All their down is RDS certified and sourced from Eastern Europe, which tends to be a little less corrupt on the supply chain front than some other markets I’ve worked in.
The pink blazer thing is just weird, but personally I’m bummed about the sizing changes. As a tall-ish woman (5’9 but with a 6′ wingspan), Arc’teryx was one of the only outdoor brands that fit my shoulders and covered my wrists without tons of excess fabric elsewhere. Clothes sized for an Asian market basically never fit me – even an XL flannel at Uniqlo doesn’t fit my shoulders, and in most brands I wear a S/M. Guess I’ll have to check out the “quirky Scandinavian” brands (is Craft considered quirky?) that make clothes for women my height.
I was thinking H&M or IKEA for those quirky global brands Americans love, which isn’t much help on the ski front, but Houdini should definitely be on your list. Their models are like 6’2” and the pants at least look right in online imagery
Thanks for the tip! I was guessing you meant Fjallraven, which I’ve actually never tried. The fox is cute though, I’ve got to admit.
Also just for the record I get that I’m lucky in that I can size way up or buy men’s jackets in a pinch. And I’m all for adding additional sizes! But it’s so frustrating to spend time figuring out a brand that works, only to have the shape change out from under you. I’ll be curious if Arc’teryx sticks with this change or tries to backpedal in a few years.
I know this is way late and you might not see this but Armada is also a solid shout – I have a women’s m jacket from them that fit me torso wise but was far too long in the arms and it ended up fitting my 6’2 boyfriend perfectly.
I remember that year!! They went wayyy overboard with the oversized / bunchy pants look. I kept getting sucked into looking at them because they got so cheap. I ended up recommending them to a woman who’s 6’2” and was having trouble finding long enough options. They ended up doing the trick!
Thanks for the lowdown, great article, love the detailed insights. Knew about the whole AMER / ANTA change but not what this now means for Acr’teryx. Interesting and helpful to get an industry insiders view on how it is playing out. I like their stuff on the whole and buy into the quality but am not that brand loyal so does not worry me to pass on them for my next purchase. Having said that am actually wondering how the pink blazer would look with my pink Ranger 102’s 🙂
Work in finance, you wouldn’t believe how popular the blazers and Veilance collection is. They love to flex and appear to be in touch with the outdoors while still maintaining a business casual look. I will say they should’ve kept the line separate in terms of organizing the two together on the same site. As gatekeep-y the outdoors world is, be open to folks that just want waterproof blazers *shrug*. I’m a fan of the dead bird’s direction, maybe that’s just me.
thank you for taking the time to write all this up Analisa!! It is so fascinating. And according to that new size chart I’m not sure any of their pants will fit me anymore. At least I got a few pairs of my favorites before they made these changes, and even some changes for summer last year too, that made the hips way roomier but the fit was supposedly the same. Sigh. I just wish brands were more transparent about changes made whether its small or huge ones like this.
Terrific article. I’ve wondered what was happening with Arcteryx. One area that you did not comment on is their retail strategy – many no longer carry the brand. Any information on that? Also the website is constantly down? Thanks again. Marmot is looking better and better …
Great article. Well done, and thank you. I’m straying from Arcteryx due to their changing designs and durability concerns. My older gear is bomber but the newer stuff isn’t robust at all and can be oddly shaped. Shame.
This is a great article. Like the commenter above, though, I’ve noticed a drastic reduction in quality from Arc in the past two years. And you can see this from others, too, if you go into a given jacket’s reviews on the Arc website, sort reviews by most recent, and just read. The products are like tissue paper now, and the service and warranty leaves a lot to be desired: Arc denying customers a fix or a replacement is common.
It’s sad, because my Atom LT hoody is still the best piece of outdoor gear I’ve ever owned. But that’s 4 years old. I don’t think I’d buy a new one.
As a petite Asian living in North America, the expanded size range is a much welcome addition. Sure, it may suck for some to need to find new sizing but it’s worse when you really want a good technical wear and none of the outdoor brands considered making sizes that fit.
Chinese here. I only own a couple of pieces of dead bird garments in the past few years and recently bought a ski jacket that actually ran too big for me, which made me wonder if they’ve changed the fit so I’ve been doing some digging online and stumped upon this article.
I purchased a now discontinued hardshell Zeta LT back in 2019 in Medium, which fits me perfectly as a 179cm, 71kg male. Also, have a piece of Atom Hoodie in M that’s slim fit. The Rush ski jacket I bought recently is in S and it still feels baggy. I know it’s not an apple-to-apple comparison between hiking shell and skiing shell but my friend who owns the same Rush jacket from 5 years ago found his M-sized jacket is smaller than my S. So my personal experience is this brand starts to tailor to less athletic build customers.
