Arcteryx Cerium LT

My wife has this jacket (I have the SV version). She has not had any issue with down escaping. In fact, compared to her Eddie Bauer First Ascent 'version,' it is night and day (that one leaks like a sieve).

The fit and quality finish is worlds better than what I am accustomed to.

I've had one for a little over a year. Great jacket but it does seem to "leak" more than my previous down garments. Not as bad as some of the reviews on the Arc site indicate but definitely more than you'd expect at this price point. Super light face fabric might be the culprit. Even with that, I'd buy one again.

Thanks for the feedback gents.

How do you like the SV, Dave?

I've had a thorium that I've put through the ringer for about 10-11 months, and it is still going strong. I haven't noticed any major down leakage other than the occasional feather. It definitely has leaked less than other down jackets I've owned. The fit is hands down the best I've found in a down jacket.

I've had some leakage, but not much. I've had mine for a year of consistent wear & its been a great jacket. Warm for the weight and the fit is perfect.

I have the LT Hoody. I don't have any down escaping but do have a couple of spots on the collar where the Coreloft is poking through. I think I put those holes there somehow, I do use it fairly hard (frequently smashing it into any available space in my backpack). I love the jacket.

I have always wondered of the effects of stuffing these mixed down/synth jackets over and over again as small as possible

I dont know about u but i buy down so i can squeeze till it quacks for mercy, over and over again … Will the coreloft take it without wearing out?

Its something i never got a straight answer from dead bird about

;)

@ eric, I use mine often often &/though I'm sure the synth has degraded some, there's so little of it and in non core areas, so i dont notice much of a difference. Down can be pretty patchey in areas (like under the armpits on most sewn through down jacks. Arc use of synth works well in these areas.

Doug, i've had a Cerium LT Jacket for over a year now, and a Cerium LT Vest for 4 months. No problem with escaping down here. Fit is better than most other down garments for me.

Hey folks, men's and women's Cerium LT hoodies on sale for $254.95 at rockcreek.com
Regular colors and sizes, but I don't think they have much quantity(like 2 men's L in Nighthawk color when I checked).

Rock Creek is reputable, btw.

Yeah, thanks, that's what I've been looking at. I've ordered from Rock Creek in the past.

Hi Trill Daddy,

I love me some Cerium SV! Lofts really nicely and the fit is excellent. Much warmer than it has any right to be. The hood is very good as well. I was concerned about the elastic cuffs originally but they do a great job of sealing out the elements.

I purchased it at a significant discount so based on what I paid, the value is definitely there. It is the nicest jacket that I own.

Thanks serge

There tends to be 2 trains of thought to this

– synth degrades very fast and down will last much longer

Or

– these UL jackets shells are going to get pretty natty after a few years of good use, so the UL down jackets dont really last too much longer than synth

I guess dead bird is more of the latter opinion … Since they arent worried about the synth degrading in a premium down piece

I cant say that they are wrong in that regard, its possible that by the time the coreloft goes flat the shell might be pretty tattered anyways

;)

"There tends to be 2 trains of thought to this

– synth degrades very fast and down will last much longer

Or

– these UL jackets shells are going to get pretty natty after a few years of good use, so the UL down jackets dont really last too much longer than synth"

There is a third train of thought – I don't get out much, so the jacket won't get that much use for now, so it should last a good long while in any case! :-)

I take your point about synth degrading quicker than down, and really thought about it before making the purchase, so thanks. But the truth for me, currently, is just as I stated – I just don't get out much at all, so it was less of a concern in the overall scheme of things.

Doug …

One view ive come around to is that dead birds are great value … Because youll wear it around town all the time

U cannot resist wearing in the urban environment, it makes one feel good about oneself

Years ago i bought a family member a fission AR jacket for 200 bucks or so (they go for 500-600 retail) … He said "you didnt have to, i dont need to be no trendy yuppie AZN"

The a little while later hes thanking me as he wears it all the time … Hes got folks saying to him at dim sum and tai chi "ahh-tech-licks …. Vely guud, vely expensive, numbah won!!!"

Another climbing partner wear her dead bird everywhere as it makes her so happy

Thank god im close to the dead bird outlet and there are 40-50%+ off sales in canuckistan or i would be broke from gifting them

So i GUARANTEE you will wear your dead bird alot

;)

I've spoken with a lot of people, specifically textile engineers and product developers from a few notable companies: MHW, Patagonia, BD, Primaloft and Arcteryx. Literally none of them agree that synthetics degrade over time, unless you are repeatedly stuffing them and STORING them stuffed.

While I wish that dead bird would use 100% down, I have yet to meet someone whose Atom jacket has lost significant warmth.

Synthetics degrade, unless u wear the jacket all the time youll need to stuff it in yr pack .. Richards test has shown some degredation

From dead bird

Thank you for contacting Arc'teryx. The longevity of the Coreloft highly depend and use and storage. The worst thing for Coreloft is to compress it. I have seen Coreloft lasting as few as 3-4 months when used for driving a car for 1-2 hour daily. Just the compression between the back and the seat broke the fibres down in no time. The same can happen when Coreloft is stored in a tight compression sack for an extended period.

When used as a mid-layer and stored properly, it can last for many years. I have an Atom LT Hoody from 3 years ago and it sill looks brand new and haven't lost any of its loft."

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=97540

One of my partners asked the question if 1-2 hours sitting down can make coreloft go flat in a few months … Do you really want to carry a 20-30 lb pack while wearing it for 6-8 hours a day … I had no good answer

What i dont think happens though is synth degrading as fast as many BPLers used to think … Its used to be the big argument about getting UL down jackets, but theres a good chance that youre going to wear out the UL shell regardless as i states

If not then all these companies using down and synth are oulling a fast marketing snookie over our heads !!!

Like i said before, i dont know about u but my MB exl stays stuffed tightly in my pack most of the time … Thats why i have down so it takes minimal room … Perhaps these down/synth hybrids (and synth of course) should be treated differently

Keep in mind ive always been a fan of synth on BPL and own/use synth

;)