Gear of the Week | Arc'teryx Rush Jacket

The Arc'teryx brand

Founded back in 1989 in North Vancouver (Canada), back then under the name "Rock Solid", Arc'teryx has developed into a trusted brand for mountaineers with high demands who value robustness and durability. A friend of mine still wears his father's 20-year-old jacket today, which still fulfils its purpose. In recent years in particular, Arc'teryx has made the leap into the world of fashion - the Archaeopteryx logo can be seen more and more often in cities.

The Arc'teryx Rush jacket

To keep it chronological, I'll start with my first impression. Over the years, I've owned quite a few hardshell jackets and assumed a certain basic weight and thickness for rain jackets. However, when I held the Rush jacket in my hand for the first time, I was immediately surprised by its light weight and the thinness of the fabric. The main material of the jacket is three-layer GORE-TEX PRO - GORE's flagship fabric for maximum robustness.

At 185 cm tall and 80 kg, I opted for a size L and am very happy with this choice. The fit of the jacket is slightly oversized so that a thin down jacket or mid-layer fits underneath.

A lightweight, robust and functional freeride jacket
.

Eric Jehart

Kappl, Tyrol

Pascal Schindler

The jacket has several pockets: One on the left upper arm for ski passes and one directly on the chest for your mobile phone or sun pencils. There are also two larger pockets on the sides of the chest. The zips are positioned so high that they are easily accessible even when the waist belt is fastened. There is also a small zip pocket inside the jacket - which I usually reserve for my car keys. The Velcro fasteners on the wrists are unusually effective, and the elasticated hem of the jacket feels high-quality and durable. The hood is touted as having a "storm hood" cut, which means it's big enough to wear a helmet underneath. There are ventilation slits under the arms, which can provide even better moisture exchange. In my opinion, there are no unnecessary bells and whistles - so the first impression is of high quality and functional design.

Practical test & criticism

What I do have to mention is the lack of a snow skirt. I don't miss it in combination with a bib. For touring, however, I sweat a lot more in the bib in the stomach area and therefore switch to normal ski trousers. Unfortunately, a fall is not always avoidable, which can definitely lead to a wet bum. For a jacket that is labelled as a freeride jacket, I would have expected this somehow. The accompanying Rush trousers are a bib, which makes the lack of an integrated snow guard in the jacket a little more understandable.

I am really happy with the jacket on my tours, it is light and breathable, but protects me in wind and rain and has therefore become my constant companion.

The jacket was provided to me by Arc'teryx. Here is the link to our partner Sport Conrad for Arc'teryx Gear.