Beta AR Jacket Men's

I would give 3 1/2 stars. I had this jacket for 2 years and used it a lot since it was my only rain and wind coat--at that price, I wouldn't buy two! I used it with and without a backpack, and with and without a harness and it performed well in all situations. Neither the outer fabric nor the backer wore out (like, not at all!) due to the the rubbing with pack or harness. On that front, the only flaw for me was the length of the front panel while wearing a harness (to much material at the bottom ; but it's normal, it's long on purpose, the Alpha line seems to cover that.) The fit and layering possibilities with this jacket are great. If worn on it's own it's baggy, yes, but not awkward. It's specifically giving around the shoulders, which allows for a lot of layers. That's a big plus. Weather resistance is also excellent. Gore-Tex Pro... It's made its proofs. Not much more to say than that. Pit zips compensate for the lack of breathability of the fabric. For the downsides... As I wrote in the title, much of them are subjective. They depend on your usage of this jacket. First of all, the pockets are annoying to use with a pack on, on the wall, on a bike... Basically, you feel like you have to contort yourself to access it when not using them simply standing and free of other gear. The Drop hood was good for me in the city, because I used this jacket as a windproof jacket and didn't need the hood then. It's more confortable like that compared to the Storm Hood, since the collar is separate. BUT in all other occasions, basically, when using the jacket for what it was intended for (in the mountains, in the pouring rain, snow, wind...), the Drop Hood lacks weather and elements protection. More precisely, the junction where the hood meets the collar leaves a hole for face wind to enter your micro climate! And finally, the goddam classic of Gore-Tex membrane delamination is what makes all Arc'teryx jacket "not perfect", imo. Mine delaminated after two years (and was replaced by Arc'teryx. Thanks guys, you own your stuff). But, as I said, I used it a lot more than one usually uses a shell jacket. So it was a busy 2 years. I have chosen to go for the Alpha AR instead, since that design accounts for almost all I didn't like about the Beta AR. This review might sound a little on the bad side, but I just didn't want to repeat everything that was said before. Arc'teryx makes insanely good jackets and I'll continue rooting for them as long as they do.