Hardshell jacket for ice

In the market for a hardshell for ice climbing season.I will mainly be in Bozeman area but definitely lots of trips throughout the Rockies planned, if that helps you know what conditions I will be in.

 I have a Proton LT which I will be climbing in the majority of the time, but want something for snowy/wet days. Current best options seem to have narrowed down to the Arc'teryx Alpha jacket line. SV obviously seems like the best option but would love to find a smaller price tag. FL seems like might not be great if planning on wearing semi-regular, seems very minimal and I have heard maybe not the most durable, but please tell me if that is wrong. AR seems like the very solid middle ground option. 

I don't really know what the difference between the Beta and Alpha line is. Seems Beta is a little less alpine specific? Do they fit/climb substantially different? 

Let me know if you have any thoughts, or a jacket from another company you love! I looked into Rab a bit but nothing jumped out at me and no local dealers with a great inventory/hard to fit so I moved on pretty quickly. 

Thanks!

A key feature of any ice climbing shell is enough large enough inside pockets for keeping your extra gloves warm. The Alpha FL doesn't have them.

Two counterpoints regarding your thought process.

1. If you mostly climb in a softshell a lighter weight hardshell likely won't wear out.  I have a beta lt and it feels plenty durable but I'm not using it in rock chimneys.  Also mostly wear a softshell. 

2. Regarding pockets I do think some chest pockets are nice for phone/chapstick/sunglasses whatever.

I've always just stuffed my gloves down my jacket with my harness keeping them from falling out.  

Especially for Alpine climbing where I need to bring a hardshell I want something lightish and small.  An alpha SV is a chunky boy and neither of those things. But if I lived somewhere super wet I would probably have a few hardshell options for the conditions.

greggryllswrote:

Two counterpoints regarding your thought process.

1. If you mostly climb in a softshell a lighter weight hardshell likely won't wear out.  I have a beta lt and it feels plenty durable but I'm not using it in rock chimneys.  Also mostly wear a softshell. 

2. Regarding pockets I do think some chest pockets are nice for phone/chapstick/sunglasses whatever.

I've always just stuffed my gloves down my jacket with my harness keeping them from falling out.  

Especially for Alpine climbing where I need to bring a hardshell I want something lightish and small.  An alpha SV is a chunky boy and neither of those things. But if I lived somewhere super wet I would probably have a few hardshell options for the conditions.

This ^^ 

Just tuck the gloves inside. They don’t need a dedicated pocket, due to the harness. Alpha FL is more durable than many other hard shells. I am sure the school and ar are the shit, but just super expensive. Biggest complaint about the FL is no pit zips. Pit zips are nice to help avoid over heating

If you plan on wearing your Proton most of the time and the hardshell will likely ride in your pack a majority of the time, go with the Alpha FL.  I've owned an FL for years and I use it mainly for ice and I've experience zero durability issues.  I've never worried about abrasions as the face fabric Arc uses has been plenty strong.  Due to the fact it's not overbuilt with an excessive nylon face, it breathes really well even w/o pit zips, which I find I don't miss.  

You're on the right direction, though - the AR is a great middle ground.  If choosing the AR, go to Arc's outlet site and buy last year's AR as the new Gore "Most Durable" membrane they chose to use this season has the worst air permeability/breathability of their entire line up. My vote would be an FL,  hands down.  I just wish they'd stop cutting the front hem so damn short.

I can’t speak to the others but I have been using an Alpha AR as my everything shell for about 3 years and it has worked excellent.

I'd pick the Alpha FL of the ones you listed. It's plenty durable if you're not climbing granite chimneys. The others are needlessly bulky/heavy. 

You might consider trying without a hardshell. I don't find them very useful during my ice season and rarely pack one. 

what size??  I won a mamute eiger extreem size medioum  at Ice bash last season. never used. wrong size.  super light and supposedly stupid expensive. list price of $750 something.. WOW!  anyways i will sell it cheap if interested. 

The rain jackets from Costco are nice. The hood is big enough to go over the helmet. Lasted 2 seasons.  

