Arc'teryx Fission LT Hoody

I bought this in the Arc'teryx factory shop in Canada so it was a bit of a deal. But having used quite a bit, I will be happy to pay full retail for a replacement when the time comes.

I wanted a synthetic filled belay parka to replace my Cloudveil Enclosure and a friend lent me his Fission LT to try. Straight away, I thought this was going to be the one for me. The fit is excellent, long at the back so it doesn't ride up when you sit down. The hood is good too, large enough to easily go over a climbing or ski helmet, but easy to cinch down when wearing just a hat.

The jacket has three pockets on the outside, two handwarmer and one chest - all pretty big. There are also two big mesh which are useful for storing gloves, water or gas canisters.

The one area where this jacket falls down is the shell fabric. I'm not a big fan of Gore Windstopper as it doesn't breathe as well and weighs more than a nylon shell. I think this jacket could be improved by using a hybrid construction like on the Alpha Comp Hoody - just using membrane fabric on the hood and shoulders and nylon on the rest of the body.

However, the performance doesn't seem to suffer too much so this might be a minor criticism. All in all, an awesome jacket.