The Arc’teryx Thorium SV is one of the burliest jackets within the Canadian brand’s collection. It’s one that combines lofty down insulation with zoned Gore-tex ePE water repellent panels, making for an every day insulator designed to help you see off light rain, wind and snow – the kind of stuff the Arc’teryx designers would be faced with in a winter in the Pacific Northwest. I’ve been using the Thorium SV as we creep into winter here in the UK, most notably on a chilly hiking trip in the Scottish Highlands. Here’s how I got on with it.
Features and Performance
The jacket has a durable and lofty feel to it. It’s filled with a good quality, ethically sourced down that has a decent fill power rating (750) and it features a box wall construction. Box wall jackets have baffles with inner and outer fabric layers with small walls between them, creating separate compartments that evenly hold the down filling. This design minimises cold spots and maximises insulation, making it highly effective for retaining warmth in cold conditions.
In the areas that tend to get the most exposure to moisture (shoulders, cuffs and hood), Arc’teryx have used their Coreloft insulation instead of down. Made from sheets of synthetic fibres, this insulation is durable and also able to provide warmth even when it’s wet. What’s more, the jacket also has zoned panels of Gore’s new ePE version of their Infinium fabric. This is lighter, thinner, and more environmentally friendly than Gore’s traditional PTFE-based fabric and it’s just as water resistant and breathable too. Again, this is used in the parts of the jacket that need the most protection from the elements.
In my first month of using this jacket, I found that the Infinium fabric did repel light to medium heavy rain really well and it totally blocked out the wind. The shell fabric’s threshold did start to dwindle over time though. That’s the downside to the new ePE fabric and its PFC-free treatments. It needs more regular maintenance to prevent it from getting saturated too quickly. Fortunately that can be done easily enough at home using Nikwax.
Pros: very warm, high-spec materials, technical details
Cons: heavy, bulky, cut is quite boxy and hem is a bit short
I was impressed by the durable feel of the Thorium SV. It’s not one of those down jackets that feels like it’s going to be torn by the first branch it comes into contact with – or the first terrier’s claw (that tends to be what I normally need to guard against!)
The hood and collar are well insulated. There’s only one adjustment tab (at the back of the head) but I did find that the hood held reliably and moved with my head. It’s not designed with helmet compatibility. The handwarmer pockets have a very soft and comfortable microfleece lining in them. I found them to be accessible, though a touch restricted, while wearing a backpack.