Arc'teryx Acto MX Hoody Review

One day, while reading Jason Kruk's blog, I came across these lines:  "If you read through the archives of this website you will see a distinct lack of gear reviews or blatant product placement. I don't really roll that way. . . .   As an alpine climber, . . . you gotta use the best stuff.  Simple.  Consider this a public service announcement: You need to know about the new Arc'teryx Acto Jacket!"


http://blog.jasonkruk.net/2011/09/acto-psa.html

Arc'teryx Acto MX Hoody, Cardinal Red, $300 retail

I read further and by the end of the post, I was 99.9% sold.  I "needed" to get my hands on an Acto.  Soon after that I came across a second blog post about the Acto, this time from Dane at Cold Thistle.  He said, among other things, "After seeing the Acto I can say I am a little disappointed on the fit and detailing on this $300 garment. And like my previous garment before it, I am not sure I can find a place in my clothing system, either climbing or skiing, that the Acto makes much sense compared to others I now use . . . .   The Acto promises a lot and doesn't do much for me @ $300. The Gamma MX seems a steal at $350 by comparison as does the Epsilon SV Hoody @ $225. "


http://coldthistle.blogspot.com/2011/09/new-arcteryx-soft-shell.html


After that post, I was 65% sold on the Acto.  Maybe I trust people's opinions too easily.  But Jason said he had climbed in Patagonia with it and it worked great for him.  I decided the best way (though also the most expensive way) to figure it out was to get one for myself and try it out.  So, I tried one on at Backcountry, decided I needed a Large (I'm 6'2", 185lbs, and Medium fits me well in most other Arc'teryx products).  The medium was just a bit too tight to layer and too short in the torso, which is weird for me because I have a short torso (18").  A month later I was the proud owner of a red Acto MX Hoody.

Size Large with climbing helmet layered over NWAlpine spider hoody.  Fit is trim.  I'm 6'2", 185lbs.

I'm sure, at this point, you understand that I am a bit partial to Arc'teryx products.  Back in the day I had a lot of Moonstone, Mountain Hardwear, and Marmot product.  I never bought Arc'teryx because I couldn't afford it.  Finally, I got a good deal on the Gamma MX Hoody, and I was totally sold on the quality of Arc'teryx.  After that point, I made affording their product a priority.  I have a number of Arc'teryx pieces now, but I'm happy to say that I don't buy exclusively Arc'teryx product.  I shop around through all the brands for what I feel is the best product and buy that.  I still have a number of newer products from Marmot, OR, Rab, NWAlpine, Mountain Hardwear, Mammut and others.  I do still find that attention to detail is usually a bit higher in Arc'teryx products.  Price usually is too.

In the Field

Anyway, I took the Acto snowshoeing the day after I got it.  The weather was in the mid 20s and partly cloudy.  While hiking through the trees I felt comfortable in just a baselayer and the Acto.  It wasn't until I started going  up a long, steep uphill section that I started to overheat.  Pretty soon, however, we were out of the trees and into the wind (about 30 mph gusts).  Whatever sweat I had worked up quickly dried and I was back to comfortable.  I ended up hiking comfortably the rest of the day in just the baselayer and Acto.  The Acto quickly became my go-to jacket for snowshoeing.


A day or two later I took the Acto on its first ice climb.  On previous trips I had climbed in a baselayer, the NWAlpine Black Spider lt hoody, and a gore-tex shell.  This time it was about 20 degrees, slightly windy, and I decided to try just a baselayer and the Acto.  I'd throw on the Atom lt at belays.  I felt totally comfortable the whole time I was climbing.  I even stood under a dripping part of the waterfall for about 10 minutes to check out the water resistance.  Thanks to a good DWR, the water rolled right off.  The little bit of water that didn't roll off quickly froze and fell off.  The Acto quickly became my go-to jacket for Ice Climbing.

