Dead Bird Shells

Theta sv? Burlier, longer, drop hood, goretex pro.

Kudos to Arcteryx for standing behind their product.

You don’t say what your other activities are. For summer backpacking, I take the lightest shell which currently is a 10 plus year old deadbird Goretex Packlite with pit zips. For winter snow camping and shoulder season, I take a longer length and roomier (to leave room for mid layers) BetaAR Goretex shell.  The newer ARs seem shorter than the one I had years ago. If I were to replace it, would get the longer shell for winter snow camping.

If it was me, I’d go for a Norvan (not the Norval SL) which is really light, and does have pit vents. It’s their best jacket for backpacking.

That’s only $300 or so, so get a second one for someone else.

“You don’t say what your other activities are.”

Agreed. It’s possible your new garment might be something totally unrelated and used for a totally different activity. (Like the Keppel trench coat,  Alpha AR pants, Fission SV?)

Regardless, the Beta LT hybrid is quite versitle, and I’d think having the Beta SV might feel rather redundant.

I’d say you don’t necessarily need two shells that do the same thing…

Another option….. If you don’t already have an insulation piece, I found the Arcteryx Cerium LT to be amazing. It’s incredibly light and VERY warm. I like it so much I’ve sold my Montbell Alpine Light and use it now for 4-seasons. Also, if you don’t already have a wind shell, I highly recommend the Squamish. Because of the features and fit, I often take it over my Houdini now. (you could have BOTH for $525 I’d think). Other pieces I own or desire: Motus longsleeve shirt (love it, fantastic), the Atom LT Jacket (don’t own, but very well reviewed), Gamma LT Pants (don’t own, I can’t get myself to spend that kind of dough on pants).

I’m a big Arcteryx fan.I have not found another brand that’s fits as well … and I actually have a Beta LT on order right now. ;)

Thanks for all the feedback everyone. It’s nice getting some outside perspective.

Sorry for not providing better insight on how I intend to use the jacket. I’m a hiker first and foremost. One of these days I will finally commit to the AT or CDT, but in the meantime I seem pretty content hiking shorter treks at elevation wherever I can find them. Last year I spent a month in Huaraz, Peru, and hiked both the Alpamayo/Santa Cruz Trek and the Huayhuash Circuit. In previous years I have hiked the Wind River High Route, the Wonderland Trail, the Zion Traverse, to name a few. This upcoming fall I’m hoping to spend October and November hiking in the Himalayas, so maybe there is a jacket that would make sense for that trip?

@ Jeff: Unfortunately the Theta SV doesn’t appear to be in the current Arcteryx lineup. Since it’s not currently listed on their website (the only Theta jacket they have listed is a Theta AR) I’m assuming the Alpha SV replaced it in their product line.

@ Bruce: Couldn’t agree with you more in regards to Arcteryx standing behind their products. I never imagined that they would offer me a replacement when I sent the jacket in for repairs. It’s interesting that you found the new Beta ARs to be a shorter than the older models because I found the exact opposite. My torso is tiny and I vividly remember thinking “Who is going to buy a jacket that is cut this short?” Even on me (<16 inches from C7 to IC) I found that it rode higher than I would have liked. Fast forward to the trip out to the Arcteryx store in LA and I was pleasantly surprised to find that they took my recommendations into consideration. The new Beta AR fits great. Not too short, not too long.

@ Dan: Not sure how I never noticed it, but the Norvan is an interesting option as well. Maybe I can swing by the LA store and try it on for size.

@ Matt: I think you touched on my biggest concern: redundancy. I guess I was thinking that the Beta LT Hybrid would be my go-to, three-season shell when weight is the biggest factor, and when conditions looked ominous, I would leave it at home in favor of something more robust like the Beta SV.

@ Nick: The Cerium LT is an interesting option to consider. I’ve never owned an Arcteryx insulating jacket before, but I’m sure they’re incredible.

I should probably point out that I have a number of other jackets that might change the advice given on this thread. Back in 2011 I picked up a Montbell Thermawrap UL and a Montbell Frost Line Parka. The former I take on damn near every backpacking trip I go on, while the latter has only been used off the trail, walking around town. While I am starting to acquire more gear for winter hiking, for the time being I don’t see myself hiking anywhere that the temperature drops below the teens. If I didn’t already own the Beta AR pants I would probably us the credit to pick up a pair (how people hike w/o rain pants is beyond me). I do have a skiing trip coming up in March, so maybe I should be looking at their winter sports offerings. Once again, thanks for all the advice and intel. This community always keeps me coming back.

I’m not trying to derail Andrew’s thread, and maybe a decent answer to my question will help him too.

Is there any sort of “Rosetta stone” for understanding Arcteryx’s entire line of jackets?

Alpha, Beta, Theta, Gamma, various suffixes.

The mind boggles!  Is there a master table somewhere that explains/compares features of each model?

Hi Jeff,

The Arc’teryx naming scheme is demystified here

Hope that helps,

David

I am going to have to second Dan’s recommendation of the Norvan shell (regular Norvan, NOT the Norvan SL).  I love my Norvan.  It is intended for trail running, or other high intensity activities.  However, I have found that it works exceptionally well for backpacking.  Since it was designed for trail running, it is cut slim (great for us skinny folk) and it breathes really well.  I have also found it to be very waterproof.  The pit openings don’t have zips (you can’t close them), which I thought would be an issue.  Turns out, they work great.  Never had a problem with water getting in and they allow my pits to breath.  I have a medium in the blue color (I think they only have black and red now) and it weighs in right at 7.1 ounces.  I pair mine up with a Ghost Whisperer, but a Cerium SL would also work great.  For the amount of credit you have, you can almost get both the Norvan shell and a Cerium SL.

Thanks for the insight, Rob! I think I’m going to make another trip over to the Arcteryx store to try on some of the options that I passed over on my first trip out there. The Norvan was never even on my radar until I started this thread. I’m really intrigued on the pit opening design. Thanks again for the recommendations!