Same experience here. 5’8” and 145 lb male. Small was a perfect fit for me but now I’m down to XS in Arcteryx and other brands like HH workwear. Had to return a couple of Cormac shirts in size S this year because they fit like Mediums.
Chinese here. I only own a couple of pieces of dead bird garments in the past few years and recently bought a ski jacket that actually ran too big for me, which made me wonder if they’ve changed the fit so I’ve been doing some digging online and stumped upon this article.
I purchased a now discontinued hardshell Zeta LT back in 2019 in Medium, which fits me perfectly as a 179cm, 71kg male. Also, have a piece of Atom Hoodie in M that’s slim fit. The Rush ski jacket I bought recently is in S and it still feels baggy. I know it’s not an apple-to-apple comparison between hiking shell and skiing shell but my friend who owns the same Rush jacket from 5 years ago found his M-sized jacket is smaller than my S. So my personal experience is this brand starts to tailor to less athletic build customers.
ulch. I know I’m late to this post but I just wanted to say that I’m an American, and yes of course I don’t like it when they make all the sizing even tinier and more confusing, they already ran small and it’s not only non-inclusive on the larger end it’s deflating to anyone that isn’t tiny – I’m glad tiny people have even more options but give the rest of us a bone man.That being addressed in the shallow end: I don’t think you can throw shade on Americans or anyone else for shunning brands that make changes that mean an overall drop in technical quality and raise in price to appease a non-technical crowd – this brand was well made and reliable and technically fantastic, I knew I could count on my gear to keep me dry and warm in all conditions. Changing THAT part is very very disappointing and no one should stay loyal to a brand that does THAT to them, that’s why other global brands aren’t losing customers, they are keeping the technical gear technical and reliable, it’s not because they are better at marketing a feeling…they are better at keeping us safe and dry.
FemiGnarly 
More down, huh? Is there any reassurance that it will be ethically sourced?
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All their down is RDS certified and sourced from Eastern Europe, which tends to be a little less corrupt on the supply chain front than some other markets I’ve worked in.
LikeLike
Thanks for covering this, I had no idea!
The pink blazer thing is just weird, but personally I’m bummed about the sizing changes. As a tall-ish woman (5’9 but with a 6′ wingspan), Arc’teryx was one of the only outdoor brands that fit my shoulders and covered my wrists without tons of excess fabric elsewhere. Clothes sized for an Asian market basically never fit me – even an XL flannel at Uniqlo doesn’t fit my shoulders, and in most brands I wear a S/M. Guess I’ll have to check out the “quirky Scandinavian” brands (is Craft considered quirky?) that make clothes for women my height.
LikeLike
I was thinking H&M or IKEA for those quirky global brands Americans love, which isn’t much help on the ski front, but Houdini should definitely be on your list. Their models are like 6’2” and the pants at least look right in online imagery
LikeLike
Thanks for the tip! I was guessing you meant Fjallraven, which I’ve actually never tried. The fox is cute though, I’ve got to admit.
Also just for the record I get that I’m lucky in that I can size way up or buy men’s jackets in a pinch. And I’m all for adding additional sizes! But it’s so frustrating to spend time figuring out a brand that works, only to have the shape change out from under you. I’ll be curious if Arc’teryx sticks with this change or tries to backpedal in a few years.
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You can check out norrona.com , our fit might work.
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I know this is way late and you might not see this but Armada is also a solid shout – I have a women’s m jacket from them that fit me torso wise but was far too long in the arms and it ended up fitting my 6’2 boyfriend perfectly.
LikeLike
I remember that year!! They went wayyy overboard with the oversized / bunchy pants look. I kept getting sucked into looking at them because they got so cheap. I ended up recommending them to a woman who’s 6’2” and was having trouble finding long enough options. They ended up doing the trick!
LikeLike
Thanks for the lowdown, great article, love the detailed insights. Knew about the whole AMER / ANTA change but not what this now means for Acr’teryx. Interesting and helpful to get an industry insiders view on how it is playing out. I like their stuff on the whole and buy into the quality but am not that brand loyal so does not worry me to pass on them for my next purchase. Having said that am actually wondering how the pink blazer would look with my pink Ranger 102’s 🙂
LikeLike
Work in finance, you wouldn’t believe how popular the blazers and Veilance collection is. They love to flex and appear to be in touch with the outdoors while still maintaining a business casual look. I will say they should’ve kept the line separate in terms of organizing the two together on the same site. As gatekeep-y the outdoors world is, be open to folks that just want waterproof blazers *shrug*. I’m a fan of the dead bird’s direction, maybe that’s just me.
