Arc'teryx Gamma MX Hoody Tested

Arc'Teryx MX Gamma Hoody Tested

Price: £260.00

Weight: 543 grammes (men's medium)

Features:Polartec Powershield fabric and Scoeller Dynamic fabrics, breathable and water resistant, full front zip wiht wind-proof inner flap, gussetted underarms, laminated hem, moulded zipper garages, single laminated sleeve pocket, two handwarmer pockets, two chest pockets with laminated zips, storm hood with laminated peak, soft brushed lined collar.

Beautifully, designed, and exectuted, superb fit, good weather protection with decent breathability. Hideously expensive.

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The Concept Outdoors clothing is many things - functional, utiliatrian, durable and so on - but it's rarely beautiful. And when it is, it's almost never simultaneously effective. Except when it's has that strange Arc'teryx fossil logo stamped across it that is.

Arc'teryx is, if you like, the Porsche of outdoor clothing. Virtually every technological clothing advance from water-resistant zips to lamination started with the Canadian company and it's an open secret that other manufacturers prowl the Arc'teryx stand at trade shows in search of next year's hot idea.

The pay-off is that the brand's kit is ruinously expensive. 'If you have to ask th price' and all that jazz, which means that testing it is a bit like being tossed the keys to a flash sports car. Nice but vaguely guilt filled.

Anyway... The ruinously expensive MX Gamma Hoody is a softshell jacket designed to offer protection and some warmth in harsh mixed conditions, but still be breathable enough to cope with high exertion or warmer temperatures. The hood's there to be thrown on for warmth at belays or extra protection when the weather breaks.

The idea is that you won't need a full, technical waterproof shell jacket unless it really starts bucketing down as the fabric should cope with snow, wind and light rain.

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Features Let's start with the fabric, which is our favourite four-way stretch Polartec Powershield. It's a PU-based laminate that's '98 per-cent windproof' on the basis that the extra air flow ups breathability significantly while having minimal impact on weather protection. A light fleece inner gives it some, but not too much, insulation value as well.

The detailing is pure Arc'teryx, with reversed zips, neat zipper garages on the main hand pockets, laminated hem cord area, hem cord tensioner concealed in handwarmer pockets, inegral hood with adjustment and a laminated stiffened peak, etc, etc, etc. You also get a comfy collar and a cheeky little welded zipped-pocket on the upper arm.

Oh, and you get pockets too. A couple of decent-sized chest ones made from Schoeller Dynamic stretch fabric and well away from a harness and twin handwarmers as well.

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In Action The four-way stretch of the lightweight Powershield fabric has allowed Arc'teryx to cut the Gamma wonderfully close without it becoming restrictive. The fit is tapered and tailored, no gaps, no flapping fabric, it's a bit like a second skin. It just feels right with a short, neat, North American cut.

We used the Gamma for walking, climbing, scrambling and even mountain biking and it worked well across the board. Like we said, mobility if fine thanks to the stretch fabric, but it also offers a great combination of weather protection and breathability.

For most users, the real problem in active use is dissipating heat rather than retaining it, even in cold conditions, and the 98 per-cent windproof specification of the Powershield makes it appreciably more breathable than 100 per-cent windproof equivalents we've used, notably Windstopper.

Water resistance was good and the only time we really felt the tiniest chill through the fabric was on a 40 mph mountain bike descent in near zero conditions. The 'fuzz'y' fleece lining gives just enough extra warmth to cope with active use in cold conditions, though for sitting around, most people will need extra warmth.

We liked having the hood too, great for pulling on for extra warmth when stopped and close fitting. If you were going to be critical, you could point out that the peak is a little soft, but it's not really intended for full storm use.

We didn't use the minimalist sleeve pocket for anything.

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Verdict

We're not even going to start to try to justify the price of the MX Gamma Hoody. It's vaguely bonkers, but it's a beautifully made and superbly cut jacket that's designed to fit active outdoors people.

The Powerstretch fabric is our fave softshell, particularly in UK conditions, and makes for a good combination of protection and breathability for everything from climbing to biking. The stretch allows that lovely close fit without compromising mobility which is good.

The hood works well as flip-over protection and there's enough pocket space to satisfy most users. RTeally quite lovely and you can wear it 90 per-cent of the time without resorting to a lightweight waterproof. Nuff said.

Sex on a coat hanger... that price though, ouch! The Macpac equivalent, which is maybe 80 per-cent as good, retails for around £100 less, which is quite a lot.

Performance
Value

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Arcteryx web site

Pushed for time: Beautifully made, beautifully functional, protective and breathable, stretchy and comfy, second skin for outdoors people in our favourite softshell fabric, Powershield. Insanely expensive though...

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