Arc'teryx Men's Atom LT Hoody

The Atom LT is a lightweight (synthetic) down filled jacket with a hood attached. It won't make you look like the Michelin Man with the typically huge puffy looking arms as it's purposely designed for slightly warmer temps which makes this jacket a sort of tweener between the really heavy down jackets, and the thin, polyester shelled, insulated all purpose jackets.

I typically wear this with a thick cashmere sweater underneath and it feels comfortable (I need to buy a fleece jacket). The jacket is surprisingly light in weight, movement is easy and free. Pockets are lined facing the outside but unlined on the inside portion.

The hood portion is remarkably effective despite not having having an adjustment cord. There really does seem to be a bubble of warmth that forms around your head when it's up and the cold air doesn't get in. Running in the jacket is not an issue for me, the hood does not rub up against my eyes.

One of my favorite features of the jacket is the way it can roll up into a ball. You fold the sides to the same width as the hood, then roll the jacket into the hood and make the hood the outer shell of the "ball".

The jacket compresses very small and compact and one of the big reasons I'm keeping it is because it looks like it will make a very good travel jacket. I currently don't have any high performance, very light weight (but warm) jackets that work well with layering and travel. This can go inside a travel bag or even backpack with ease.

It can get cold in Seattle and it's always raining. This is one jacket that can take on both cold and rain and I can walk through town with it when I need to get to the bus station.

Other features I really appreciate is the wrist band. It's not very large, just shy of 1" wide, but it feels like an elastic kind of material and does a very good job keeping the cold wind out. It makes you wonder why more companies don't use this idea.

One of the things that drew me to this jacket, is the tailored fit. Arc'teryx and other Canadian clothing companies pay attention to the fit and finish of their products and it's always nice to wear something flattering to the waistlines.

If you have on long sleeve wool t-shirt, and a thick layer underneath, the jacket could get hot in a hurry. I think it's necessary to put a layer underneath if the temps get below 50F. It's just too cold to wear with a simple long sleeve t-shirt and only this jacket.

I normally wear large and this jacket fits me great. I wouldn't say it's sized too big or too small. It's just about right for size L.

The back area of my neck does not 'stick' to the fabric of the jacket, but I'm constantly aware when the skin of my neck brushes against the back of the jacket. This happens moreso than with my cotton/poly hoodie or any other jacket I own.

I don't understand the comments about the outershell being extremely thin. This jacket is a down filled jacket. Every down filled jacket on the market has a very thin shell on the outside. This is like complaining about the sidewalls on automobile tires being thin. They are thin on all cars.

This jacket is not a fleece replacement. Don't expect this jacket to perform on the same level as your Patagonia R1. It is water resistant. I tested it under the sink and the water did indeed bead off, that won't happen with your R1.

Btw - draw cords around the hems require me to use two hands to tighten, I have no idea why someone said it's 1 handed operation. I can loosen the draw cords with 1 hand, but I have been able to do this with every jacket I've owned.

I moved to Colorado last year and over the summer climbed 8 14ers and was looking forward to continuing to climb in the winter as well as ski. At REI I was first looking at down mid-layers like the Marmot Zeus. But out of the maybe 5 guys in the coat department, 4 recommend synthetic, to quote, "If you are doing extremely fast strenuous activities, you want synthetic, it breaths better than down and will insulate when wet, get down for base camp/stopping for breaks while hiking." He was right. This extremely lightweight jacket is terrible when you are standing still/going around town. In those low activity situations it might keep you warm down to 35˚ but boy, when you get moving it heats up right away! Climbing down into the 'teens with just this and a baselayer you will be toasty! The hood is not as bad as some have said, it is big and non-adjustable, but it somehow keeps it's shape and I'm guessing insulates better that way, kind of creating a bubble of warmth around your head. With the hood up you can take it to even colder temps. For skiing, I wouldn't recommend it unless you know you aren't going to be brushing by trees/whatnot. The fabric looks paper thin and is, that scares me a bit, I actually made a small hole with a car ice scraper, but the hole hasn't opened up at all so I'm not too concerned. The cuffs are my favorite part, they feel AMAZING. and the side panels do seem to work well as does the buttery smooth zipper. So in conclusion. DO NOT get this if you are primarily using it around town, while it will work, it is really meant for peak baggers and the likes.

