Arc’teryx Atom LT Hoody

Field Notes: Testing the Arc’teryx Atom LT Hoody in the Green Mountains on fall foliage hikes is an ideal place for a hybrid design to be put through the paces. We started in mild temps at low elevation and as we climbed, winds picked up and temperatures dropped. The Atom’s hybrid design performed excellently in the varying conditions. It combines Polartec Power Stretch with Coreloft insulation wrapped in Toray face fabric. The Coreloft insulation is baffled from the interior of the jacket and not sewn through to the exterior, which gives the jacket a smooth stitch-free exterior except along the seams. At the cuffs, there’s sewn-in elastic and along the hem, a drawstring cord; both are excellent at keeping the elements out and keeping the jacket in place. A key feature of the jacket is that the Power Stretch is sewn in along the side of the torso and into the armpits. With this strategic placement of the air-permeable Power Stretch, the jacket has a ton of stretch and also allows for excess heat and moisture to dump. We never overheated wearing the Atom as an outerlayer in mild temps yet were plenty warm at the summits as well as protected from the wind. Arc’teryx’s simple designs aren’t flashy, but they make up for it with performance and materials. 

Pros: The lightweight Coreloft insulation is feathery and ridiculously comfortable. 

Cons: The fabric of this jacket makes a lot of noise when moving, so not ideal for hunters in stealth mode. 

Tester Comments: “It’s hard to find anything wrong with the Atom, as it performs exactly as it should, keeping you warm without overheating, and it can be used as an outer-layer or paired with a midlayer under a waterproof shell. It’s versatile and well built.”

Key Attribute: Function