Arc'teryx Cerium SL Review

More Louis Vuitton than Yvon Chouinard the square shouldered, low volume athletic fit of the Cerium SL will look stylish on you even if your physique is more Peter Griffin than Ueli Steck. Equipped with well intentioned features, such as Coreloft synthetic insulation in areas prone to getting wet, and pared down to an impressive 6.5 oz. the Cerium SL is at first glance a well put together performance piece. However, while being tested the Cerium SL begin to reveal some flaws. Nothing critical if you're not wearing it to climb or ski, but some unnecessary and compromising deficiencies if you are.

Performance Comparison

Warmth

The Cerium SL is impressively warm given its weight and sewn through construction. The Arc'treyx proprietorial Thisela fabric while not breathable is a great windbreaker and retains warmth well. Arc'teryx advises that the Cerium SL is best used in cold dry environments. We tested this Jacket in Antartica-the coldest, driest place on earth-and found this recommendation to be more an admonition than a suggestion. All of our testers reported heavy to moderate moisture build-up while engaging in any activity more vigorous than a casual walk, a very dangerous condition in the backcountry. Overall, this jacket is remarkably warm for its weight and compressibility, but the need to stay dry takes precedence in the mountains.

Weight

The Cerium SL floats away from the competition in the weight department. At a mere 6.5 oz. it weighs less than a cup of water, meaning that you could carry 5 of these jackets and it would still be less than a full liter Nalgene in your pack. The Thisela 7 Denier nylon is incredibly fine and fragile, sacrificing durability for ounces in pursuit of being one the lightest jackets on the market. We've made several repairs to this jacket during the course of testing from rips accrued from normal wear.

Water Resistance

The Cerium SL sheds water well enough that you won't feel compelled to throw another jacket on if you encounter a little rain. For anything more persistent or heavy you'll want to keep this jacket dry. The 850 fill down and Thisela fabric doesn't dry quickly, and the Coreloft synthetic insulation in the sleeves, collar, shoulders and underarms stays wet for much longer and keeps the surrounding down damp.

Compressibility

Though philosophically opposed to creating little bricks of clothing with manufacturer provided stuff sacks the Cerium SL got surprisingly small when we used the one that comes in its pocket. If you choose not to pack your bag like a crazy person, i.e. you are of the "more mortar, less bricks' persuasion, you'll find the Cerium SL disappears quite handily into any small (explicitly non-external) space your pack provides.

Style

This jacket is so stylish it should come with a hair gel dispenser. Whether you're going for the immaculately disheveled but still rocking a 300 dollar jacket at the crag look or groomed for a trip to the office the Cerium SL is the jacket to be in if you want to look good doing it.

Durability

This jacket is a testament to how hard it must be to manufacture a jacket that is simultaneously ultra-light and durable. How durable is durable enough depends on what you are doing. The jacket might endure a day at the mall better than the average climber, but for half of its recommended uses: rock, alpine and ice climbing the jacket is simply not durable enough. The jacket accrued several tears from normal wear and one major tear from brushing against the teeth of an ice screw that resulted in an experience analogous to having a pigeon explode in your hands.

Features

The Cerium SL could almost be forgiven for not having a hood if the low profile collar didn't leave such a large gap. The low profile collar requires either another layer with a hood or a neck gaiter to stay warm when climbing in cold or windy weather. The torso length of the jacket is fairly short and the the pockets relatively low, meaning that when worn with a harness it won't stay under it and when it does you can't access the pockets. The clever addition of Coreloft in areas that are susceptible to getting wet, and for that matter torn, is brilliant save that it doesn't dry at the same rate as the down and keeps surrounding down wet.

Best Applications

While not well suited for the mountains the Cerium SL is not without its place in the world. It would be best used as a commuter jacket, or for days around town in colder weather. Wear this jacket for it's form rather than its function and you'll be eminently happy with it.

Value

Depending on how you use it the Cerium SL is either a great or not so great investment. If you are looking for a jacket to wear around town that can be stuffed away in a computer bag and brought out when it gets chilly then this jacket is great. If you are a climber you might look elsewhere before settling on the Cerium SL.

Conclusion