Arc'teryx Atom Hoody Review

One of the best mid-layer jackets on the market, the Arc'teryx Atom Hoody insulates with the breathable, warm, and light Coreloft Compact insulation, which performs when wet. The trim fit makes it an excellent base layer or light mid-layer when things get cold. This streamlined jacket features two zippered hand pockets and an internal zippered chest pocket. Simple and functional, the Atom Hoody excels as a performance piece. The highly breathable material works great for athletic endeavors like winter runs, nordic skiing, and climbing when the temperatures drop below 20 degrees and we need a piece that would breathe and keep some warmth. As a standalone piece, this jacket lacks the warmth of some of the more robust insulated jackets we tested, but as an activewear mid-layer, it excels.

Performance Comparison

Warmth

The Atom Hoody uses a combination of 60 g/m2 of Coreloft Compact insulation and stretch fleece panels on the side to provide warmth. The side panels provide ventilation, which helps during active use but lacks heat retention. This low-profile layering piece is far from the warmest, though it still has a decent warmth-to-weight ratio.

The Atom Hoody features a single drawcord on the back of the hood and dual hem adjustment to tighten up the fit and help retain heat. The arms feature soft elastic cuffs that remain close to your wrist with movement and keep the wind out. Considering how light the jacket is, it does an impressive job of trapping heat. Though it has a slimmer fit, it has no problem covering your base-layers, and easily fits under a shell when the temps drop.

Comfort

Arc'teryx excels in terms of comfort with all its jackets. The Atom Hoody uses articulated elbows and gusseted underarms for additional mobility and comfort. The slim, athletic fit felt thinner in the torso without being constrictive and tight. The adjustable lowered hem sits below the waistline, and the long sleeves stay in place without riding up when moving the arms around, which helped with activities like climbing. The hood can be used with a helmet and has an adjustable bungee if you want to cinch it over a hat or bare head.

The jacket also features excellent mobility of the shoulders and neck, with and without the hood up. Many competing jackets tended to be tight and constrictive in the upper section impeding the range of movement. The performance stretch fleece side panels allows free movement without any constriction or limitations. The Dope Permeair 20D liner fabric feels great against the skin, significantly better than slippery nylons, and the tricot fleece-lined pockets provide an added luxurious touch.

Weather Resistance

Intended as an activewear piece, this jacket works well for cold, dry weather or paired with a shell during rain, snow, or high winds. There is a protective flap behind the zipper and flaps over the pockets to protect from wind and rain. The hood cinches well over your face and has a stiffened brim to give some shape. The breathable fabric and side panels do well with normal winds, but you feel the chill of the stronger gusts and will need an outer layer to stay warm.

The DWR treatment effectively causes water to bead up and shed off without being absorbed into the fabric, when fresh. The coating so easily repelled liquid during our tests that it garnered comments. “You poured water on me, and I got dry,” remarked one tester. Unfortunately, the jacket's DWR coating wears off over time and needs to be reapplied. The stretch fleece side panels also absorb water which means this is not the jacket you want for protection in serious storms. For true inclement weather, we suggest bringing along a rain jacket or your favorite hardshell jacket.

Portability

We weighed our size medium jacket at 12.70 ounces. While this is about three ounces heavier than the lightest option in this review, it is notably the lightest of the similar stretch active layers that we've tested, and it has a very lightweight feel.

This jacket lacks the ability to stuff into its own pocket, and doesn't come with a stuff sack like some of the others tested. However, it remains light enough to that tossing it into your favorite daypack or carrying it by hand is a non-issue.

Breathability

The Atom's hybrid design pairs compact insulation with stretch fleece panels to create one of the most breathable mid-layer jackets on the market. The air-permeable exterior helps with breathability as well, and our testers loved using this jacket for various activities.

We tested this jacket at altitude during a Colorado winter when temps barely reached the 30s. At these temps, we wore it as a single outer layer in dry weather while running, hiking, and nordic skiing, activities that induce sweating. The jacket regulated our heat amazingly well and rarely felt too hot or too cold. We were able to keep the jacket on and just crack the zipper a bit to prevent overheating. The outstanding breathability made this jacket noteworthy to all of our testers.

Should You Buy the Arc'teryx Atom Hoody?

The Arc'teryx Atom Hoody hits the summit as one of the best choices for high-octane activities in cold weather — running, skinning, nordic skiing, or hiking — or even for less high-paced endeavors like strolling around town. We don't recommend this jacket as your only insulated layer; we would only consider buying it after we already had a thicker and warmer jacket for general day-to-day cold weather living. With that base covered, adding in this lighter-weight choice for milder weather adventures and during workouts is certainly worthwhile. Comfortable, with great versatility, and a dream-like fit, it became one of our go-to insulated layers.

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