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Review: Arc’teryx Beta AR Hardshell

A jacket that makes you hope for stormy weather.

By

Barry Wicks

Not to be missed: Barry sneaks up the inside line of the local skintrack in the Beta AR.

Not to be missed: Barry sneaks up the inside line of the local skintrack in the Beta AR.

Bright yellow and a bit stiff and crinkly straight out of the box, the Arc’teryx Beta AR cuts a clean figure as we pass it around Jason’s house and try it on. It feels fancy, almost too fancy, so much so that I hesitate to actually take it into the mountains. Jason insists. So here…

Responses

  1. Slim

    My friend just got a Rush jacket, I believe last years model, and he also chose a M, at 6’2” and broad shoulders.

  2. Will Tabor

    Let’s talk more about these cut off dickies. As an owner of many dickies pants and a person who doesn’t think too hard about the shorts he wears when hiking, do you find them to be better than the ratty old athletic shorts I usually wear? If so, why?

    1. Barry Wicks

      Well, aside from looking 1000% better than ratty old athletic shorts, I find the heavy canvas material of the dickies to be a better companion when off trail bashing through brush or grinding over rocks, plus the little side pocket holds my phone perfectly so navigation/photos are easily accessible, and, if you cut your pants into shorts when they start to get too blown out to continue using as pants, they are basically free and already fit perfect. I just looked in my drawer, and the only pair of shorts that I own that aren’t cut off pants in one form or another are a pair of O’neal board shorts from my ocean sport days. So, yeah, cutoffs for the win!

      1. Will Tabor

        Excellent feedback, thank you! The scissors will come out this summer and I’ll give it a go.

    2. Jason Albert

      Will, I am glad you raised this question. I have spent hours/days, etc., drafting Barry. Although we are not certified therapists here at THR, my guess is that his sartorial preferences are to counter his years of wearing spandex. But I am hoping he chimes in. I will, however, say his taste in shorts seems prudent, fashionable, and, most importantly, practical. I have also spotted him trail running in these cutoffs, mountain-biking, and mixing cocktails. Although in inclement weather, I still hear the old adage, “cotton kills.”

  3. Peter Vordenberg

    I know there are hard-corps review people out there. They just want the scoop. But me, I love the story.

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