Lighter alternative to Arcteryx Squamish hoody windshirt

[Peter S]

Anybody switched from an Arcteryx Squamish windshirt to a lighter windshirt?

I find the Squamish very comfortable, never clammy, very high breathability and good wind shedding. Great hood, and good velcro cuffs.

But at 146 gram i know there's a lot af lighter alternatives now.

The real question is if the lighter alternatives has too many tradeoffs?

[Serge Giachetti]

To my knowledge breathability generally goes down with weight. Stuff like pertex quantum GL is super light, but not very breathable at all. Only exception I've found to this is the stoic wraith, which isn't sold anymore (maybe you can get one used). Mine is 2.5 oz with good breathability in size L.

the older houdini had a good rep, but even that wouldn't save you much weight over your squamish. Someone needs to come out with a breathable windshirt (like pertex equilibrium) with very minimal features to cut out as much weight as possible. I think it would be a super popular piece with the BPL crowd as well as trail runners, cyclists etc.

[michael levi]

I have a squeamish and prefer it over the montbell tachyon anorak (2.9 oz). It's a little heavier but the fabric is 20d vs the mb 10d. It's nicer on the skin, don't get me wrong the tachyon is the second best I've tried, but the squamish is more practical esp. For city use.

[Derek M.]

Peter,
I think you will find yourself in the land of diminishing returns when trying to find a substitute for your 146 gram wind shell that you obviously already like.

About the most you're going to save is an ounce for something that is more-or-less comparable, and there is no telling if you'll like the other jacket as much either. We're talking about the weight of a swig of water (yeah, I said it). I don't think that amount of weight should be a huge factor when deciding on something as important as your wind shell (which is one of my most functional and frequently used pieces of clothing and I'm guessing this is true for your as well).

For what it's worth, I use a Marmot Trail Wind Hoody for my windshell (4.6 oz for a Men's Medium). I got it for $50 on amazon and I really like it. It's almost never talked about on this forum because it seems to get overshadowed by the much more expensive (and slightly lighter) Patagonia Houdini jacket. I like the Trail Wind Hoody specifically because it is made of polyester (not nylon, like almost every other wind shell I've encountered). To me, polyester fabric is much more comfortable next to skin than nylon, but YMMV.

Anyway, just my two cents. Good luck with your decision!

[Link .]

This is from a Richard Nisely post

The Outdoor Gear Lab aerobic field tests indicated that the Marmot Trail Wind Hoody did not breathe as well (OGL 7 rating) as either the 2013 Squamish (OGL 8 rating) or the 2013 Houdini (OGL 8 rating). See http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Wind-Breaker-Jacket-Reviews/Marmot-Trail-Wind-Hoody

[James holden]

the trail wind has poor breathability which is only partly offset by the mesh under the armpits

nor is it particular durable … after a bit of granite climbing theres pinholes in mine

;)

[Adam Rothermich]

–theres pinholes in mine–

Sounds like you're solving the breathability problem. :D

Adam

[David Chenault]

The Westcomb Crest hoody is the lightest garment I know of with Equilibrium (4oz).

[Peter S]

Hi everybody. Well, i think the consensus in this thread is pretty clear – now i can stop drooling over all the 50g windshirts that has been popping up recently!

And thank you, great knowledge here as always :-)

My wallet says thanks too…

Cheers, Peter

[Peter S]

Now…wonder how much that chest pocket weighs on the Squamish…hmmmm….SNIP!

[Derek M.]

Personally, I find the Marmot Trail Wind Hoody to be breathable enough, and I very much like the mesh pit vents. I also find the fabric plenty durable for its intended purpose. I have been using mine for a few years now without incident, but I certainly wouldn't feel comfortable rubbing the fabric up against granite for any extended period of time, as Eric mentioned above.

I have never used the Houdini, but I'm sure it is a great windshell along with the Squamish jacket that the OP has.

I simply haven't been dissatisfied with my inexpensive Trail Windy Hoody in any meaningful way (other than the fact that the DWR wears off quickly, but this seems to be the case will all DWR coatings I've ever had experience with), so I've haven't felt compelled to replace it with something more expensive.

Anyway, glad to hear the OP likes his windshell even more now that he is confident he doesn't have to trade it in for some younger, lighter shell :)

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