Ice Climbing, 4am, Ogden, Utah

A week or so later, my wife said she wanted to climb the Pfeifferhorn in Little Cottonwood Canyon.  Last year we got caught and spent the night (in a tent) in a nasty blizzard on the south face of Ben Lomond.  That trip convinced her she didn't want to go with me to Mt. Rainier anymore.  So when she suggested we go on a winter climb of the Pfeifferhorn, I was very pleasantly surprised.  While packing for that trip, I took the Atom lt out of my pile of clothes and replaced it with the Acto.  It was a hard decision to make.  The Atom and I have become very close over the last few years.  I didn't wear the Acto the first night as we were hiking to red pine lake.  I had a heavy pack and I was comfortable in just a baselayer.  But the next morning I put on the Acto at our camp and didn't take it off again until we had climbed the Pfeifferhorn and were almost back to the car.  The temperature was about 25 degrees that day but very windy, and I was totally comfortable in the acto the whole day.  When hiking up steep slopes, I unzipped the front zip a little.  When resting in the wind, I zipped it up and tightened the hood.  I don't think I got sweaty on that trip, except under my pack.  The Acto quickly became my go-to jacket for mountaineering.

The summit of the Pfeifferhorn, Kelsey in Atom lt Hoody, Me in Acto MX Hoody

The Jacket

The Arc'teryx Acto MX Hoody is designed to be a very breathable, but protective jacket for high-energy exercise in cold weather.  It is made of Aerius Gridloft, which is a lightweight grid fleece laminated to a wind- and water-resistant shell fabric.  Or in other words, take the Patagonia R1 Hoody and make it highly water- and wind-resistant, but don't take away very much of its breathability.

The wind- and water-resistance is due to the tightness of the weave of the face fabric, not a membrane (like windstopper or conduit, etc).  Therefore, it breathes significantly better, though it doesn't block all of the wind.  I would guess, based on my own experience, that it blocks about 95% of the wind.  That 5% that it does let in helps to move water vapor out of the garment and speeds up drying if somebody has already sweat.

The features of this jacket are simple:  two chest pockets, a helmet-compatible hood with two-way adjustment (Needs a different adjustment system, imo.  More about that later), and that's about it.  I absolutely love the simplicity of this jacket.  No pockets where a harness or hipbelt go.  No pit zips (not necessary)  The seams are taped to increase comfort while wearing as a midlayer, not for increased water resistance.  The cuffs and hem are impeccably finished, but I think Arc'teryx could improve the function of those as well.

Two mesh-backed chest pockets

Abrasion resistance on this jacket has been top-notch so far, though it is only about 2 months old.  I have dry-tooled in it and scraped up against rocks and bricks and so far no sign of wear.  Time will tell, I guess.

This Jacket is beautiful.  While ice climbing in it, I ran into a friend.  From about 50 feet away while hiking up toward us he said, "Dang.  What jacket is that?  That looks nice!"  And then he inspected it for about 5 minutes.  And the compliments keep coming.  Pretty much wherever I wear this jacket, people are making comments about how nice it looks.

The Gripes

I love this jacket and I use it almost everytime I go into the mountains, but it's not perfect.  First of all, the cuffs and hem that i said were finished so nicely, need a little work.  I thought I'd love the cuffs (because Arc'teryx always nails the cuffs - see Atom lt), but I don't like that they're not adjustable.  When I climb in them, they're great.  But when I want to put the jacket on or take it off, I have to take my gloves off as well.  I didn't think that would be a problem, but I was surprised how often I would get slightly annoyed that I couldn't get my jacket off with gloves on.  Maybe if they were just a little stretchier.  I'm not sure the best solution, but the cuffs need a little work.

The hem also needs work.  There is no hem drawcord on this jacket.  Again, I didn't think I would care about this when I first got the jacket, but because I usually use this as my outerlayer, I would like to be able to keep cold wind out of the jacket a little better.  A hem drawcord would be nice.

