Zeta LT Jacket – Performance

The ‘LT’ in Zeta LT is short for ‘lightweight’ and at 290g for a medium, the jacket is decently light and packable, albeit not quite as minimal as something like the Rab Flashpoint – it weighs roughly the same as the Alpkit Balance.

Everyone who tried the jacket loved the cut. It’s neat, tailored to fit a feminine body shape with no riding up over the hips on the move, and all-round flattering. Definitely not a crudely-modified men’s jacket. It looks good on the hill, but not out of place in town either, which is a bit of a bonus.

‘The hood, however, was spot on, no bagging, no vision issues, no fear of it blowing off.  With the jacket main zip done up completely the neck gave good cover, and all was well.  A great simple hood.’

Opinions were more divided on the hood. Alison loved the one-pull, single-adjuster simplicity, easy fit and decent peripheral vision – ‘a little bit in a class of its own,’ she said.

Other testers with different, er, ‘head configuration’ found the shock-cord adjuster sat right over their ears giving an uncomfortable, noisy experience. All we can suggest is that you try carefully before buying. If it suits you though, the hood is a cracker.

The other area of debate was over the inverted pocket zips. They open from top to bottom, which is the opposite of the norm and took some getting used to as a result. It’s not so much that things fall out, more that you just end up pulling them the wrong way at first.

Also, for some users, the bottom of the zip opening sat under a rucksack waist belt, which meant the pockets were hard to use with a pack on. It all depends on the fit of the jacket to your torso though, so again it’s something worth checking if you’re going to buy a Zeta LT.

Otherwise, the jacket was flawless. It’s light without feeling flimsy, packs away neatly into the side or lid pocket of a pack and happily keeps wind and rain at bay. It’s not designed for helmet use, but  Arc’teryx has other jackets for mountaineering.

Women’s Zeta LT – Verdict

Put the scary price-tag to one side and the Zeta LT gives brilliant, Gucci-style lightweight weather protection for hill and mountain walkers and hikers, without looking like it’s escaped from Everest Base Camp.

The Gore-Tex C-KNIT fabric doesn’t have the snap, crackle and pop sound-effects of its mountaineering equivalents, making for a quieter day out. And the immaculate construction will appeal to perfectionists everywhere.

That said, it’s not quite perfect. The hood is excellent unless it interferes with your ears and the upside-down pocket-zips weren’t to everyone’s taste. For that reason, we’d definitely suggest you try before buying.

Finally, the Gucci-style outdoors experience also comes with a not inconsiderable price-tag of £330. No-one’s going to argue that’s cheap for what’s essentially a waterproof cagoule on steroids, but in terms of quality, there’s not much out there that’ll match it.

More Information

See arcteryx.com