LikeLike
thank you for taking the time to write all this up Analisa!! It is so fascinating. And according to that new size chart I’m not sure any of their pants will fit me anymore. At least I got a few pairs of my favorites before they made these changes, and even some changes for summer last year too, that made the hips way roomier but the fit was supposedly the same. Sigh. I just wish brands were more transparent about changes made whether its small or huge ones like this.
LikeLike
Terrific article. I’ve wondered what was happening with Arcteryx. One area that you did not comment on is their retail strategy – many no longer carry the brand. Any information on that? Also the website is constantly down? Thanks again. Marmot is looking better and better …
LikeLike
Great article. Well done, and thank you. I’m straying from Arcteryx due to their changing designs and durability concerns. My older gear is bomber but the newer stuff isn’t robust at all and can be oddly shaped. Shame.
LikeLike
This is a great article. Like the commenter above, though, I’ve noticed a drastic reduction in quality from Arc in the past two years. And you can see this from others, too, if you go into a given jacket’s reviews on the Arc website, sort reviews by most recent, and just read. The products are like tissue paper now, and the service and warranty leaves a lot to be desired: Arc denying customers a fix or a replacement is common.
It’s sad, because my Atom LT hoody is still the best piece of outdoor gear I’ve ever owned. But that’s 4 years old. I don’t think I’d buy a new one.
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As a petite Asian living in North America, the expanded size range is a much welcome addition. Sure, it may suck for some to need to find new sizing but it’s worse when you really want a good technical wear and none of the outdoor brands considered making sizes that fit.
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Chinese here. I only own a couple of pieces of dead bird garments in the past few years and recently bought a ski jacket that actually ran too big for me, which made me wonder if they’ve changed the fit so I’ve been doing some digging online and stumped upon this article.
I purchased a now discontinued hardshell Zeta LT back in 2019 in Medium, which fits me perfectly as a 179cm, 71kg male. Also, have a piece of Atom Hoodie in M that’s slim fit. The Rush ski jacket I bought recently is in S and it still feels baggy. I know it’s not an apple-to-apple comparison between hiking shell and skiing shell but my friend who owns the same Rush jacket from 5 years ago found his M-sized jacket is smaller than my S. So my personal experience is this brand starts to tailor to less athletic build customers.
LikeLike
Same experience here. 5’8” and 145 lb male. Small was a perfect fit for me but now I’m down to XS in Arcteryx and other brands like HH workwear. Had to return a couple of Cormac shirts in size S this year because they fit like Mediums.
LikeLike
Chinese here. I only own a couple of pieces of dead bird garments in the past few years and recently bought a ski jacket that actually ran too big for me, which made me wonder if they’ve changed the fit so I’ve been doing some digging online and stumped upon this article.
I purchased a now discontinued hardshell Zeta LT back in 2019 in Medium, which fits me perfectly as a 179cm, 71kg male. Also, have a piece of Atom Hoodie in M that’s slim fit. The Rush ski jacket I bought recently is in S and it still feels baggy. I know it’s not an apple-to-apple comparison between hiking shell and skiing shell but my friend who owns the same Rush jacket from 5 years ago found his M-sized jacket is smaller than my S. So my personal experience is this brand starts to tailor to less athletic build customers.
LikeLike
ulch. I know I’m late to this post but I just wanted to say that I’m an American, and yes of course I don’t like it when they make all the sizing even tinier and more confusing, they already ran small and it’s not only non-inclusive on the larger end it’s deflating to anyone that isn’t tiny – I’m glad tiny people have even more options but give the rest of us a bone man.That being addressed in the shallow end: I don’t think you can throw shade on Americans or anyone else for shunning brands that make changes that mean an overall drop in technical quality and raise in price to appease a non-technical crowd – this brand was well made and reliable and technically fantastic, I knew I could count on my gear to keep me dry and warm in all conditions. Changing THAT part is very very disappointing and no one should stay loyal to a brand that does THAT to them, that’s why other global brands aren’t losing customers, they are keeping the technical gear technical and reliable, it’s not because they are better at marketing a feeling…they are better at keeping us safe and dry.
LikeLike