Arc’teryx Alpha Light-weight Parka Assessment

Arc’teryx has a observe document of manufacturing efficient and sturdy outerwear for correct alpine situations, albeit costly. And the Alpha Light-weight Parka appears to proceed the streak, boasting 850-fill goose down and GORE-TEX INFINIUM.

I packed the good-looking Arc’teryx Alpha Light-weight Parka for a weeklong ice-climbing journey in Alaska’s backcountry. I tasked it with conserving me heat at inhospitable belays, generally for hours in single-digit temperatures with piercing winds. It acquired haphazardly crammed and unfurled from my climbing pack and subjected to razor-sharp ice screws, axe factors, ice, and tough granite.

Briefly: The Arc’teryx Alpha Light-weight Parka checks all of the packing containers for an alpine belay parka. It was heat, windproof, sturdy, and packable. There wasn’t a efficiency fault. However the value is almost double of some comparable belay parkas.

Specs

The checklist of specs of the Alpha Light-weight Parka is spectacular.

• Down Composite Mapping: artificial insulation in areas vulnerable to moisture, down in different areas for max heat
• 850-fill European white goose down
• Proprietary Hadron LCP (Liquid Crystal Polymer) grid face material for abrasion resistance
• 2-layer GORE-TEX INFINIUM
• Two inside dump pockets
• Two exterior hand pockets
• 5 inner vents
• Zipped chest pocket
• Insulated, adjustable helmet-compatible hood
• Recco reflector

Arc’teryx makes use of supplies that meet Bluesign standards, makes use of dope dying (much less power and water wanted), and the down meets Accountable Down Commonplace requirements.

My males’s medium-size pattern weighs a verified 1 pound, 4 ounces, and has an MSRP of $800. Arc’teryx additionally has a ladies’s model.

Arc’teryx Alpha Light-weight Parka in Alaska

Heat and Wind Resistance

I simply stuffed the Arc’teryx Alpha Light-weight Parka into the included 9″ x 6″ x 5″ stuff sack. With out the sack, it took up area within the high of my pack corresponding to different down-belay jackets I’ve utilized in Alaska. I often need to wrestle seam-taped down jackets to compress them, however not so with this one. There’s one vent on either side of the torso, on the finish of every sleeve, and one on the decrease rear hem. These vents allowed air to evacuate for fast and straightforward stuffing.

As soon as unfurled on the first belay, the down and Coreloft 40 insulation rapidly lofted up and warmed. The jacket felt heat method earlier than I had cooled off from climbing the pitch in single-digit temperatures. The inside vents helped and contributed to breathability, thus aiding in conserving the down dry day after day.

In addition to the beneficiant heat, I first observed the bulletproof wind-blocking skill of the Hadron shell and GORE-TEX INFINIUM system. The wind was howling throughout the glacier, and chilly air was additionally dashing down the climb’s face. I might really feel the extraordinary chew on uncovered elements of my face, however none of it acquired by way of the parka.

At belays of over an hour that I shared with staff members, I used to be constantly the one one not complaining of the chilly. I do know that had loads to do with the remainder of my attire system. However in comparison with different belay parkas of comparable weight I’ve utilized in Alaska, the Arc’teryx Alpha Light-weight Parka proved very heat for me.

I didn’t get to check the shell’s water repellency or the insulation’s water resistance as a result of the temperatures by no means acquired above the low teenagers. However prior expertise with INFINIUM has confirmed ample water resistance for ice-climbing situations (the occasional drip or seep).

Match

Though I didn’t climb within the parka, I did windmill my arms round to advertise circulation in my fingers, and the torso and sleeves had been lengthy sufficient to maintain me coated. I’ve lengthy arms and torso for my measurement, however Arc’teryx lower the jacket generously sufficient, so it didn’t expose my wrists or my midsection when my fingers had been over my head.

The hood match effectively over my climbing helmet, and I by no means had any binding trying down or round. The hood protection, like the remainder of the parka, was beneficiant.

The size of the torso and two-way most important zipper made it simple to handle my belay system and tie-in knots. The decrease hem fell proper on the appropriate spot, the place I solely needed to run the decrease zipper pull up just a few inches to reveal my belay loop and tie-in knot.

I continuously had meals or gloves within the inside stuff pockets, however the jacket maintained a purposeful match. Stuffing as much as two glove layers and snacks didn’t trigger the jacket to stand up or compress the insulation. I discovered the zipped exterior chest pocket excellent for my cellphone and inReach, conserving them heat however out of hurt’s method (relative to different pockets).

For reference, I’m 6 toes tall and 170 kilos.

Sturdiness

Resistance to punctures and abrasions was additionally the place the Arc’teryx Alpha Light-weight Parka stood out. The Hadron LCP shell had an identical really feel to the Black Diamond Imaginative and prescient parka LCP shell. And it proved to be simply as proof against punctures.

The Hadron material was continuously poked by ice screws at belays and ice picks on rappel. I didn’t have the luxurious of being cautious and was fairly the alternative. We had been at all times racing the clock in opposition to darkness on this journey, so I used to be cavalier with all the sharp bits. The parka additionally acquired raked in opposition to tough granite and bombarded by sharp ice.

Nothing beats up my gear worse than multipitch backcountry mountaineering, and I assume once I get dwelling, my outerwear will want repairs or alternative. However apart from some black stains from who is aware of what, the Arc’teryx Light-weight Parka returned to my closet with none harm.

Remaining Ideas on the Arc’teryx Alpha Light-weight Parka

This belay parka did the whole lot effectively. It supplied unimaginable wind resistance and glorious heat. The parka was extremely sturdy and the best belay parka ever to stuff into small areas. It weighs 2 ounces greater than the lightest belay parka I’ve examined in Alaska (Rab Mythic Extremely) and the identical because the aforementioned Black Diamond Imaginative and prescient parka. As a last bonus, I acquired a number of “that’s a handsome jacket” feedback once I wore it about city.

I had zero qualms about efficiency, weight, or seems. However the massive stumbling block is the value, which isn’t unusual with Arc’teryx alpine items. At $800, it’s $335 greater than the Imaginative and prescient parka and $325 greater than the Mythic Extremely. However the Arc’teryx Alpha Light-weight Parka was hotter than the Imaginative and prescient and rather more sturdy than the Mythic Extremely, which I needed to be cautious with due to the gossamer gentle shell material.

It’s onerous to justify such value variations. However when you do have the cash, this belay parka had the mix of being probably the most sturdy and warmest of those I’ve examined. It’s marginally heavier than the lightest belay parkas I’ve examined, and for many years, Arc’teryx high quality has confirmed itself to me.

Full disclosure: I didn’t pay for this belay parka. However I’d do the whole lot in my energy to take action. I consider the results of failure on aims in Alaska, particularly if I get benighted on a route. Frostbite could be the least of my worries, and dying from hyperthermia could be an actual risk. And the few hundred {dollars} of distinction could be forgotten inside an hour of the solar happening.