Our opinion on Arcteryx clothing and accessories

Symbolized by the Archaeopteryx, this Vancouver, British Columbia-based company offers classic sportswear and mountain gear. Founded in 1991, Arc'Teryx now specializes in designing summer/winter textiles made of Gore-Tex material.

High-quality technical pieces with intuitive design offered to the general public, that's what we like about the Canadian label's mentality. Known for its innovative jackets signed by W. L Gore and Associates technologies, its products (hooded jackets, pants, shoes, gloves...) are designed to withstand the worst weather conditions and extreme environments.

Understanding the Arc'Teryx ranges

When a designer names their products, there is often a more or less logical reason behind a product's name. What we like about the Canadian label is that the nomenclature corresponds to a coding that allows you to directly recognize what type of product it is.

The nomenclature is broken down into four words that can be divided into parts:

The first part indicates the range of the product concerned ( Beta, Alpha, Gamma...). The second ( in two letters ) presents the clothing characteristics of the category. The third part is just an ending of what kind of product it is. The fourth part is only present with a "W" when the product is for women. 

We like this nomenclature because once you have it in mind, you can understand the use and type of garment at a glance. For example, if we take the Beta SV Jacket. Before continuing in our explanations in our article The North face vs Arc'Teryx which brand to choose? we present the history of the two brands. So thanks to this article you will be able to equip yourself with shoes and a comfortable mountain jacket without any worries.

Beta indicates that the garment is a third layer of a waterproof and breathable fabric for any use, that it is part of the SV ( Severe Weather) series so it is made with durable and resistant fabrics in order to offer optimal protection in difficult conditions. Finally, Jacket that tells us about the type of clothing.

Unfortunately this nomenclature is not valid for hiking/trail and ski parts that only use the two-letter code.

To make it clearer to you about all of this, we have several tables summarizing it all.

Range:

Third layer

Rembourré :

Series:

Careful design and finishes:

I don't think it's a secret today that ArcTeryx products last for years. That's why we love the label, investing in an arc'teryx product is ensuring that it will last for years. The products easily keep up with your lifestyle, no need to buy more year after year because this one can't keep up. 

The design of the label is impeccable, every seam, reinforcement or finish is careful and qualitative. Few brands can claim to match, let alone surpass them.

The label also has nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to the materials they use. The fabrics they use are durable and high performing especially thanks to the Gore-Tex technology that specializes in protection against the elements.

Polartec fleece is also recognized as one of the best on the market because it is extremely durable while taking advantage of top-notch insulating materials.

Urban and outdoor

The archaeopteryx brand focuses mainly on the utilitarian aspect of their products, but does not neglect its design. Indeed, it is important that a jacket meets the expected performance, but to feel good in it is not enough, it must also be worn well.

The minimalist approach of the label is a major asset, at ArcTeryx there is no unnecessary bulk or space. Nothing is in the way or cumbersome without neglecting the look. We find the Canadian label offering pieces with more urban cuts while taking advantage of a design that doesn't interfere with movement.

The Canadian label also offers a multitude of accessories but we will focus more on the bags and caps because these are the ones we tried and you can find in our shop. Always in the same philosophy as for its textiles, the label offers us qualitative and durable accessories. The bags are designed and thought to leave nothing to chance. No pocket is useless or in excess, everything is perfectly thought. Each bag is adapted to a specific use, starting from the smallest gabaris for an urban use

An Environmental Respect

As we know, the ready-to-wear world is not the most environmentally friendly environment. Founded by climbers, who are themselves nature-friendly, the brand has made and continues to make strides to minimize its environmental footprint.

The sourcing of raw materials is completely ethical. For example, the down used in their jackets comes from humanely treated birds and their synthetics are BlueSign certified. This means they are free of harmful, chemical products and are more environmentally friendly.

The label has set up the Rebird platform, which embodies and represents the efforts the label is putting in place to replace the linear economy with a circular economy. Rebird propose et regroupe des initiatives anti-gaspillage grâce à l’upcycling ou à l’utilisation de matières renouvelables.

How to recognize a fake arc'teryx.

The name of the label is not to be remade, that's why a real parallel market of the arc'teryx counterfeit is born. But what we like about the Canadian label is that it is constantly on the hunt for scams in order to preserve its customers.

In fact, the label listens to its customers who have been duped and does everything possible to warn consumers of the most shady sites and practices.

To avoid falling in the trap of the counterfeit, we advise you to read our article How to recognize a fake Arc'Teryx ?

It will allow you to judge by yourself how to recognize a counterfeit but also to recognize the most shady sites that set a trap with an offer sometimes too attractive.

North Face vs Arc'Teryx which brand to choose ?

Who says mountain climbing or road trip says shoes but especially luggage and more particularly bag. In the case of The North Face, a "backpack" has proven itself over the years and it is none other than the base camp model. This utilitarian piece offers many storage compartments, a strong waterproofing against the rain and can be worn at arm's length or on the back as you wish.

North Face is a very complete brand that offers many pieces for your outings of all kinds.

We can see that NF is a label that transpires the techwear and offers quality technical pieces. You can make your own opinion about these two labels thanks to our article: The North face vs Arc'Teryx which brand to choose?

Patagonia vs ArcTeryx, which brand to choose ?

Patagonia is a brand that has been designing technical and eco-friendly clothing since the early 70s. Born in the seaside town of Ventura in California, it has always integrated ecology in its production process.

Although Arc'Teryx and Patagonia have a similar vision and are often assimilated to the same environment in fashion. Each of them puts forward a direction and a will to design pieces that speak to them.

You can find all the differences and common points of these two labels in our article: Patagonia vs Arc'Teryx which brand to choose?