A late second thumbs up for the Arcteryx Atom SV hoody! I've had a couple of the synthetic Rabs which I loved, but this Atom blows them away! The material, the cut, the weight, the hood adjustability, the warmth...it even looks like a "real coat" i.e. you can wear it to town and nobody thinks the Martians have landed! And did I mention the warmth? If it's cold enough to need a 100g synthetic-fill jacket then you need it to be warm so, while I had my doubts about the cuffs, they do keep everything snug with no draughts and they feel great. Mind you I'm writing this from Canada,where this thing was designed and where adjustable cuffs are somewhat redundant. If I was back in Sussex I suppose I might feel differently, but then my Rab Generator had elastic cuffs and that was fine. It's not as if you are going to want a 100-fill jacket for active use anyway - for that, even the fabulous 60g-fill Rab Xenon is sometimes too much! Back to the Atom SV: if you see one on sale or on a trip to Canada or the USA where the prices are better, then I'd strongly recommend checking this jacket out. Arcteryx design and quality is more than worth the premium price tag...OK, I'll confess: I'm smitten!
Looks like the Rab Xenon would be a good option: cheaper (especially considering the shipping costs), maybe 20-30g heavier than the Cocoon (as Rab's advertised weights for the Xenon seem to be consistently pessimistic!) but with a full-zip and pockets thus more versatile! Plus it looks a lot cooler!!
Hi Richard - have a look at Joe Newton's review (mentioned in an earlier comment above) to get a clearer idea of fit. The Xenon looks to have a closer, more active cut than the Rab Generator or Photon jackets which are more your traditional, throw-over, belay tops. The sweet thing about the Xenon is that it's a full-zip jacket with a hood for almost as light as Rab's own Generator Vest! And yes, it only has 60g rather than the Generator's 100g Primaloft insulation, but it's got sleeves and a hood so I bet it's warmer!
Only seen this in-store so far (and not in my size, so couldn't try it on) but have a look at Joe Newton's review from earlier this week: http://thunderinthenight.blogspot.com/2010/11/first-look-rab-xenon-insulated-jacket.html Cheers, Dave
Just in case this is of any use to anyone else... I've just returned from a fabulous trip to E. Turkey & Georgia and can report that, while puncture-type Campingaz cartridges were easily found at camping shops in Trabzon on the Turkish Black Sea Coast, I was eventually able to find push-fit Campingaz cartridges in some of the numerous fishing/hunting stores on the main shopping street of the town. I used these with my screw-fit stove in combination with the Markill adaptor available from Backpackinglight: http://www.backpackinglight.co.uk/product152.asp Ironically, having felt so triumphant after scoring push-fit cartridges in Trabzon, I arrived in Kazbegi in the Caucasus a few days later to find screw-fit Coleman gas cartridges sitting smugly on the counter of the small tea/snack/information stall on the main street, as if to say "What's the problem?!"
David Caudwell
