Junglejack
Senior Member
- Joined
- Jul 7, 2014
- Messages
- 285
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- 103
Ah the good days of Arc design. Someone should buy this.
BTW its windproof and water resistant, not proof
Indeed. Actually wore mine just yesterday which is finished in the puntastic "Yippee Cayenne" (think Virginia Tech colors)
It is Gore Wind Stopper as opposed to GTX. Pretty much all of the stuffiness of Gore-tex with none of the full waterproofing!
That said, in spite of it being charitably described as a soft shell and not being fully waterproof, I still wear mine often. It might be the best looking of all the Arc/Veilance jackets I own, The Venta is waterproof enough for anything short of tropical storms and the like, (mostly leaks at the embroidery of the dead bird and where it says "Windblocker" on the sleeve), is well cut for layering, and it is far and away the Arc piece I have gotten the most complements on. Very flattering cut.
While the Venta is great, the jacket that I am really bummed that Arc'teryx no longer makes and correspondingly so grateful to still own is the Hyllus. Like the Venta SV/MX, the Hyllus (formerly known as Hercules) is super expensive for not being Gore-tex with all three coming in at around $400 or so. Likewise, all three are for all intents and purposes waterproof. However, where the Venta SV has a very light fleece backing, the Hyllus Hoody is lined with something akin to a sherpa material. Part of the reason for the Hyllus being so expensive is this material which is Polartec Power Shield 02 High Loft. It is stupid expensive per yard and it is also the most comfortable technical jacket I have ever owned. Many have likened it to a really expensive hoody. However, the Hyllus is exceedingly water resistant and unlike the Venta, it breathes exceptionally well.
Sadly, the modern descendent of the Hyllus in the Patagonia KnifeBlade was not long for this world having recently been discontinued. No doubt it too was hurt by being priced like an expedition parka while not being fully water proof. The KnifeBlade and its brother the KnifeRidge both use Polartec's PowerShield Pro. Highly recommend picking up one of the Patagucci twins whilst still available on closeout as it will probably be quite some time if ever before we see their likes again. Simply, have heard from a number of folks that the fabric is holy crap expensive. Really makes for the ultimate soft shell though.