[MadMax]

I'm not very impressed by Arcteryx's water resistance with their softshell. Initially my softshell had a great repellant treatment, but after about a year of use, it's become not very resistant. It started out great. In a serious rain it was neat seeing the water beading up and rolling off, but the treatment didn't last forever. Very nice stretchy material that moves and breathes well, but it's not hugely water resistant.

I do wish that they'd include pockets in the usual place low down up front. While the pockets on the upper arms stay accessible while wearing a vest, they're not very useful for warming your hands in if you don't have gloves with you. The arm pockets are also awkward places if you have large or heavy items to stow in your pockets.

I really like the finish on Arcteryx products. Strong flat seams (welded if they're in GoreTex), collars that actually stop the wind without chafing, and wrist closure straps that work. I do find that they tailor their softshells kind of tight in the armpits. This is kind of bunchy if you're wearing a heavy sweater and a t-shirt, but it's really just an odd feeling. On the plus side, I find that the sleeves don't pull up as much when you stretch your arms over your head. I have a feeling that this tailoring decision is more rock climbing oriented. Climbers spend a lot of time with their arms up on the wall so they'd like to keep their cuffs up near their wrists. Jackets with low cut shoulder inseams are much less bunchy, but you'll find that the sleeve will pull down a lot when you raise your arms.

Perhaps I need to shoot on another 3M treatment to restore it's resistance, but I'm hesitant to because I have a baby daughter now and I'm trying to avoid bringing too many serious chemicals this early into her life.

Arcteryx's ProShell GoreTex is an entirely different matter. I've got three ProShell jackets now and they're all still as waterproof as the day I got them. One of the jackets is a Theta that I got for myself (non insulated shell). The other two are an Alpha (non insulated shell) and a Titan (well insulated jacket) were purchased for my wife. All three breathe very well considering their water resistance. My Theta (oldest of the three) doesn't roll water off like the other two jackets, but it's still not letting water through. I notice that the repellent coating has worn the most where my backpack straps sit, but I'm still happy that the material is still impermeable but breathable. Arcteryx makes excellent hardshells.