I’ve been wearing the Arc’Teryx Alpha jacket for months now and can give this piece of kit The Loadout Room seal of approval. It’s a high-dollar item, but worth every penny if you need high performance gear. The Alpha jacket is a wind/rain jacket, not a thermal jacket, and as such it wears well over regular clothing. I’ve worn it in pouring rain and never had a problem staying dry. Additionally, it is also very breathable and includes oversized pit-zips to help you cool down during periods of exertion. All of the zippers except the main front zipper (which is covered by the waterproof fabric) and the zipper for the hood compartment are waterproofed and do their job well.
I’ve been wearing the Arc’Teryx Alpha jacket for months now and can give this piece of kit The Loadout Room seal of approval. It’s a high-dollar item, but worth every penny if you need high performance gear. The Alpha jacket is a wind/rain jacket, not a thermal jacket, and as such it wears well over regular clothing. I’ve worn it in pouring rain and never had a problem staying dry. Additionally, it is also very breathable and includes oversized pit-zips to help you cool down during periods of exertion. All of the zippers except the main front zipper (which is covered by the waterproof fabric) and the zipper for the hood compartment are waterproofed and do their job well.
It is also nice to have a hood built into the jacket. There were a number of times when it started raining on me and all I had to do was yank out the hood and I was good to go. There are also elastic pull lengths on the hood and the waist to help tighten the jacket to your body and help keep the rain out. The bottom line is this: if I was stuck in an Observation Post on the side of a mountain in Afghanistan, this is something I’d want to have in my rucksack. I have a Condor jacket which is fine for day to day civilian use, but the Alpha jacket is what I would want to take with me on deployment.
