UKC

Hey y'all,

I'm on the hunt for a 3L GTX jacket for my partner. Primarily for winter expeditions, and other general outdoorsiness. A lot of the climbing focused jackets tend to be designed for positive ape-index models - end result long baggy arms and skinny torsos. Any suggestions that won't decimate the bank?

Keela Pinnacle is what my partner ended up with and she's very happy with it.  She's got stubby little T rex arms and the sleeves don't seem to drag on the floor.

The Keela shop is not far from us and we were considering going down to try it. I just don't know much about their Aquaflex fabric, for the same money you can get a GTX 3L which is why I was leaning that way

Gortex is incredibly well marketed but isn't actually any better than any other membrane in my experience.

I've generally seen PTFE or ePE membranes held in better regard than PU membranes for breathability and durability. In practice I have no idea as it's very hard to compare. Maybe the UKC lab could see how much water evaporates through different jackets over time or something. 

It probably depends quite how "T-Rex" her arms are. I gave up long ago trying to get things which fit in length (arms or legs). When the weather is foul, I just let the sleeves hang over my hands and keep them dry. If I need to use my hands, I roll the sleeves up to a useful length or cinch in with the velcro closure at the cuffs. I roll up trousers legs too. 

I'm currently using a Rab jacket (can't remember the model, but it's one of the mid to high end ones). I like it and find it comfy. The sleeves aren't too bulky when rolled up or bunched and cinched in with the velcro closure. 

I ended up with a Haglofs - something like the Women's Roc GTX Jacket but can't remember exactly.

It's been good and fits well. Not too skinny in the torso. I'm a size 10 and can get a down jacket it underneath it in an emergency, I bought a size small. It's equally fine with not much underneath and haven't noticed the arms to be an issue - i have a neutral ape index.

You can often get a bargain on haglofs stuff, look at sports pursuit for starters.