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Arc'teryx Discontinued The Proton AR Hoody in 2018
REASONS TO BUY
Super warm
Uber breathable
Durable fabrics
Fantastic craftsmanship
Lofty and cozy
REASONS TO AVOID
Sucky zipper
Best for winter only
This jacket boasts versatility in the winter. The 90-grams of continuous Coreloft insulation is both warm and cozy, and the continuous face fabric is surprisingly breathable. Not only that, but the face fabric is mobile moving with you while on the move. It fits most of our testers with extra long arms, but a seemingly short torso. This unique combination had us climbing, hiking, skiing, and running errands around town throughout the coldest months of the year; wear this technical insulated jacket for anything winter!
While the Proton AR is excellent for cold weather, the Arc'teryx Atom LT is a thinner and more breathable jacket that performs better in warmer temps. While the Proton AR is better as a stand-alone coat or shell, the Atom LT can easily be layered underneath a shell. It's not as warm with only 60-grams of Coreloft insulation but breathes better for three-season use. All said and done, if you want a jacket that is best for winter outdoor recreation, this is our go-to recommendation.
Our Analysis and Test Results
The Arc'teryx Proton AR Hoody is a breathable and warm technical jacket. As such, it's best for winter recreation due to its unique performance balance that had us ice climbing, skiing, and running errands comfortably in the cold of weather.
Performance Comparison
The Proton AR is best for the winter season because it's warm and breathable.
Credit: Amber King
Warmth
With 90-grams of Coreloft insulation running throughout the body and arms of this jacket, we were impressed with its ability to insulate. Like all models in this review, the insulation is hydrophobic, insulating when wet, and is quite lofty. With the ability to keep us warm in temperatures as low as zero degrees Fahrenheit (with a single base layer), our team quickly realized that this is a great winter insulated jacket.
Here we find that double layering is important to ensure warmth on super cold days on the East coast.
Credit: Amber King
It has many warmth features including an adjustable helmet-compatible hood, a double-pull cinch at the hemline, and gusseted wrists to lock in warmth. The hood is elastic around the face, hugging your face, so it doesn't allow a bunch of air to rush in or heat to escape.
The double cinch cords around the hem do a great job locking in warmth.
The hood is comfortable and cinches around the top of the head when the adjustable hood pull is cinched up.
Overall, we are impressed with the features of this jacket which make it warm yet breathable. It's a perfect option to hunker down in with an additional layer or to wear while busting out strides on the cross country track during a frigid winter day.
Weight & Compression
For the amount of insulation and warmth provided, we are impressed with the Proton AR's ability to compress. It doesn't have a stowaway system, but our testers learned that by simply rolling it up into its hood and cinching it down, it contained the jacket, making it easy to pack away.
While this jacket does not have a stow-away system, it can be rolled into the hood and cinched up.
Credit: Amber King
It doesn't have a carabiner loop to clip like the other options with their own stow-away systems. While this isn't the most compressible or lightweight jacket out there, we are impressed by its ability to pack away easily. We also like that it feels light while wearing.
Weather Resistance
If you're ever in wet or super windy weather, it's important to note that the Proton AR Hoody is not waterproof. Like most jackets in this review, it kept us warm when the snow flew down, and the wind blew. While the continuous Fortius Air 40-Denier 92% nylon, 8% elastane shells wards off a regular rainfall or snowfall and provides better wind protection than most, it was saturated after about four minutes during our shower water tests. It does out quickly.
Testing at the lake got a bit windy! While the Proton does a decent job at weather resistance, it's not as resistant as other contenders.
Credit: Amber King
While it provides some wind resistance, the fabric and insulation are thinner, making it less windproof. If paired with a super light wind jacket it can perform better in these unique conditions. Even though it did not show "weather-proofing" capabilities, it is certainly "weather-resistant".