I don't usually write reviews unless something is so spectacular that it deserves one. This jacket more than deserves one.

I was slightly skeptical about buying this jacket because of the price. As a poor college student, how could I justify such an outrageous expense? There are more than a couple of reasons.

1) It was 34 degrees out -- blowing wind and raining. You know that cold, slushy nasty rain that comes before winter? Not fun. However, this jacket is a champion. And I don't use that word lightly. It kept me dry and warm on my way to class. All I had on was a Patagonia R1 and the jacket. After I got to class, I figured it'd be out of commission for a few hours. Nope. It dried and was perfectly functional in an hour. IT IS BOMBPROOF.
2) It fits perfectly. I'm a slim guy, but I think they pretty much made the jacket for me. Just amazing. And it is durable. I throw it around and it looks new. It might just be magic.
3) I decided to go running in it 30 degree weather. Windy. I put it over a t-shirt and thought for sure it couldn't handle heavy activity. Wrong. This thing rocked that challenge. I was just warm enough.
4) Pair this with a hard shell and a nice mid-layer (the R1) and I am set for any weather.

Basically, this product is the most amazing thing I have ever owned. I have slept in it. I have run in it. I have hiked in it. I skied in it. I always have it with me. I will always buy gear from this company no matter the price. It is amazingly worth it.

This is an expensive jacket and worth it. This is a fleece replacement. It's lofty yet lightweight. It's perfect in almost any weather. I'm only debating about trading it in for the Atom SV (of course another Arc'Teryx product).

Cons:
1) The zipper does not always stay all the way up. There's no protective backing on it either, so it likes to get caught in my beard and pull hairs - not pleasant.
2) The hood is made for a helmet, as whenever I'm using it the brim tries its hardest to hit my eyes.
3) The size... yes, it's Arc'Teryx, so it's made for quite trim folks. I usually wear Medium for a mid-layer and have room to spare, I had to order Large in this or it would have been restricting. ALSO, the hem is very long. This could be good or bad.
4) I'd like a lining inside the hand pockets, but that's just me.

Pros:
Everything. It's the perfect weight, it's warm, it breathes (I live in the humid south, having breathable everything is worth it's weight in gold), it sheds water almost as good as my hard-shell, it's mostly windproof although large gusts will cut through the breathable sides.

Also, this jacket seems fragile -- It's not. It's very lightweight and I've been wearing this jacket almost every day for the past few months and I cannot tell a difference from the day I bought it. The material wears very well.

I would have given this jacket 5 stars if not for the zipper issues.

Black LT Hoody
Im planning a hike in April in NC and needed a light jacket that was warm and compressible. I never would have bought a jacket this expensive but when I tried it on, it was extremely light and the softest most comfortable jacket I have ever tried. It is hard to believe that a jacket as light as this can keep you as warm as it does. I wore it to NY recently when it was in the 30's and windy. I only had a lightweight shirt on under it and was very warm. I am from Florida so I dont deal with cold very well. The secret to its warmth is the loft that traps air. If you pat the jacket you can tell it traps a very small amount air inside it. Just an ever so slight amount of loft. Not big and puffy like down jackets but just enough to do the job. If you are worried about the stretchy fabric that runs down the sides of the jacket not being warm...dont, it keeps the jacket from being sloppy and allows it to stretch if needed. Im 6'2 250lbs and I have the xxl size...its perfect. If I was 220lbs again I could have bought the Xl possibly. Dont be scared, it is a wonderful jacket and I promise you will not be disappointed. Arcteryx is expensive gear but I feel this jacket is definitely worth it. Just do it, youll make more money next week.

