Moving on with my travel gear reviews, I will talk about the jackets I am using during my trip. Since I love the mountains and colder areas, I invested a bit more money into proper and very lightweight materials. Those not only keep me completely dry and out of the wind, but also last for a long time and only make up for a tiny portion of my Backpack’s weight. Check out which products I am relying on in this post!
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Arc’teryx Alpha FL Hardshell Jacket
410$ – Amazon.de
400$ – Amazon.com
420$ – Amazon.co.uk
Arc’teryx has a great reputation in the market and their jackets are certainly the best I have used so far. I was choosing the 2014 version of the Alpha FL Jacket as my hard shell and have never been let down with it. It can withstand even the longest rain downpours and keeps you protected from the strongest winds. One of the main reasons to buy the jacket is the weight of just 325g and the chance to pack it up in a tiny space.
The jacket has an awesome fit and is great for Outdoor climbing, giving you enough space to move your arms. I used it mainly for hiking in Patagonia and to be safe from the harsh winds in Antarctica and even in those extreme conditions, I never had anything to complain! The only thing I am missing here are two side pockets for keep my hands warm as the jacket only has one, slightly higher positioned, zip pocket. Quality has it’s price though, and the jacket will cost you around 400$ in it’s updated 2017 version with improved GoreTex.
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Arc’teryx Atom LT Softshell Jacket
235$ – Amazon.de
195$ – Amazon.com
210$ – Amazon.co.uk
I also choose Arc’teryx for my Softshell Jacket in the Atom LT. It weighs in very light with around 315g for the M Men’s version and has a great fit and especially soft fabric that is just nice to touch! More importantly for the actual use, the jacket has a very good breathability, which is important for a Softshell Mid layer as you otherwise would get wet from the inside by sweating a lot in physically demanding situations.
Surprisingly enough, it is even water resistant and can withstand shorter rain showers without the need to get the Hardshell jacket out of your Backpack. This comes in handy when you are hiking in areas with fast changing weather conditions. The jacket does not protect you for wind though and you have to combine it with a Hard shell in case it gets very windy. This is the case with all Softshell jackets though and they are supposed to be used in layers. In contrast to the Arc’teryx Alpha FL Hardshell Jacket above, the Atom LT luckily comes with 2 handy side pockets for your hands and a price tag slightly above half of the Alpha FL.
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The North Face Thermoball Jacket
160$ – Amazon.de
140$ – Amazon.com
190$ – Amazon.co.uk
After leaving my Arc’teryx Atom LT Softshell Jacket behind in a club in Colombia back in 2015, I had to get a replacement. I was looking for something with a slightly lower price tag, yet still matching my requirements and found it in the The North Face Thermoball Jacket. It’s a tiny bit heavier at 350g and comes with a new technology called PrimaLoft, which even provides warmth when the jacket is wet! While it is certainly a nice feature to have, you should still try to not get it wet in the first place by using a proper Hardshell jacket as well.
I am very happy with the warmth that the jacket provides and can only recommend it if you want to spend a bit less compared to the higher priced Arc’teryx Atom LT.
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