Arcteryx Norvan SL – 4.2 oz Rain Shell with Gore Tex Permanent Beading Surface

Just to chime in that the breathability is really great on the jacket.

I also did not have a great deal of rain this fall, but I’ve worn mine a few times as a bug jacket in the sun and was impressed by how I didn’t notice it at all. My previous jacket was a OR Helium ii that I found to feel really clammy and distracting to work in (I have to work outside).

For S17, Mammut comes with the 150 g Rainspeed Ultralight HS, made from Active with PBS (sorry, I didn’t find immidiately another spot to post this).

Just bough an TNF Hyperair, with the ‘new’ GTX Active.

Will be taking this to Scotland late april for a week-long backpacking-trip, mostly off trail.

My Norvan SL arrived today (measured 4.5oz in a size L – I am normally on the small side of Medium, but this Large fits me well with a bit of room for layers underneath).

But I have issues with the zipper not being waterproof.

This is supposedly a YKK AquaSeal zipper (a very expensive zipper), but it doesn’t seem to be waterproof at all. Held up the the light, you can see between the teeth. I don’t see any of the rubber bits that are supposed to seal between the teeth on AquaSeals. A quick breath test reveals one can easily breathe through it. And under the tap, or after creating a small “balloon” of still water, lots of water does in fact quickly bead right through the teeth.

Curious if others with the jacket can also look at their zippers.

This is supposedly a YKK AquaSeal zipper (a very expensive zipper), but it doesn’t seem to be waterproof at all.

Are you sure it is an Aquaseal-zipper (more or less waterproof) and not an Aquaguard-zipper (just waterrepellant) ?

Where are you getting your info on the zipper?  The Arcteryx site doesn’t mention YKK.  They mention their own WaterTight zipper for that jacket.

And here’s what they say about those:

Note: Our WaterTight™ zippers are highly water resistant, but not waterproof. We do not recommend keeping items in your pockets that may be damaged by moisture

@Nathan

although Arc’teryx doesn’t mention the supplier of their zippers, it (probably) is YKK and the Arc’teryx Watertight-zipper is marketed by YKK as their Aquaguard-zipper.

This is article makes it sound like Arcteryx developed the zipper themselves.  Maybe YKK licenses the design from them?

http://www.backcountry.com/explore/unzipped-the-madness-the-method-and-the-man-behind-the-watertight-zipper

Well, sort off. Arc’teryx developed the zipper together with Uretek (who patented it) and YKK took over/licensed it. But that concerns only the 1st generation of waterresistent zippers. The newer Vislon waterresistent/waterproof-zippers are a YKK design.

I think you’re right and it’s YKK AquaGuard not AquaSeal. Thought I saw it mentioned somewhere but I must have been mistaken.

I just tried the jacket in the shower and my chest got wet almost immediately from water leaking through the zipper teeth.
Now I suppose I’ll try to decide whether to return it or try to modify it by somehow adding an internal zipper flap. I can’t believe it doesn’t have one (or at least a better zipper with a PU covering over the teeth).

Interesting,  I haven’t noticed any zipper leakage yet.  But I’ve only seen relatively minor rain with it.   I’ll examine closer when I get home.

This might underscore that this jacket is best suited for trips where you might hit rain, vs a trip with heavier rain.  Bummer because I LOVE the breathabilty.  I’m just glad to see progressive innovations still happening for WPB fabrics.  I feel like other clothing items like baselayers and insulation hit a brick wall since powerdry HE and polartec alpha.

I just tried the jacket in the shower and my chest got wet almost immediately from water leaking through the zipper teeth.

Have you contacted the Arc’teryx customer service to see if this is normal ?

“Normal”? If one is selling a “rain jacket” and claiming it is “waterproof” even tho it easily and quickly lets water enter via the zipper that is disingenuous (at best) and almost certainly false advertising.

Partial screen cap from the Arc’teryx site:

Arcteryx now lists the Norvan SL at 7.5oz. Guess it is all of that holiday eating . . .

Still shows as 4.2oz on the US site.

I kind of like the ugly black/grey with external seam tape look.     The NorthFace jacket was described by someone as looking like a garbage bag until it was put on.

I really hope this fabric takes off and we start seeing it in some other designs.

JCH,  maybe Woubeir meant you should contact Arcteryx to see if you’ve got a defective one. None of the reviews on their site mention leaking, but those might be filtered to only show positive reviews.

Edward the Norvan is 7.5 oz the Norvan SL(which is the jacket everyone is talking about) is 4.2 oz

I certainly did not mean to attack anyone or question the validity of anyone’s statement(s). However on second reading of my post, I can see how one could take my comments in a way that was not intended.  Apologies offered all around.

I simply wanted to say that *IF* the zipper on a “waterproof rain jacket” is not, by design, itself waterproof then I would take exception to the jacket being described and marketed as such.

Thanks for the information. For some reason, the SL did not come up in my initial search of the Arcteryx web site.

The zipper is listed as “watertight” ™ …. It should be waterprooof …. Period

You may have a defective piece …. Contact dead bird or return it

;)

It’s not a defective one. Mine is the same. In real-world use I haven’t noticed water getting in, but I only used it three times in rain since I got it in the fall. I also saw there is a new one on REI’s site with a blue zipper, I wonder if they fixed the problem.

It could be that it is just not a single zipper that is defective but a complete batch.

BTW, here YKK lists there waterproof zippers.

WaterTight™ Zippers

In the beginning of hardshell designs, zippers were seen as weak points that needed a huge amount of reinforcement to achieve both weatherproof and structural integrity. Bulky zipper flaps -unsightly and excessive tabs of heavy, stitched fabric-were used as gutters to channel moisture away from these points of entry, overweight with stitching and reinforcement.

After ten years of thought, the Arc’teryx R&D team proposed the urethane coated, long-lasting and smooth sliding WaterTight™ zipper as a solution. Months of testing, affixing and evaluating different options were spent before installation was perfected, but eventually a solution was found and the zipper was successfully introduced into Arc’teryx apparel.

Sleek, quiet, understated yet highly technical, the new zipper presented as a simple line. No flaps. No bulk. A clean construction that matched the look of the rest of the garment and was structurally sound.

Never seen before, the WaterTight™ zipper was a big departure from convention that has become the industry standard—invented by Arc’teryx.

this is what the zipper they list on the norvan SL

if its a waterproof jacket, it should have a waterproof zipper or a covering flap … period

;)

I prefer a more breathable zipper…. those waterproof ones are so clammy.