This hoodie is incredible. I love it. It's light, compresses incredibly small, and is pretty warm given its weight. So far, I've used it as a main outer layer and as a midweight layer while winter hiking and as an outer layer for casual use. It's great for all of these applications. Fit is spot on, the jacket blocks out wind, and the fleece side panels do a decent job of allowing some exchange of air without making the jacket cold.

My main gripe with the jacket is the hood. It has no adjustments so it doesn't turn with your head and will just flop off given a little push. At one point I put the Atom's hood on under my hardshell's well adjusted hood (the weather turned sour) and to my disappointment I couldn't look around because, while the hardshell's hood was adjusted perfectly to turn with my head, the Atom's hood stayed put. When I'd try to look left or right I was looking at the inside of the Atom's hood. Sad. It kept my head so warm. Anyways, I think it was designed with simplicity in order to go under a helmet. -1 star as I think it should accommodate helmetless use better.

Fit:
I am 6'2" 180 and purchased a large. I can get a light fleece under the jacket with this size, for extra warmth. Might have been able to go medium but I'm not sure it would have been long enough.

I really like this jacket. I use it for many things. It's my daily driver in the Seattle area and it's perfect for our typical 45 degree muggy, cloudy, breezy winter days. The hood comes in very handy in the rain. Not a rain jacket per se, but it'll do until you get a shell on just fine, or for light limited time rain.

I also use this on backpacking trips killing mule deer in the Frank Church Wilderness in Idaho. It's so light, warm and versatile.

I also use this for scrabmling in Joshua Tree. Perfect for a base, mid, or outer layer as needed.

It's so light it feels like it's weight doubles when you throw your phone in the pocket.

Durability has been good so far. The shell material is so thin you expcet it to rip at any minute but mine has held up better than expected by far.

I'm 5'11" 185 with big sholders and a little waist. This jacket is sort of "fitted" but the large is still too big in the hips for me. If I got a medium the shoulders wouldn't fit. Story of my life.

I bought this jacket in Colorado Springs the day before an Xterra trail race. I wasn't expecting a snowstorm in early October so I picked this up in a hurry and I was sure glad I did. Due to the storm I had to wait in the registration line outdoors for nearly an hour in 32 degree sleet, snow, and rain. I did not get cold and I did not get wet. Now that I am back in Northern California this is my "go to" jacket for all kinds of activities. Super light, reasonably warm for its weight, and pretty darn good in the rain and snow. Very compact when packing - I've used it in stormy weather to go from my car to the gym, then pack it in my small gym bag once inside. I hardly know its there. Its also a great asset on my farm and for fall hiking in the local mountains. Just love it.

I bought this jacket as an insulating layer for cold weather hikes. It's extremely warm for it's weight; however, this isn't a jacket you use to sit around in 15 degree temps. This jacket is for those on the move.

If you're using it to sit around, you'll get cold. Once you start moving, it's an oven. This is the ideal jacket for wearing under a shell during cold weather activities, or for pit stops and around camp during more mild fall weather.

The inner material is thin, but incredibly durable and stain resistant; everything washes off. The inner material feels very comfortable next to the skin, and it breathes incredibly well. Zippers are smooth, drawcords work well (one handed operation), and the mobility in the jacket is excellent.

I highly recommend this jacket. It is incredibly warm; however, don't expect it to completely replace your heavy puffys when sitting around in the cold.

At first look this jacket did not jump out at me! If you touch it you might think feels nice, but to light! You see the side panels, and think weird looking air will get throughThere. This is very light, yet is very warm. I mean it it 35 out and I have a light base, and light mid layer (Patagonia R1), and this on and I am warm. The side panels keeping you from over heating, and it works! I read one reviewer said he did not like it because wind blew in from the side panels!Duh! That is why it is there, for breath ability ! If you are going to send [$]. On a jacket and not know how to use it then shame on you! The Patagonia R1 is great to wear under this and wind does not become a problem if you know how to properly layer with it!