Arc’Teryx Squamish WindShell Review

Hi Roleigh –

Sure, I can name a couple. The two other windshells that I am most familiar with, and that are most comparable to the Squamish, are the Patagonia Houdini and the GoLite Ether. Both of those have a hood, like the Squamish. The Ether and the Houdini have full zippers, while the Squamish has a deep zipper, but is still a pullover.

The Ether and Houdini are both lighter, about 4 ounces each as opposed to 5 ounces for the Squamish.

As far as my favorites are concerned, it would depend on the trip and conditions. For simple hiking I would probably choose the Houdini because of the full zipper and the lighter weight. But for off trail conditions or climbing, I'd choose the Squamish because of its fabric weight (slightly heavier) and good feature set for those conditions.

Hope that helps.

Don

I would like to suggest the BPL begin to routinely list the country in which whatever is being reviewed is made.

I used to favor Arc'teryx gear that was made in Canada. I've noticed recently that, though their prices haven't dipped much, it seems more and more of their stuff is made in China. That's a deal breaker for me.

I have used both the Arc'Teryx Squamish as well as a Montane product – the Litespeed (a hooded windshirt, very similar to the Squamish). I rank them very similarly in terms of quality, comfort and performance.

Quality: Arc'Teryx has always ranked at or near the top of brands I trust for durable gear production. Even though they have moved much production overseas they have maintained quality and durability standards. Montane I only became familiar with through reading on BPL but have been most pleased with thus far. I used my Litespeed on an 1200 mile hike during the summer of '07 on a daily basis with only minimal signs of wear.

Comfort: The Squamish windshell, being designed by a primarily climbing company has designed their shell with climbers in mind. As Don mentions, the helmet-compatible hood and velcro closures add weight but maximize performance. The Litespeed is, I believe, designed for backpacking. It features a full-length zip, no shape-able visor (which the Squamish features) and elastic wrists and waist. This brings the weight down slightly but offers little to no performance loss in comparison by my standards.

Performance: I did not climb with the Squamish nor have I climbed with the Litespeed but I did hike and bicycle with both of them. Honestly I feel both performed acceptably in terms of breathability (something no windshirt has perfected yet in my opinion) and both performed exceptionally in terms of wind resistance.

Rich, I think that where it was made matters only to you and me.

Hi there.

I own and use the Squamish as well as the Montane Aero, depending on trip and conditions.

Windprotection of both is superb. But after a while in the rain, both jackets soak through their seams.

I thought about sealing the seams, but doing this on the outside it will ruin the nice look of the jackets, doing it inside, the stickyness will ruin the wearing comfort – right?

Has anyone ever tried to seal the seams? And if yes, how?

Thanks flo

If I'm going to carry ANYTHING hooded it will be my Cabela's PacLite GTX rain parka if it's realy that windy and cool. A light Gore-Tex parka always worked fine in the past.

Guess I've never seen the rationale behind a "wind shirt", especially if it is a substitute for rain gear.

Eric

Integral Designs is making the Pertex wind jacket, which works great for me.
1. You are not alone Grzesiek, supporting local quality shops is important for me too.
2. For total clarity, I would like to propose to include in review the method of acquiring the product under review (some examples):
-Purchased
-Send by Manufacturer for evaluation only (returned after evaluation)
-Send by Manufacturer for evaluation and allowed to be kept by reviewer

I have used several Montane Litespeeds for which I purchaced for $35-45 (New on Ebay). If the Arc'Teryx is otherwise compareabel to the Montane I think I'll stick with the Montane for the added Value.

Thanks for this review. Now I have an idea about Arcteryx Jackets. Maybe I should have one for gift to my friend, who really has a collection on Arcteryx items. Now I know why he really likes this product!