Hem, Cuff, and Material detail

Finally, I think that the hood needs a little work.  It works pretty well while wearing a climbing helmet, but I can't seem to get the hood adjusted right when I'm not wearing one.  I like a hood to move with my head when I turn.  This one doesn't very well, especially without a helmet.  The size of the hood is perfect, but they need a drawcord to cinch the hood to the head from behind.  Again, I'm not sure exactly what the best solution is, but I think the hood needs work.  Arc'teryx has been making the best products for years, I'm sure they could figure something out.

Helmet-compatible hood with two adjustments.  The lower adjustment takes volume out of the hood when not wearing a helmet.  The other adjustment cinches hood around the face.  I think a third cinch from the back of the head would help when not wearing a helmet.

The Verdict

Though not the perfect jacket, there is something to be said about a jacket that is my first choice for almost every outdoor trip, from ice climbing to snowshoeing to mountaineering to looking good at the movies.  This jacket has all but replaced by Gore-tex shell, occasionally replaced my Atom lt, and totally replaced all my other fleece midlayers.

The material is top-notch.  I haven't ever seen or used a better softshell (Arc'teryx calls it a hard fleece) for high-aerobic activities, including my gamma mx hoody.  If I expect to be in absolutely horrendous weather, I still take the waterproof shell.  For everything else, I take the Acto.

Worth its $300 retail price?  I guess that totally depends on your income and how much time you spend in the outdoors.  If  you have $300 to spend on a softshell, this would be a great way to go.  If buying this means your family goes hungry, probably not.

I'd give it 4 out of 5 stars.  5 out of 5 stars for the fabric, but 4 out of 5 overall.

NWAlpine Fast and Light Pant

I was finally able to get back on ice again after almost a month.  Unfortunately, extremely busy schedules mean that 3am departures for ice cragging sessions before work and school are one of the only ways for me to get out. 

Phil on Malan's waterfall at 4am; Ogden, Utah

The climbing was great, though I fell asleep in classes and struggled to stay awake at work. When I was packing my gear, I noticed that I have many different jackets for many different uses.  Some are waterproof hardshells, some softshells, some primaloft, some down, and some fleece; each has its specialty, and each one I take for different climbs.  Pants are a different story for me.  Though I have 3 different models of softshell pants, I really only use one; the NWAlpine Fast and Light Pant.  I use these for winter hiking, snowshoeing, ice and rock climbing, etc.  They are the best softshell pants I have found.

NWAlpine Fast and Light Pant

I’m picky about pants.  There are certain features on pants that I feel are key for climbing and other winter activities in the mountains.  There is a certain fit that I look for in a climbing pant, and I won't use the pant for climbing if it doesn't have that fit.  First of all, grommets. Grommets at the hem of the pants can turn a pant into a gaiter, allowing for better breathability around the leg, a lighter and more comfortable fit, and it looks better in pictures J.  Also, heat from your boots will move out the top of the boot and up the leg, helping to keep the pants dry and your legs warm.  Gaiter often trap this heat exchange around the lower leg and mostly build up sweat, the opposite of what you want to happen.  I love gear that can pull double duty and allow me to lighten my pack.  Anyway, grommets=gaiters.  Some pant companies sew nylon loops at the hem of their pants instead of grommets.  This works too.  It’s not as easy to secure and probably not as durable, but it works.  I have had pants, however, that I have put grommets in, but the pant wasn’t long enough or stretchy enough, and the pant impeded movement.  I couldn’t high-step in them.  I only use those pants now for skiing because I never worry about having a gaiter while skiing.  Another thing I am picky about is having a good fit in the waist.  If a pant is too big in the waist, it will either fall down or come out from under a belt and look/feel horrible, especially under a hipbelt.  Most pant companies will either fit me in the waist and be too short in the leg, or fit me in the leg and be to baggy in the waist (though my waist is getting bigger, now that I’m married L).  The only pants I have found to fit well are the arcteryx gamma lt in a medium long and the NWAlpine Fast/Light Pant.  The gamma lt in med long is about the equivalent of  a 32 waist and 34 length.  But the gamma lt’s don’t have grommets.  Therefore, my pick for the best softshell pant:  The NWAlpine Fast and Light Pant.