Comfort and Coziness
While the Proton AR Hoody doesn't have a wide plethora of comfort features, our testers love it. This is attributed to its continuous and mobile face fabric that moves the body while hiking and climbing. The material is nice to the touch, and the jacket feels very well crafted.
Despite it being heavier than most, it feels light on, and the insulation is cozy and lofty. Wearing it feels like being hugged all day long. The hood is helmet compatible, while all four pockets are ideally placed.
The gusseted wrists are comfortable and stretchy, perfect for putting under a pair of gloves.
This jacket features two exterior breast pockets and two hand warmer pockets.
Two breast pockets allow for storage of materials while wearing a harness (ideal for climbing) while the two hand warmer pockets are lofty and comfortable. Our only wish is that they were a touch larger. That said, there are no interior pockets, but we didn't think it was necessary for this technical outdoor jacket.
The hood is helmet compatible with a cinch.
The cinch allows a more precise fit.
Thanks to the smooth liner, our testers found it easier to layer with wool or fabric base layers. All said and done, the Proton AR Hoody is an uber-comfortable technical jacket option.
Breathability
For the amount of loft and protection offered in this contender, we are surprised by its great level of breathability. While the 40-D 92% nylon, 8% elastane shell is protective, it allows moisture to leave easily. During early morning runs in the winter, it proves to be a great piece of gear, keeping us warm while breathing. While it doesn't have any breathability features like thin-fleecy vents under the arms, opening the chest and hand warming pockets provides sufficient heat release. That said, it isn't the most breathable option out there.
Nicole runs it out with this mobile and breathable face fabric on an early winter morning in Colorado.
Credit: Amber King
It stands out because it's one of the warmest jackets out there that also breathes well on the move. This is the primary reason it's best for winter recreation; wear it on your next winter excursion into the wilderness.
Style & Fit
Featuring a continuous face fabric with a few flattering stitching patterns and a boxier fit, the Proton AR Hoody is cute in a mountain town sort of way. Our testers love the way this jacket felt but commented that it's not the most stylish in comparison to other contenders. Mostly just because it features a flat color without any additional features that offer a little more flair.
A look at the fit of this jacket.
Credit: Derek Stoddart
Featuring a stitching pattern that bows in around the hips that is quite flattering, the fit isn't super boxy; the fabric hangs in a flattering way covering some bumps and lumps. The material also isn't rigid, nor is the space in the torso area as large. As a result, it didn't fit all of our testers in the way that some of the higher performers do. While the jacket comes just above the butt with our chief tester (5'7, athletic build, 140 lbs), our taller testers thought it was a little short. But, the arms were long enough. Make sure to try it one before buying this one; the size is true to fit, and the colors are amazing!
Best Applications
As a warm jacket that can compress and breathe well, we highly recommend it for anything winter! While many of our contenders are lightweight options that fit well under layers, the Proton AR is better to wear on its own as it's loftier and thicker than other options. It is best for sweaty winter activities that require bouts of warmth. Think chopping wood, cold winter running, skiing, snowboarding, and more. Just add in a quality base layer and insulation when the temps get down into the negatives.
Take this jacket hiking on the coldest days or while you play during the winter.
Credit: Amber King
Value
As the most expensive jacket in this review, we are not stoked on the $350 price tag. While the performance and durability of the materials are impeccable, we were a little let down with the zipper. The teeth are small and not very durable. Also, it catches the super lofty liner, sticking many times during this testing period. There were not just one or two times this happened, but almost on a daily basis, we spent over a minute trying to zip or unzip the jacket.
The tiny teeth of the zipper and lofty interior fabric cause this zipper to catch daily. In the future, we would hope that Arc'teryx fixes this zipper problem.
Credit: Derek Stoddart
We even got it caught to the point where we couldn't get it unstuck, then the zipper teeth broke. While this was returned promptly for a new jacket, we were unimpressed with zipper quality. That said, the craftsmanship and quality of the material are above and beyond anything else.
Conclusion
This warmth and breathable synthetic is a high-performance technical piece, best for anything winter.
