If you are
like me, you may not have heard of Arc’teryx
before. They are an outdoor clothing company
based out of North Vancouver, British Columbia in Canada. Their name and logo refers to the Archaeopteryx
Lithographica, which is the first reptile to develop the feather for flight
(something to bring up at your next trivia night). Their parent corporation is Amer Sports, which includes Salomon, which has built up quite the following in the outdoor sports world. I have been working with the Arc’teryx store at the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto (660 Stanford Shopping Center Suite 1030, Palo Alto, CA 94304). If you head in, be sure to say hi to Dan Kirk.
The company was founded in 1989 by local climbers whose goals were to create equipment that enables a person to be immersed in the moment no matter what the conditions are. Arc’teryx also believes highly in environmental stewardship, responsible manufacturing, and community engagement. I recently tested five products including the Adan Short, Accelero Comp Zip Neck SS Shirt, Incendo Hat, Norvan LD Shoe, and Norvan 7 Hydration Vest.
The company was founded in 1989 by local climbers whose goals were to create equipment that enables a person to be immersed in the moment no matter what the conditions are. Arc’teryx also believes highly in environmental stewardship, responsible manufacturing, and community engagement. I recently tested five products including the Adan Short, Accelero Comp Zip Neck SS Shirt, Incendo Hat, Norvan LD Shoe, and Norvan 7 Hydration Vest.
Adan Short
Shorts are
something that are vital for me. I have
dealt with chaffing issues in the past, mainly because I carry a little more
junk in the trunk thanks to bad genetics and a diet that could be approved
upon. The Soleus Shorts were the first
shorts I tested from Arc’teryx and I was excited since they are a higher end
brand, which is evident in their prices as well.
The Adan Short is a
super lightweight short that stretches with you whether you are running the
flat roads near your house or climbing up a gnarly hill in the mountains. It’s made with a quick drying material and
has a small side split on the side. The
back of the shorts features a smaller stash pocket with a zipper.
The inside
of the shorts features a draw string to tighten the shorts and an inner
brief. My only issue is that in the
medium shorts, the brief was a little small on me and caused chaffing issues. I contacted Arc’teryx
and quickly received a size large as an exchange, which alleviated any issues
with fit or chaffing.
I really
like the Adan Short. It moves really well with my body no matter
what I throw its way. The shorts retail
for $79.00 on the Arc’teryx website.
Accelero Comp Zip Neck Short Sleeve
Shirt
The Accelero shirt is a performance shirt that uses two different
fabrics for those hot days on the trail. The Helius™
material on the front of the shirt wicks moisture away and protects your skin from
the sun with a UPF 50+ rating. It is
extremely smooth on your skin and prevents chaffing on those hot, sweaty
runs. The back and sholders of the shirt
utilize a Viente™ mesh that is used to increased airflow and provides a cooling
effect. The combination of the two
materials provides a very comfortable shirt that easily moves with you and
keeps you cool.
Another
feature of the Accelero shirt is the zip neck. I haven’t run with a shirt like this before
and actually like the zip neck because I can unzip the shirt if I need a little
extra ventilation. At only 4.8 ounces,
it is really light weight and almost feels like it is a part of you. The Accelero shirt fits true to size and retails for $75.00 on the
Arc’teryx website.
Incendo Hat
Sometimes a
hat is just a hat, but there are other hats that provide more ventilation, are
super lightweight, and just feel great.
The Incendo Hat
would be the second type of hat. Incendo Hat is a
lightweight, ventilated hat that not only protects you from the sun and wind,
but does an awesome job at wicking moisture away and is even moisture resistant
for those rainy days.
The material
is really light and fits great using a cord in the back of the hat to tighten
for an optimized fit. I have been
grabbing this hat more than any other hat in my closet because it simply is a top-notch
choice. I used the Incendo Hat at the
American River 50 Mile and it performed flawlessly for over 12 hours. The Incendo Hat retails for
$45.00 on the Arc’teryx website.
Norvan LD Shoe
I have been
interested in testing a shoe from Arc’teryx
ever since I tested some of their gear last year. I know that they really put a lot of thought and
technology into their gear and knew that the shoes would be great. The LD in Norvan LD stands
for “Long Distance” meaning that this shoe was designed to provide comfort mile
after mile.
The Norvan LD starts
at the bottom with a Vibram® Megagrip outsole for a nice grip on technical
trails. The cushion of the midsole is
nice and springy, but provides a great deal of responsiveness so you can be
quick and nimble on the trail.
The upper
material helps to regulate temperature by allowing moisture to escape the shoe
with ease. This makes for an airy shoe
that will keep your feet from overheating.
It also lets water drain fairly easily after creek crossings. I also like that it doesn’t allow dirt and
debris to come in through the mesh, which can be an issue with some trail
shoes.
The laces
are thin and flat, which makes it easy to get a secure fit. There is a lace storage system in the tongue,
which keeps those laces from getting snagged on a branch (not that it‘s ever
happened to me).
The Norvan LD comes
in at 10.9 ounces, which is a little heavier than some trail shoes, but it
doesn’t feel that heavy. The place where
this shoe really excels is the construction.
I haven’t seen a shoe that is built like this. It is one solid shoe, from the stitching, to
the welds. The durability is something
that I don’t worry about at all. The Norvan LD comes
in four colors and retails for $160 on the Arc’teryx
website.
Norvan 7 Hydration Vest
I also got
to test out the Norvan 7
Hydration Vest. Talk about a solid,
high performance vest that you can take anywhere. I have tested numerous vests over the years,
but was extremely impressed with the features and build quality of this vest
from Arc’teryx.
The Norvan 7 was
built to provide functionality as well as be extremely comfortable, which I
have to say that it hit both of those marks.
It is light weight at 9 ounces and holds a 2-liter bladder from Source
(which is a great company). The bladder
has a quick connect hose and comes out the side of the pack at the bottom,
which I found better than the packs where the hose comes over your
shoulder.
This pack
has more pockets that you can imagine. Besides
the hydration bladder, you have two larger chest pockets, which can accommodate
flexible bottles (not included). There
are two lower pockets at the bottom front of each side. There is a large pocket where you can store
stuff in the back as well as a smaller mesh pocket and a zipper pocket in the
rain cover. There are also pockets on
the side toward the back which double for pole pockets.
The pole
pockets are reinforced to put the sharp edge of your trekking poles. First you put the poles in the pockets and
then use the bungee cables to secure the poles.
It is easy to do with the pack on and securely holds the poles in
place. This is a great feature for
longer runs or at times when you want to poles for climbing, but want to put
them away for downhills.
Arc’teryx thought of almost everything for this
pack. While the material is a little
stiffer than my Salomon packs, I like the fit and feel of the Norvan 7. After over a dozen test runs, I can say that
this is a solid pack that most people will really enjoy (because no pack will
work for all people). The price is slightly
higher than some packs out there, but for the build quality and features, the
price is great. You can get the Norvan 7 at
the Arc’teryx website for $179.00.
The Arc’teryx Social Media Links:
Arc’teryx makes some amazing products. While some of their products have a higher
price tag, I think they are worth the extra money. I am a strong believer that paying a few
extra dollars on a product that will make your hours of running more enjoyable
is more than worth it, especially if the gear lasts for quite a while. I challenge you to find products with a
better build quality. I love my Arc’teryx gear and highly recommend
it. If you have tried any of their gear
out, drop me a line and let me know what you think.
Note:
I received this product in exchange for a review. The review is my
personal opinion of the product and I was not required to give a particular
opinion of it. I am not a doctor, so
please use all of the products that I review at your own risk.