NWAlpine Fast and Light Pant

These Pants are perfect, almost.  I decided to try out the NWA Fast and Light pant because they are designed specifically for alpine rock and ice climbing.  To be honest, the feature that convinced me to try them is the grommets around the cuffs of the pants.  I went through a stage where I put grommets in all of my winter pants (with some successes and a few big failures).  Now I prefer to buy pants that already have them.  I also like the pocket and waist design on the pants.  First of all, there is only one pocket on the pants; on the right thigh.  This is just low enough that it is not covered by a harness and just high enough that you don’t feel it on your knee.  It is also big enough to securely carry most topo maps, a few snacks, etc.  No other pockets mean they are great for climbing, but not real great for around town.  That’s what levis are for anyway.

Single thigh pocket with items for scale

The softshell material is very stretchy, so even though they are a bit short on me in the leg, they don’t restrict movement while climbing, even with the pants tied down to my boot as a gaiter.

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 I got these pants in a large for extra length but was afraid they would be too big in the waist.  They have sewn in stretch panels on the waist, however, which pulls in the extra fabric nicely.  The waist really does fit perfectly, with a belt.  This is the only pant that fit this well in the waist with a variety of layering options (the pant alone, one baselayer, and even two baselayers underneath). 

Fast/Light Waist with stretch panels

note: these pants are a low-rise fit

 My arcteryx gamma lt pants fit very well in the waist too, but do not grow to accommodate a lot of extra layers underneath like the NWA pants.

The material is also fairly water resistant, though the gamma lt’s do have a better DWR.  These pants dry quite quickly, though, which helps if they wet out.  I have used these pants now for about 8 months and the DWR has pretty well worn off.  While ice climbing in December in fairly wet conditions, the pants wetted out after about 10 minutes on a drippy waterfall.  But, they were dry again in about 10 or 15 minutes of hiking after I got off the climb.  I’m sure if I re-treat them with a DWR, they would be almost as good as new.

Fast/Light fabric wet out after 10 mins, but dried again in with about 15 mins of hiking.

The DWR was great for about the first 6 months of use.

I have only two complaints about these pants, but one of them is really my fault.  First of all, they have a double layer of fabric on the instep for protection against crampons.  That is nice, but I put a crampon point through one of the layers and had to patch it.  I would prefer that they put a more abrasion resistant layer of material at the instep.  But, if you just don’t stick your crampon through the instep, you won’t have any problems.  Don’t know if it’s so much a design flaw as user error.  I do like gear though that is designed for my own stupidity.

Repaired instep

  My Gamma lt pants don’t have instep protection either, but their fabric has a little more stretch and a tighter weave, I think.  When I caught the instep of the gamma lt pants with the same crampons, nothing happened.  No tear.  No mark.  Nothing.

The other complaint is that, though they put grommets in the hem, which is a big thing for me, the fabric around the hem is quite stretchy.  They even put in an extra stretchy section in the hem.  If you’re post-holing in snow for a while, snow will work its way up through the stretchy hem, even when it’s tied to your boots gaiter-style.  I would prefer that they sew in a no-stretch material around the hem so that I can get a really tight seal around my boot and no snow will get in if post-holing for hours.

Stretchy hem (bad design, imo) with grommets (good design)

Even with these complaints, these are still my go-to pant for every winter trip.  I would probably choose my gamma lt pants if they had grommets, but they don’t, so the NWA Fast and Light pant gets my choice.  They retail for about $110, an absolute steal, especially compared to many of the other softshell pants on the market (usually between $150 and $300).  The Gamma lt pants retail for $170.  The Gamma Lt pant is my choice for the best all-seasons softshell pant.  They are cool during the summer, plenty water-resistant for winter, and very comfortable.  They just need grommets.

Check out the NWAlpine Fast and Light Pant here: http://nwalpine.com/fastlight-pant
Make sure to check out the other cool offering from NWAlpine too!
Check out the Arcteryx Gamma LT Pant here: http://arcteryx.com/Product.aspx?EN/Mens/Pants-Shorts/Gamma-LT-Pant#