Beta AR Jacket Women's

First - my compliments. The Beta Ar is largely a superb feat of clothing engineering. Amazingly designed and accounts for the technical uses it is specified for. The material is remarkable, albeit a little stiff, by being both wind resistant and breathable. This jacket is my go-to in most outdoor activities, as a shell in winter and on its own in rain during other seasons. My circa 2004(?) version still looks new. My picadillos mostly have to do with being short. Trying to layer for skiing/winter means that i’ve inches of fabric at the wrist, that bunch under gloves. This on an arm that already has less length to accommodate any bulk. Paying top dollar for a piece of technical gear had always been a heartache for this 5’ body. While the extra length is to allow for overhead movement, it is more than enough for the shorter statures. The second pain point - quite literally, is from the chin guard when the jacket is zipped up. The stiff fabric rubs my chin raw. Customer service explained that the hood was designed to be used with a helmet. ...ergo shouldn’t rub when the hood is over a helmet? not true. For this shorter gal, wearing a ski helmet means the chin piece is hiked up so high it’s almost over my nose. Which also gets chafed raw from the stiff tab at the top of the neck piece. Hence the four, not five star rating. I enjoy the jacket when I don’t need it in the most dire, technical situations, but find it misses the mark a little for my size when I really need the details it was built for. Sometimes that’s almost more disappointing - It’s within reach, but just out of my grasp.

I can’t say enough about how disappointed I am with the fit of this shell. I am a petite size 8 with a larger bust and none of the sizes on offer come close to fitting me. You really need to make just one petite fitting jacket option for those of us who aren’t your tall, thin body type. The medium had not enough room for layering, yet was still much too long in the arms and much too loose in the shoulders with lots of bulk in the arms. The large felt like I was a child trying on my mother’s clothing: I had a good five inches of fabric hanging past my fingertips on the sleeves and the body came down to my crotch impeding my range of movement when walking. I could fit both of my arms in one sleeve. It was rediculous. I want to throw my money at you for an amazing shell, but you really need to move towards inclusive fit models. Not impressed.