Arc'teryx Gamma Jacket

An ultra-breathable softshell, which provides excellent weather protection.

I have had this softshell jacket for several years now, and it is one of the most often used pieces of outdoor clothing in my closet. I wear it cycling to and from work in iffy weather. Snowshoeing on a chilly day. Hiking when it's windy. I find myself reaching for it for most anything outside of full on rain.

The jacket fits great without binding or tightness anywhere. A nice and soft fleecy lining on the collar makes it comfortable when you want to batten down the hatches and zip up to the top. There is a adjustable waist gasket to cinch things up when needed. There are two mesh hand pockets plus one chest pocket (the newer version moves the chest pocket to the sleeve). At 1lb/2 oz, it is not exactly ultralight, but that's not its function.

It is perfect for layering over a merino base-layer or a mid-layer, but would be a little tight over a puffy. 

The un-lined fabric feels substantial without feeling heavy. The four-way stretch fabric is highly wind resistant, and the DWR does a good job of repellent mist/drizzle/light rain. It is NOT, of course, a hard shell, so there is no waterproof laminate or taped seams. Breathability is top notch, better than any shell I have ever owned. I rarely seem to feel steamy underneath this jacket, and when I do, it doesn't last long.

I have had this jacket for nine years, and it still looks like new, even with hundreds of miles on the odometer. The construction is typical of Arc'Teryx... exemplary, and I expect to be using this jacket for years to come.

All in all, totally worth the investment, and always worth throwing into your pack.

Great all-around light jacket.

This is a great soft shell jacket for all-around use. It has superb fit and quality that you'd expect from Arc'teryx. I am 5'11" 180lbs and the medium is a perfect fit.

The jacket has two hand pockets and one small pocket on the upper left arm. There is a drawstring cord at the bottom to help the jacket conform even more to your body. The high quality YKK zipper also has a laminate shield behind it to stop the wind and water from getting through the zipper. 

While not completely wind and water proof, this jacket does a decent job at cutting out both. Light wind gusts and light precipitation are easily handled by this soft shell.

The jacket breathes very well and isn't insulated, which makes it very good when you're active. If it's about 40-50 degrees, I can usually just wear a t-shirt underneath and be fine, but if I'm going out for a run in the 30's, I pair this with my Arc'teryx Phase AR base layer.

Now the only thing I can really nitpick about is the pockets. The two hand pockets are just the space in between the soft shell exterior and a mesh lined interior. This means you can see the contents of your pockets if you aren't at least partially zipped up. I wish the inside lining was solid material so that you couldn't see what was inside, but it's not a deal breaker. There is also a small pocket on the left arm which probably couldn't fit much more than an iPod nano, so it's not that useful for me.

Other than that, I really have nothing but praise for this jacket. I get comments about how sharp I look all the time and I'm sure you will too.