Arc'teryx Sabre SV 2015

Picked up this shell in the Nautilus colorway in January '15. Now through about 1 season of use I am very satisfied. First, the style is awesome. Very clean lines, the yellow contrast points add just the amount of visual interest. The reason that I chose the Sabre over the Stingray or other Arc models was the fit. Unlike the Stingray and their other resort shells, the Sabre has a more relaxed fit. Its fit finds my happy medium of not being to slim to the point where movement is compromised, but not being so baggy that I get the "drowning in my jacket" feeling. Second, the material is great. I would have been willing to pay more for the Gore-Pro in the Rush but chose the sabre because it uses the most bomber face fabric in the whole jacket, which was key for me because I tend to run into things a lot. As a Gore-Tex shell, waterproofing was fine as expected, and breathability was OK as usual. The brushed tricot lining added a nice touch, although I did find that around the seams there was a scratchy texture which was slightly uncomfortable when wearing just a T-shirt underneath, which is uncommon given the Sabre's intended use. The Hood is awesome, works great over a helmet and, with some tweaking of the 4 cord lock adjustments, works just as well without a helmet. My only complaint would be that the pit zips are a little hard to get started, and if they had used the same Aquaguard zips as the front zip I think the problem would be fixed. Obviously this is an expensive shell, but considering Arc'teryx's exceptional quality and the fact that if it ever malfunctions they have one of the best warranties in the biz, I think it's worth the investment.

• Design
  Clean
  Busy
• Weight
  Light
  Heavy
• Durability
  Fragile
  Durable
• Style
  Uncool
  Cool
• Fit
  Tight
  Baggy
• Waterproofing
  Wet
  Dry
• Breathability
  Pourous
  Airtight
• Warmth
  Cold
  Warm