Jacket Men's

I bought this when it was called the Beta lightweight but apparently the SL is just a new name for the lightweight which is interesting because if im not mistaken, other Arc' shells labeled SL were not 3L GTX so for me it made it kind of confusing but it must be different being within the Beta family I guess. I did obsessive research on the best rain shell I could find for all around use, and this was it, not the AR because I planned on using it for hiking too and I run hot and I heard the AR can be a little warm for hiking (granted this was fairly fast-paced hiking). I had bought it before hiking the AT/Smokies/ NC for three months last year. This shell was perfect because it rains a lot and it rains hard in NW North Carolina, but it also can get very hot, very cold, and all of that in one day gets me whipping my Arc out after it starts down pouring out of no where , to hiking in it for hours while pushing up against heavily soaked brush along the Art Loeb, kept me dry. I know there was some debate on the eco friendly new gtx where it wasn't waterproof however I never had that issue. The Beta SL was perfect for my condition and I didn't overheat thanks to how light the shell is and the pit zips, but even in colder temps with wind blowing at 6,000 plus feet in altitude, the shell was a wind breaker too and kept me warm in the wind. I'm 5'6 at 155 lbs (athletic build) and I got a small. I can fit into an Atom LT extra small but the Atom LT small fits better however the sleeves are longer. I went for the small with the Beta SL despite sleeves being longer and I'm glad I did because it allows for layering. I could've fit into the extra small but because of the way it's cut, it would've been too restrictive in the chest and pits. Small was the perfect size and the only thing id say may be a negative is the sleeve length but its really not bad, especially when the velcro straps are used, you can find a happy medium with cuff placement to get that tapered, athletic, iconic Arc'teryx look without looking too crinkled which shortens the length too. And if the sleeves bother someone, despite this ruing the warranty I think, id get the sleeves tailored if it was that big of a deal. This is the most versatile jacket I own as it lives up to what it's made for in the field but also looks sleek for city wear, especially with the black color. It's GTX and still makes noise but it's soft and the noise isn't that bad. Before pulling the trigger Ron this, I was looking at Stone Glaciers M5 but it isn't GTX and I heard some people had water soak through and then other brands like Kuiu I was looking at too but it's some waterproofing that isn't GTX but their own version which always makes me skeptical but I came back to the Beta SL because it was 3L GTX, had the C-Knit backing allowing it to be softer and with a high denier for durability, it's the best of all the things you need in a shell. Arc'teryx really is the NASA of outdoor gear.

There was 100mm of rain the first time I wore my Beta. Kept me dry.