Beta AR Jacket Women's

Finally a jacket that keeps me dry and is so comfortable that I don't mind wearing it. I have owned many other rain/shell jackets and not only did they not keep me dry but I just did not like wearing them so I would avoid it at all cost. I love my Beta AR jacket so much that I find myself wearing it as an outer layer even when it's not raining. I wear it with my Atom LT and it keeps me warm and comfortable in 40 degree weather. If it's around 30 degrees I would wear a warm base layer too. I did a short 3 mile hike in steady rain to test it out and I was completely dry. The water just shakes right off of it. The hood has many adjustments to make it fit just right. At first I did not like the stiff collar but now I appreciate how it keeps the wind out. I am 5'5 and 127lbs and the small fits just right. I had a hard time deciding on the color but I went with Labyrinth and I love it. I love the contrasting color on the zippers too. I can't wait to try it for snowshoeing.

Back in the day, when I used to do all the fun things, I had a very well loved and used Beta AR. I needed to warranty it, but wasn't optimistic that it would be covered. However, to my wonderous surprise, ARCTERYX did warranty my jacket and sent me a new one -- super Fast!! And while I am no longer able to blaze through that chest deep pow or hike the whole of the Appalachian Trail, I can still chase my mini-me's in style and dry comfort!! Thank you ARCTERYX for making me even more grateful that I invested in your product, the Beta AR.

This is a very nice jacket - lightweight and fairly robust. It's well cut and nice looking. If you are long waisted you are going to wish it was just a teeny bit longer. The pockets are great when you are wearing a pack - and very awkward if you don't have a pack belt blocking the natural place to put your hands on a cold afternoon.

I have owned lots of Arc'teryx gear over the years and treated myself to a new Beta AR this year. I'm sorry to say that this jacket was a very expensive disappointment. There is one thing I expected it to do -- keep me dry -- but it absolutely failed from its very first use. Since I have had Arc'teryx rain gear in the past and just assume it works, I didn't hesitate to pack this jacket for a Kilimanjaro climb as soon as it arrived. Bad move. We had a few days of rain on the mountain and, though it wasn't extreme or torrential, I found my inner layers consistently got wet. The arms of this jacket soaked through especially quickly, and the only part of me that wasn't wet down to the base layer after a couple hours of hiking in steady rain was the area of my back covered by my pack -- starting from its very first wear!! I so, so wish I had tested this jacket in rain before relying on it as an essential piece of gear. Because I hadn't, I was wet and cold and uncomfortable for much of my climb. If you're going to just wear this jacket to and from the car on drizzly days, it might be fine. But if you're looking for actual rain gear that will keep you dry in the great outdoors, I'm sorry to say you'll have to look elsewhere.

This is my first waterproof shell and I really love it. I wanted something I could wear for all my outdoor activities - lots of walking with my dog, but also cycling and trying some alpine sports later this year. I heard amazing things about Arcteryx jackets and figured I’d go with the investment piece. You can tell it’s super high quality and there are lots of nice little features. Highly recommend, I would for sure repurchase.

I've loved this jacket for skiing, climbing, hiking, and walking the dog in a snowstorm. I regularly wash and waterproof it and it is going strong three years into use.