Arc'teryx Atom Hoody - Women's Review

The Arc'teryx Atom Hoody is a soft lightweight jacket with a helmet-compatible hood and a streamlined, athletic fit. Its exterior is made of Dope Permeair 20D (100% nylon) and has two bungee adjustments on the hem. It has two zippered hand pockets and one internal zippered chest pocket.

Performance Comparison

Warmth

The Atom Hoody is a lightweight insulated jacket that proves itself warmer than it first appears. Its thin insulation is denser than down and many other synthetic options, and its soft material immediately feels warm when worn. It has good coverage as well, with a longer torso that ends in a drop hem on the back. Two adjustment points for the bungee around the hem allow you to easily cinch it closed against the wind or extreme cold. The sleeves are a good length, and are sealed with soft-knit elastic cuffs, helping to seal out the elements. However, despite these strengths, the Atom is on the thinner side overall. While warm for its weight, it's not a thick or sufficiently warm jacket to be worn on its own on very cold days.

The Atom's hood is quite large. It begs to be worn with a beanie and easily accommodates most helmets. A high chin guard helps keep your neck and face warm, whether the hood is up or down. Inside the pockets is a cozy layer of microfleece on one side, keeping the backs of your hands protected from the cold. Though the Atom is fitted in the shoulders, it's also easy to move in without feeling restricted. Its relaxed slim fit slides on easily over your underlayers. Its thinness and pliability also allow it to comfortably layer under a shell or even a parka when the temps really dip.

Comfort

That layering ability also lends a lot of comfort to the Atom Hoody. The low profile construction makes it flexible and easy put a shell over the top. Its relaxed fit feels more like your favorite cotton sweatshirt than a puffy jacket. The stretch-knit cuffs feel silky and snug without being too tight, helping keep the sleeves in place when you lift your arms overhead. With two hem adjustment points, the Atom can be worn long, or cinched up, again adding to that sweatshirt-like vibe. The hood of the Atom is among the few jackets we tested with an adjustable bungee cord on the back, so you can cinch it down when not wearing a hat or helmet underneath, or for a better fit on your bare head.

The Atom has no baffles or seams, which is a crucial detail that pays dividends in comfort, breathability and range of motion. It eliminates a potential pinch point under your arms — even through other layers — and mobility to the shoulders that many of its competitors can't match. The whole side panels are each a single piece of stretchy, breathable, knit fabric with low-pile fleece on the inside. The Atom is built with comfort in mind and is well-designed to be an effective midlayer as part of a comprehensive layering system, or a standalone jacket in milder weather.

Weather Resistance

Though its soft fabric may not look as weatherproof as others, it performed well above average in our tests. It's thinner, and softer, than other models that out-competed it in wind resistance, but still holds its own sealing out strong gusts. A wind guard secures the entire main zipper, and the pockets even have an overhang to protect their zippers too. When the hood is tightened on a bare head, it exposes the back corners of your face, but it also leaves a slightly stiffened brim to offer a bit of protection over your eyes.

When the forecast shifted to "wintry mix," the Atom once again performed quite well. There are no baffle seams to offer weak points, and the main fabric of this jacket easily repels light precipitation. The stretch knit cuffs seal out the wind and water fairly effectively. However, the stretch panels along the underarms are more vulnerable to letting in both wind and water, the tradeoff for this jacket's exceptional breathability. In a true downpour or exceptionally wet storms, the fabric will wet through.

Portability

The size Small Arc'teryx Atom weighs in at 10.5 ounces. It's on the lighter end of all of the jackets we tested. Lighter weight means less bulk, making it one of our favorite options to stuff in a daypack or suitcase.

The Atom is one of few models in our lineup that doesn't stuff into its own pocket or come with a stuff sack. However, unless we have an overly full pack or are carrying things on a harness only, we rarely take the time to pack up a jacket — especially if we plan to need to pull it out and throw it on while we're out and about. The Atom is compact enough to be easily stuffed into a backpack or suitcase, even when you have limited space.

Breathability

The Atom Hoody earns one of the top scores for breathability in our testing. The comfortable, stretchy side panels do a pretty good job of letting out too much body heat as you recreate. The stretch-knit sleeves can also be pretty easily pulled up your arms if your baselayers will allow it.

Of course, you can also unzip the jacket completely. The only way this jacket could be more breathable is by sacrificing its protective outer material for more stretch panels, or by turning the pockets into vents rather than the microfleece-lined warming stations they currently are. We're quite happy with the balance of warmth and breathability of this jacket.

Should You Buy the Arc'teryx Atom?

The Atom is admittedly on the pricey side, but it's an ideal midlayer jacket for pretty much any possible use. We love wearing it alone in milder temperatures or for cardio. If you're looking for a standalone insulated jacket for very cold winter conditions, the Atom isn't the right choice. But for a versatile jacket that works well as part of a layering system, there's no model we love more than the Arc'teryx Atom, and we think this unique and comfortable coat is worth the investment.

What Other Insulated Jackets Should You Consider?

The Arc'teryx Atom Hoody is a great insulated jacket with serious comfort, top-notch breathability, and works excellently as a midlayer for a comprehensive layering system. If you'd prefer a standalone jacket that's great for both everyday conditions and adventuring through the storm, check out the Patagonia DAS Light Hoody. Or if you need a jacket with even better breathability that you can wear all day snowshoeing or cross-country skiing, the Ortovox Piz Boe is that coat.