Arc'teryx Stinger Jacket...Good or Bad?

[uniboyskiier]

Can't find many reviews of this jacket but it seems good. Anybody have experience with this jacket?

[LeeC]

I like mine..
Used it a few times last year..No complaints. I don't like hoods much, so its nice to be out of the way, until needed.
Very light, and lives up to Arcteryx name..Wore it at Jackson hole, and it was farkin cold, with a med layer..Really, really warm
I am 5'9 165lbs, and ordered a large. It fits loose, but I cannot stand anything crunching up under my armppits. If I could find a medium jacket with a longer pit, I'd be golden. Hope that helps abit.

[uniboyskiier]

I like mine..
Used it a few times last year..No complaints. I don't like hoods much, so its nice to be out of the way, until needed.
Very light, and lives up to Arcteryx name..Wore it at Jackson hole, and it was farkin cold, with a med layer..Really, really warm
I am 5'9 165lbs, and ordered a large. It fits loose, but I cannot stand anything crunching up under my armppits. If I could find a medium jacket with a longer pit, I'd be golden. Hope that helps abit.

Okay. I am trying to decide between this jacket and the beta ar.... leaning toward this one.

[givethepigeye]

I have one - The collar is really high (like ninja-syle) - so if you wear a helmet - you are pretty much protected, except for snow falling in the vent holes/down the back of your neck. I have a large - I wear a 44 Long suit - actually roomy - so the Large on LeeC must be really big or they changed the cut.

[Crampedon]

I have one Stinger and one Sidewinder, great pieces, super thin and light, with a nano puff and a thin base warm down to 15', then you can just add a thicker base and be toasty. Spendy but well made and you will get many seasons out of it!

[rushbikes]

I believe Arcteryx replaced the Stinger with the Vertical jacket this year.

[flipsRscary]

I really like mine.

Pro: It keeps me dry, even in pouring rain that goes on for hours. It does not restrict my range of motion. Pockets are fine, as is the powder skirt. The collar with the hood stowed is pretty big and comes up around my head a bit, which basically gives me something to hide behind when I'm stuck on a stopped lift while being pelted with ice by the gusts that led to the lift being stopped.

Neutral: Venting is good, but required since while the pro shell does breathe, it's far from the most breathable stuff out there. OTOH it's high on the water proof scale, so for me this is a worthwhile trade-off.

Con: I'm not the biggest fan of the look: It leaves room for a belly that I have no desire to grow. The (now Nike) brand is catering to a crowd that wants to look "expensive".

For foul weather I'm not about to move to anything else. For less nasty weather I'm looking for a new jacket this season. When it's warm I don't wear one anyway.

[gisforgaper]

Agree with most reviews already posted. The high collar is my favorite feature. It breathes well and always keeps me dry.

[LeeC]

I have one - The collar is really high (like ninja-syle) - so if you wear a helmet - you are pretty much protected, except for snow falling in the vent holes/down the back of your neck. I have a large - I wear a 44 Long suit - actually roomy - so the Large on LeeC must be really big or they changed the cut.

It really is too big for me in the stomach area, but fits my chest, and underarms well. Like I said before if I could find a medium jacket, that had more underarm room, I would get it, or a large that is on the small size. I just need to look around more, but for what I have used the stinger for, it works very well.

[Core Shot]

Needs better pockets and storage.
Would be nice to hold goggles, or skins.

Otherwise good shell.

[skimaxpower]

Pretty much everything Arc'teryx makes is baller .... and expensive.

If you can afford to ball that hard, go for it. You won't be sorry.

[DarkFiz]

I personally wouldn't buy an expensive Gore shell now that Polartec NeoShell products are available. This said, I don't have any experience with NeoShell, but the reviews and the marketing do speak for the product..

[LeeC]

Gotta say, I was hating on Stoic for some reason I can't remember. I bought a Bombshell the other day from BC because it was cheap. Wore it out the other night because it was cold, and damn if I don't like it. Nice fit, comfortable, and seems like it should hold up well. For the money, I think it is a great value. We will see when we get on the hill, but it looks promising.

[BoatBound]

great shell, I was diggin' the stowable hood but then it started to bug me. It rubbed against the back of the helmet and it got annoying. The other thing was that on windy snowy days you would get some down your neck whereas with a regular hooded jacket, you could pull it tighter around your neck, blocking out the wind and snow. Overall, its a great jacket. Pro-shell is a bit krinkly..... I went with the new Mtn Hardwear Kepler this season, I will see how good the DryQ Elite is. I wanted to go to a softie.

[54-46]

If anyone wants a hooded Arc men's medium jacket, PM me. I have one in great shape that I can sell.

[BoatBound]

list in gear swap, you also need to say which model...

[uniboyskiier]

If anyone wants a hooded Arc men's medium jacket, PM me. I have one in great shape that I can sell.

Haha this made me laugh...Thanks for the reviews, I decided to buy the beta ar. both solid pieces

[DeathVan]

The Theta AR is a bit longer in length than the Beta AR.

I wear the Theta AR for all types of outdoor activities up here and I can attest to the fact that it is bomber (it is wet cold stomy icey sleety snowy, generally nasty just about everyday here). I've had it for ~4 years now and it performs like it did on day one.

-my 2 cents

[DarkFiz]

I personally wouldn't buy an expensive Gore shell now that Polartec NeoShell products are available. This said, I don't have any experience with NeoShell, but the reviews and the marketing do speak for the product..

I'm gonna take this back. From the BPL article (with rather extensive real life testing done):

"Have Waterproof-Breathable Fabric Technologies Advanced or Not? – Overall, the results from this project are not earth-shaking: They reinforce what we already know and bring us back down to terra firma. The manufacturers would like to have us believe that the new waterproof-breathable fabrics are indeed wonder fabrics that finally deliver “true breathability,” “air permeability and vapor permeability so shocking you’ll swear it's magic,” and “extreme breathability and excellent next-to-skin comfort for all year round outdoor use.” The claims are lofty, but my testing does not bear that out; waterproof-breathable jackets, even the air-permeable ones, have the same limitations they have always had."

[BoatBound]

so given this description, then why buy gore if the mtn hardwear DryQ Elite (for instance) is so much less $ than gore-pro? BTW- dryQ is scientifically rated at 30K/30K so I have to take these ^ comments with some scepticism. there are a bunch of other reviews with different results and findings. I have had some early use in very wet snow while working vigorously and found the jacket to be highly breatheable and very waterproof. More testing to be done.

[skimaxpower]

so given this description, then why buy gore...

Gore offers lifetime guarantee on waterproofing and wind proofing. Quite simply, if your jacket is no longer waterproof, Gore buys you a new jacket.