Please note: Whilst this jacket is shown as men’s it is also suitable for all genders.
- Very waterproof
- Comfortable to wear
Cons / Reasons to Avoid
- No pit zips
- Not very stylish
The Arc’teryx Beta rain jacket is a fully-featured, high-performance, multipurpose coat that is worth the investment. It has 3-layer GORE-TEX teamed with GORE C-KNIT to keep you dry and comfortable in all conditions.
See our main review: Best Waterproof Rain Jackets for Hiking
See all rain jackets compared:
Rab Downpour Plus 2.0 | Rab Firewall Waterproof Jacket | Mammut Taiss HS | Arc'teryx Beta LT (2024 version) | Black Diamond StormLine (now Fineline Stretch Shell) | Outdoor Research Helium Rain | Arc’teryx Beta | Marmot Minimalist | Columbia Watertight II | Mammut Crater IV HS | Cotopaxi Cielo Rain Jacket | Marmot PreCip Eco | The North Face Venture 2 | The North Face Dryzzle Futurelight | Helly Hansen Women's Crew Hooded Sailing Jacket 2.0 | |
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Our Awards | Best Mens | Best Overall Versatile Women's Jacket | Best Wind Protection | Best Women's Performance | Best Stretchy | Best Ultralight | Best Men's Performance | Best Womens | Best Budget | ||||||
Catergory | Performance / Hiking | All round outdoors use, extreme conditions | Performance/Hiking/Mountaineering | Performance / Hiking | Daily Use / Hiking | Hiking | Performance / Hiking | Daily Use / Hiking | Daily Use | Performance/Hiking | Hiking/General | Daily Use / Hiking | Daily Use / Hiking | Daily Use / Hiking | Daily Use / Hiking / Sailing / Paddleboarding |
Weight | 13.2 oz. | 16.8 oz. | 15.3 oz. | 13.9 oz. | 11.3 oz. | 6.3 oz. | 10.6 oz. | 13 oz. | 13 oz. | 12.5 oz. | 10.6 oz. | 11.6 oz. | 12 oz. | N/A | |
Waterproof | 2.5L Pertex | 3 L Pertex | 3L | 3L Gore-Tex | 2.5L BD.dry | 2.5L Pertex | 3L Gore-Tex | 2.5L Gore-Tex | 2L Omni-Tech | 3L | 2.5L | 2.5L NanoPro | 2.5L Dryvent | 3L Futurelight | 2L |
Pockets | 2 zippered chest | 3 pockets (2 hand) | 5 | 2 zippered hand | 2 zippered hand | 2 zippered hand | 2 Zippered Hand | 2 zippered hand, 1 zippered chest | 2 zippered hand pockets; 2 internal drop-in pockets | 5 | 3 | 2 Zippered Hand | 2 zippered hand | 2 zippered hand, 1 zippered chest | 2 zippered hand, 1 zippered chest |
Pit Zips | Yes | Yes | 2 | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No |
Packable | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Analysis and Test Results
Whilst it might be a bit more expensive than its competitors, the Arc’teryx Beta rain jacket is worth the extra cost. It has all the features you need, including an adjustable hood, Velcro tabs to adjust the cuffs, WaterTight zippers, and three pockets. It doesn’t have pit zips, but its high breathability means you only miss them if you are really working hard. It’s not the most stylish raincoat with big logos and some garish colorways. However, the main selling point of the Arc’teryx Beta rain jacket is that it is very comfortable to wear, and thanks to its 3L GORE-TEX fabric, you know it will keep you dry. This is an excellent rain jacket, which is why we chose the Arc’teryx Beta rain jacket as our Best Men’s Performance Rain Jacket.
See the Arc’teryx Rain Jacket in more detail:
Performance Comparison
Type and Style
The Arc’teryx Beta rain jacket is a versatile raincoat that can be worn for any outdoor activity, from walking the dog to hiking up mountains. It is a fitted style that is cut closer to your chest, waist, hip, and thigh than usual.
Water Resistance
The 3L GORE-TEX fabric with GORE C-KNIT used to make the Arc’teryx Beta rain jacket provides outstanding waterproofness. Its waterproof rating is 28,000 mm. In addition, all the seams are taped, and there is an adjustable hood, water-resistant zips, and Velcro fastenings to adjust the cuffs that all help to keep you dry.
Breathability
The breathability rating of 3L GORE-TEX fabric with GORE C-KNIT is 20,000 g/m2/24hrs. Despite the lack of pit zips, this gives the Arc’teryx Beta rain jacket excellent breathability. The soft lining ensures that your jacket will never feel cold or clammy against your skin.
