Arc'teryx Procline Review

As a softshell jacket, the Procline excels with its comfort and breathability, highly valued characteristics during high-output activities like bump skiing, inbounds hiking, and backcountry ski touring.

Performance Comparison

Warmth

Warmth is not the Procline's strong suit. It is made from a relatively thin softshell fabric that blocks most of the wind but still allows the strongest breezes through. The material has very little insulation value, so if you want to be warm, you'll have to layer underneath. On the coldest winter days, this jacket isn't enough to keep you warm and happy, but during sunny weather or spring days on the ski hill, this jacket is perfect. It's also a good choice for ski touring in good weather.

Weather Resistance

The Procline uses the relatively new Gore-Tex Infinium softshell fabric, which is wind and water-resistant but not waterproof. While we generally look for waterproof characteristics in our ski jackets, we don't need a waterproof hardshell every day of the season. A softshell jacket offers plenty of weather resistance for sunny or overcast days and even days with light snow. But if the storm turns warm and wet, this jacket won't be enough to fend off the elements. It has a powder skirt, drawcord-adjustable hem, and velcro wrist cuffs, as well as a full-coverage hood, but it lacks a waterproof shell and waterproof zippers.

Comfort and Fit

While softshell jackets lack weather resistance, they excel in comfort. The Gore-Tex Infinium fabric is light and stretchy, allowing for a more comfortable range of motion than hardshell jackets. The fabric is soft to the touch and doesn't sound “loud,” like more plasticky hardshell jackets. This jacket is easy to wear all day long. The fit is well-tailored but roomy enough to layer underneath.

Ventilation

The Arc'teryx Procline features two long, zippered armpit vents that open completely to the jacket's interior. The vent zipper pull tabs are easy to grasp with a gloved hand, making dumping heat easy. The jacket material is very breathable, allowing for serious comfort when boot packing or ski touring. This jacket is among the most breathable ski shells we have tested, and if you are looking for a well-ventilated jacket for aerobic skiing in good weather, this jacket fits the bill.

Style

Arc'teryx is known for its sleek, understated, yet tailored style, and the Procline is no different. It is well-contoured to the body's curves, which creates a custom, high-end look, and the color options are classy and understated. The jacket looks good from the ski slopes to the après bar to the office elevator.

Features

Even if it isn't storming on the ski hill, we still need places to stash our gloves, wallet, keys, snacks, and ski pass. The Procline doesn't skimp on useful features. It comes with two large external hand pockets that aren't blocked by a backpack waist strap, as well as a roomy external chest pocket and a ski pass pocket on the left sleeve. On the inside, it has two mesh stash pockets for skins or goggles and one internal zippered mesh pocket that is useful for storing personal items like phones, credit cards, and keys. The jacket also comes with a powder skirt, though we don't reach for this jacket when it's dumping outside.

Should You Buy the Procline Jacket?

The Arc'teryx Procline softshell jacket delivers excellent breathability, all-day comfort, and tons of ski-specific features in a stylish package. It doesn't provide much warmth or weather resistance and is best used in good weather by users who know how to keep themselves warm by layering. For backcountry skiers and aerobic downhill skiers, this jacket is a great choice for a softshell, but a hardshell jacket is preferable for everyone else.

What Other Ski Jackets Should You Consider?

Lacking warmth and weather resistance, the Procline is a specialty piece and won't be anyone's go-to ski jacket for stormy winter weather. If you are a storm skier, the Arc'teryx Sabre AR Jacket is our choice for in-bounds skiing, and the Arc'teryx Rush is an award-winning option for backcountry skiers. Suppose you don't want to worry about the layering considerations that go hand-in-hand with a simple hardshell jacket. In that case, the Helly Hansen Alpha LifaLoft or Arc'teryx Macai are fully-insulated, fully-featured options at the top of our list.