If the zipper is anything like the venta sv then the person at arcteryx is not 100% right on this. The zipper is plastic and very very easy to zip up and down. At least the one off the venta sv was, and it was not watertight at all. I guess I will see, the jacket just shipped. for 450 bucks the whole thing better be waterproof.

actually i just took a quick look at the pics people posted and the zipper looks identicle to the the venta sv. This is very strange, kind of scares me. Maybe i am missing something though.

Thanks guys. So I got the medium and its just too small. I have a personal thing with clothes/jackets that are tight around the armpit area. Cant stand when it rides up or when I have to adjust my shirt to fit inside. I returned it and got the large instead and although it has a loose fit, I really like it much better. I guess its personal opinion on this one but I am sticking with a large. Thanks

im 5"10 and 175 im guessing medium?

I see. During summer, hopefully everything goes on sale more and I will pickup a fission sv or mako jacket. For now I will rock this SL as in a month its going to be perfect in 40-45 degrees.

I saw on in REI store it was Canada. The one I got off this site says China. Also on the left arm mine only says "Goretex" where the pictures off arcteryxt.com and also the jacket I saw said Goretex paclight shell. Anyone else?

Its jus a shell. You will freeze to death in 15 degree weather if you plan to only have this jacket on.

I wore this jacket in 20-30 degree weather and 30-38 degree weather with wind both days. I only had a t-shirt under and in the 30's its perfect for me. In the low 20's you need to layer with a little fleace.

Just got it. It is a keeper. Most comfortable soft shell I have tried on. Pretty much an awesome jacket.

The fabric of this jacket is like a garbage bag with a thin paper bag on the inside. Its THIN and LOUD and offers no warmth.

@Brandon
Do you know if the hood is made of gore text on sv?
If this jacket did not have the DWR on it, would it just wet right through? I ask because that DWR does not last a long time and I want to make sure this fabric is actually somewhat waterproof. Maybe you can provide a real likfe example of a rainy/wet snow type of day and how this jacket would perform vs like neoshell or dry q or even gore tex.

What is the difference between gore tape and arcteryxt tape? Im assuming one is water resistant and the other is just to keep extra wind from coming thru?

Paul, I got the Venta SV btw and like it much better than any other soft shell I tried on. Wish it was waterproof though. My gut feeling is even in a rain or a snow I will be fine in it.

What is the difference between gore tape and arcteryxt tape? Im assuming one is water resistant and the other is just to keep extra wind from coming thru?

Paul, I got the Venta SV btw and like it much better than any other soft shell I tried on. Wish it was waterproof though. My gut feeling is even in a rain or a snow I will be fine in it.

What is the difference between gore tape and arcteryxt tape? Im assuming one is water resistant and the other is just to keep extra wind from coming thru?

Paul, I got the Venta SV btw and like it much better than any other soft shell I tried on. Wish it was waterproof though. My gut feeling is even in a rain or a snow I will be fine in it.

So since these jackets are not waterproof, they are used as just wind breakers right?

@Paul U

So I got the Venta SV , returned the Zion. As far as the feel, and comfort, this is a much more thought out jacket. The hood, although pretty big can be adjusted to fit your head which is pretty cool. I like the outer fabric a lot more than any softshell and same goes for the fleece. Now for the zippers!!!!! They are plastic dude. No wonder they are so easy to open and close. I almost get a feeling that they are really cheap but that just cannot be the case. This is Arcteryx after all. I tested this jacket in some wind and did not feel any cold air which is great.

My last question is about the waterproofabiliy of this jacket. I know the zion is completely waterproof. Is the Venta sv ONLY waterproof because teh DWR coating? Will the winstopper fabric itself not soak in the water or will it? Thats my only concern.

Hey guys I have a question? Why is it good for the Venta SV/MX to have taped seems when the material is not waterproof? Its still going to get drenched with water correct?

So are you saying this jacket could actually be some what water proof but because Gore doesnt allow this for windstopper it is not?

So are you saying this jacket could actually be some what water proof but because Gore doesnt allow this for windstopper it is not?

How does this compare with the venta SV? Is it warmer? Is it waterproof?

Its not a lie. I tested this jacket. Putting it under water like in the video above is pointless and really doesnt simulate rain at all. I took this thing into the shower and it IT LEAKED like no other. The seams and pockets leaked completely. The pressure from the shower is what makes this non-waterproof. Also the fact that it has NO insulation really defeats its purpose. What is the point of layering and using this as a shell? Why not just an eVENT or Gore-Text Shell? Those will actually protect you from the elements.

You say a softshell is not supposed to be warm? The Mountain hardwar Kepler (dry q elite), marmot Zion (neoshell) and arcteryx venta SV are all WARM and are all SOFT SHELLS. So you saying soft shells are not supposed to be warm is a lie! I think cheap softshells are not supposed to be warm and thats exactly what the kishtwar is!!! For those that dont believe me, buy it and buy any of the other 3 I mention and tell me that I am wrong. 100 dollars more gets you a great versatile jacket as compared to a north face shell that does nothing well. Really all north face did here was use polartec's material with absolutely NO innovation on their own. Also I want to mention that the seams inside the jacket are very rough and exposed. I mean this was a very upsetting product and I cant believe they charge this much money for it.

Seriously, that kishtwar jacket is really junk. They say it breathes well, and I agree!!! There is nothing to that jacket except a sub par VERY thin shell so of course it will breathe. In colder weather, you will freeze to death with it. Now the other thing, it LEAKS water through all the zippers and seams making it extremely pointless to wear. The Zion is awesome. Its warm, and totally windproof and waterproof. I put my whole entire sleeve in a sink full of water for 45 seconds and it did not leak through. Thats waterproof for you. Also, you do not sweat in it even though it has a fleace lining. The neoshell technology really works man!!!

Tried out the neoshell finally. Normally I would sweat and this kept me seriously dry. Pretty awesome. No heat build up at all!!! Fits awesome but the sleeves are a tad long. no biggy!

Tried out the neoshell finally. Normally I would sweat and this kept me seriously dry. Pretty awesome. No heat build up at all!!! Fits awesome but the sleeves are a tad long. no biggy!

Do you know if the Venta MX is better than the Venta SV? its 50 bucks more, wonder why? I am really spinning my wheels here because Arc'teryx is awesome...just think its kind of high priced for what other brands offer you know? I will think about it a couple more days, so far I have been wearing the marmot and it feels great.

I just got this jacket and retuned it. It has ZERO insulation. I have no idea what they charge that much money for. I got the Marmot Zion and that is worth every penny. Insulated, 100% waterproof, taped seams and pockets. Just better qaulity overall. This North face felt like junk in my opinion. Someone said its for climbing and to have something thing...well I might as well use my t-shirt to climb because this jacket doesnt do anything as far as protection from the elements.