Comfort and Mobility
Arc’teryx designs its products to be practical, so the Arc’teryx Beta rain jacket has a great range of movement. The micro-seams help to make the jacket flexible, and the cut has anatomical shaping for a good fit. The underarm gussets ensure the jacket doesn’t ride up or pull when moving your arms.
One of the best features of the Arc’teryx Beta rain jacket is how comfortable it feels to wear. The GORE C-KNIT backer technology feels soft against your skin and never gets cold or clammy. There is a chin guard at the top of the collar to make sure it is comfortable against your face. Although it is a fitted cut, there is room to fit layers underneath.
Materials
The Arc’teryx Beta rain jacket uses 3-layer GORE-TEX fabric with GORE C-KNIT backer technology. This is composed of 30-denier nylon fused to a membrane made from ePTFE. The lining is a dense, extremely thin circular knit that feels soft and smooth. This combination is just as waterproof and windproof as traditional GORE-TEX, but it is lighter, more breathable, and feels good against your skin.
Arc’teryx uses its Watertight Zippers on the Beta rain jacket. These are high-quality reverse coil zippers.
Appearance
The Arc’teryx Beta rain jacket is not the best-looking rainshell you can get. It has a large logo on the chest and another on the hood that are usually in contrasting colors to the jacket. If you get the Men’s Black-Multi colorway, the zip will be a contrasting color chosen randomly. Some of the other colorways also have contrasting colored zippers. All this can combine to create a garish, industrial look that isn’t that stylish.
The Arc’teryx Beta rain jacket has a limited range of colors. Men have three choices: Black-Multi, Solace (blue), and Wicker (beige). Women have a couple of more options, including Black (without the contrasting zips), Wicker/Sprint (beige with neon zippers), Black Sapphire (navy), Fika (orange), and Serene/Solace (light and dark blue).
Durability
The durability of the Arc’teryx Beta rain jacket is impressive. Although the lining is soft, it is hard-wearing. The 30 denier nylon facing material is ripstop and stands up well to everything the trail can throw at it. The micro-seams and the anatomical shaping of the jacket mean there is less stress on the fabric, reducing the potential of tearing. The material on the chin guard helps to reduce sweat soaking into the GORE-TEX, which is a common cause of delamination.
If you have a problem with your rain shell, you are covered by Arc’teryx’s Practical Product Lifespan guarantee. They will replace or repair your jacket if it develops an issue during ‘the usual and customary wearable life of the product’.
Weight and Packability
Due to the 3-layer GORE-TEX fabric with GORE C-KNIT being thinner and more flexible than traditional GORE-TEX and the micro-seams, the Arc’teryx Beta rain jacket packs down into a compact bundle more easily than you might expect. However, it isn’t designed to fold into a pocket to make a neat package, but you can tuck it into the hood. The Arc’teryx Beta rain jacket weighs:
Men
300g / 10.6 oz
Women
270g / 9.5 oz
Features
One of the great things about the Arc’teryx Beta LT rain jacket is that it has three pockets. The two hand pockets are deep and set high enough to still be useable when wearing a harness or backpack waist strap. The third pocket is a small internal one on the chest, which is laminated to provide extra protection for phones and valuables.
All the zips are Arc’teryx’s in-house designed WaterTight zippers. They make a point of saying that their zips are “highly water resistant, but not waterproof”. However, these have a reverse coil design, and the teeth and slider are laminated with a urethane coating, so very little moisture will get through them.
The hood is described as ‘low profile’, which means it won’t fit over a helmet. This also means there is less excess material, so it sits closer to your head. It has Arc’teryx’s clever adjustment system, which has a drawcord on the back but pulls in the hood around your face. The design means the hood turns with your head so you stay warm and there is no loss of peripheral vision. There is a stiffened brim to keep the rain off your face, and the collar zips up high enough to cover your mouth and keep your lower face warm. The addition of a chin guard faced with soft material makes this more comfortable.
The sleeves are slightly longer than usual, and they have thin Velcro straps to adjust them so you won’t have any gaps around your wrists to let wind and rain in. The customary drawcord in the hem can be adjusted from both sides to keep it even when you want to reduce draughts.
Sustainability
The Arc’teryx Beta LT rain jacket uses Bluesign approved fabrics, meaning they’ve been certified as safe for workers, consumers, and the environment. Arc’teryx says, “Sustainability means thinking long-term. The climate emergency requires that we act with a sense of immediacy.” They partner with several initiatives to help communities and the environment. They also have a trade-in department where they repair products and then offer them for resale.
Conclusion
The Arc’teryx Beta LT rain jacket is a well-designed, fully-featured rain jacket that will keep you dry and comfortable in all but the most extreme conditions.
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