UKC

Hi All,

so which Jacket would you choose? Assuming both fit comfortably well.
Both are Gore-Tex Pro material, have two pockets on the front and a hood that fits over a helmet...
One is rrp £380 and the other £550!

Cheers
Jez

In reply to jezzah:

If they both fit well and have the features you want, then I'd get the cheaper one really, don't see why you wouldn't. Guess there might be some difference if you started looking into the face fabrics and warranty/customer service, but think both would be OK with that last one.

In reply to jezzah:

Try them on with a helmet ( Outside stock both models at 329/450 respectively if you're in that area ). I have an ME Changabang and find the hood too small to wear with a modern lightweight helmet ( as opposed to a Elios style helmet, which doesn't protrude in front of the face so much ).

In reply to JayPee630:


At least the materials Riisto'Ryx is using will most likely be better quality and also newer ('Ryx has long been getting new Gore stuff a year ahead of others, both laminates, technology and so on). But is it worth 150+ more, I kind of doubt that.

So see, if you can find one cheaper (Egay is a good option).

In reply to planetmarshall:

I would advise trying on with a helmet. I had same choice last year and really wanted the arcteryx but when I tried the hood with the helmet the jacket rose up quite a lot.

In reply to planetmarshall:

My Tupilak (2 years old) has a hood which could take a small family, let alone an Elios. Where the Tupilak falls down is that the lighter of the two fabrics is not durable enough for winter IMO. I've ripped it twice when thrutching. The brand new version uses the heavier fabric throughout so be sure to get the newer model. The Tupilak is a narrower, more athletic cut than the Alpha SV (think American tummies) so you would be unlikely to find the fit comparable and therefore the choice should be easy.

In reply to jezzah:
Can I just re-iterate what BnB claims. I've been the owner of a Alpha SV that I've worn for a couple of winter seasons up here in Scotland and it's the best and unfortunately the most expensive jacket I've ever owned.
I'm not on the slim side by any means although the SV has a drawstring around the middle as well as the bottom of the jacket so you can manipulate the fit to suit your body shape.

I'm beginning to sound like an Arcteryx sales person but 2 years ago whilst looking for a new jacket the SV won easy.

I've not seen the new ME Tupilak in the flesh so can't comment on that one apart from you to try them both on and see for yourself.


Good luck

Gaz


Edit I can also remember the sales person showing me under magnification the weave difference between the Arcteryx and a competitors jacket and although both jackets were gortex pro the difference was there to see.
That could be a big load of sales pish but my jacket still feels and looks brand new without any abrasions.

In reply to Gazlynn:

We’ve just seen this thread and thought it was worth addressing a couple of the points raised.

The Tupilak and Alpha SV both use an 80 denier face fabric which have extremely similar performance characteristics [as well as looking very similar under magnification!]. Some of the comments on here are correct, not all similar fabrics are always the same in terms of actual performance and, like most brands, we use a variety of different fabrics depending on the product and its intended use. It is not true that any particular brand necessarily has early access to face-fabrics or laminates. Some technologies may be trialled first with individual brands but many others are not. As an example Mountain Equipment was one of only two brands in the world to first launch Gore-Tex Pro to the market. We should also add that we are one of the few worldwide R&D partners for Gore-Tex fabrics and spend considerable joint resource in developing and testing both laminates and face fabrics.

A huge amount of testing has shown the 80 denier face we now use throughout the Tupilak (a revision for AW15) is equal to anything out there for its intended use. This said, tougher fabrics are available with the 150 denier face fabric we use in our MRT jacket being a great example. This is virtually bomb proof, and looks fantastic under magnification, but wouldn't necessarily be considered ideal for a dedicated climbing jacket if you wanted maximum mobility and reasonable weight. Despite all this denier is just an aspect of a face-fabric’s actual performance and should not necessarily be the sole consideration when weighing up the suitability of a given fabric.

Finally, I think it was noted above but the hood on the Tupilak is significantly different to that found on our Changabang Jacket. It is not only larger overall but made up from an entirely different 3-dimensional pattern. It fits over and works with climbing helmets better than any other.

Rich
Mountain Equipment

In reply to jezzah:

The Arcteryx and ME fit is vastly different. I can pretty much pull any Arcteryx on and it fits like a glove, they just seem to know my body type. The ME stuff I've tried has never been right, and during my time working in an outdoor shop I could almost never find anyone that was a comfortable fit in ME GTX. The arms always seemed strangely long.

In reply to purplemonkeyelephant:

That's funny, both Arcteryx and ME fit me well. I'd say I'm a pretty good athletic fit, 75kg/5'10" and ME medium in anything just fits perfectly every time. ME is one of the few brands I'd buy online without having tried on as their sizing seems consistent.

In reply to JayPee630:

I'd agree for me (except for the athletic part!)
ME stuff fits me well in size large so I'm confident to buy it online without trying first. The exception recently was a softshell I tried in Ellis Brigham that felt sprayed on round the middle.
I've found hoods fit over my bonce and salamander helmet brilliantly.
My (albeit limited to trying on in shops) experience of arcteryx kit is that it doesn't feel £x better than the alternative nor can I perceive any real advantage in performance either.

In reply to JayPee630:

In the same size? I'm an L in ME but an M in Arc'teryx (despite being 6ft and not a lot shy of 14st).

In reply to galpinos:

Wonder if Arcteryx do US and UK sizing, Patagonia do (I think).

In reply to galpinos:

Really? For a decade or whatever it is I always presumed you would be quite small, almost elven in nature.

In reply to TobyA:

You little charmer Mr Archer!