DeLa Crucewrote:

This ^^ 

Just tuck the gloves inside. They don’t need a dedicated pocket, due to the harness. Alpha FL is more durable than many other hard shells. I am sure the school and ar are the shit, but just super expensive. Biggest complaint about the FL is no pit zips. Pit zips are nice to help avoid over heating

I have always just tucked my gloves in. Pockets sound nice but not a dealbreaker. I was about to pull trigger on the FL until I noticed the pit zips, that is one feature I really would like. 

AlpineIcewrote:

If you plan on wearing your Proton most of the time and the hardshell will likely ride in your pack a majority of the time, go with the Alpha FL.  I've owned an FL for years and I use it mainly for ice and I've experience zero durability issues.  I've never worried about abrasions as the face fabric Arc uses has been plenty strong.  Due to the fact it's not overbuilt with an excessive nylon face, it breathes really well even w/o pit zips, which I find I don't miss.  

You're on the right direction, though - the AR is a great middle ground.  If choosing the AR, go to Arc's outlet site and buy last year's AR as the new Gore "Most Durable" membrane they chose to use this season has the worst air permeability/breathability of their entire line up. My vote would be an FL,  hands down.  I just wish they'd stop cutting the front hem so damn short.

This is great thanks! Durability wasn't a huge concern of mine, I have a lot of faith in Arc, but I saw a few mentions of it so figured worth investigating. Good to hear you think it breathes well. Also great feedback on the Most Durable breathability! I had been looking at the AR on the outlet and then second guessed when I saw the new edition was updated, but glad it's not necessary! 

Nick Goldsmithwrote:

what size??  I won a mamute eiger extreem size medioum  at Ice bash last season. never used. wrong size.  super light and supposedly stupid expensive. list price of $750 something.. WOW!  anyways i will sell it cheap if interested. 

I am usually a large and my soft-shell is an Arc large so I think a medium would be a little small for me as well, thanks though!

OR Interstellars currently <$200 on the OR website: https://www.outdoorresearch.com/us/mens-interstellar-jacket-271501#or_color=1610&or_size=74&

It's like an Arcteryx jacket, except you can also afford to put food on the table!

Paul Morrisonwrote:

A key feature of any ice climbing shell is enough large enough inside pockets for keeping your extra gloves warm. The Alpha FL doesn't have them.

What shell jacket for climbing has inside pockets for gloves? This is common on belay jackets, but I've never seen it on a shell. I imagine a shell wouldn't do much to keep the pockets warm in comparison to keeping them in an insulating layer.

^ Rab Stretch Neo for one.

Hello, I work retail for Arc’teryx and use the Alpha FL for ice climbing. Because of how light it is and the minimal feature set, folks often assume that it is an emergency shell. This is not necessarily the case. It features the same 3-layer gore and face fabrics as it’s older brothers (though it is 40d unlike the average which is 80d). Despite its low weight it is a super bomber and durable jacket designed for hard use. I use it skiing as well. The lack of pockets may be a deal breaker for you, in which case you could check out something from the beta line, but overall I can’t recommend it highly enough. Hope this helps!

Kirk Andersonwrote:

Hello, I work retail for Arc’teryx and use the Alpha FL for ice climbing. Because of how light it is and the minimal feature set, folks often assume that it is an emergency shell. This is not necessarily the case. It features the same 3-layer gore and face fabrics as it’s older brothers (though it is 40d unlike the average which is 80d). Despite its low weight it is a super bomber and durable jacket designed for hard use. I use it skiing as well. The lack of pockets may be a deal breaker for you, in which case you could check out something from the beta line, but overall I can’t recommend it highly enough. Hope this helps!

I just got my FL in the mail yesterday and it looks amazing! Glad to hear a review from an employee who ice climbs as well! Super stoked to put some miles on it this winter!

Pat Marrinanwrote:

I just got my FL in the mail yesterday and it looks amazing! Glad to hear a review from an employee who ice climbs as well! Super stoked to put some miles on it this winter!

You will probably love it! I love mine. You get a lot of protection for a FL series jacket.