Customer Reviews Arc'teryx Thorium AR Hoodie

I love Arcteryx products. I own many of the company's products. I can't give this jacket a top score because there is too much down stuck to my fleece. I only wear it for skiing mid-layer and each time I used it as a mid layer there is a noticeable amount of down on my fleece. All other aspects of the jacket are great.

I love Arcteryx products. I own many of the company's products. I can't give this jacket a top score because there is too much down stuck to my fleece. I only wear it for skiing mid-layer and each time I used it as a mid layer there is a noticeable amount of down on my fleece. All other aspects of the jacket are great.

This is either a great piece or a mediocre piece depending on your needs. As a versatile piece that is lightweight and packable - something to layer with, either under or over, and which can be stuffed into your pack - it excels. One must understand though that this piece, just like the substantially warmer and puffier Thorium SV, makes compromises in the names of lightweight and packability. Those compromises include a lack of membrane or heavy face fabric - meaning the jacket is neither windproof nor tough; a lack of fully-adjustable hood or Velcro cuffs, meaning you cannot totally seal out the weather; and a lack of pockets, having only the two hand-warmer pockets with no chest pocket for keys or cell phone (keys almost feel like they will rip the inside of the hand pockets - so a lined, inner chest pocket would be nice) and no mesh dump pockets for gloves or other wet/bulky items. Consequently, this is not the best piece to choose for your daily winter wear, as a more fully-featured and weatherproof shell will do you better. If you encounter high wind or driving snow you will have some issues with the cuffs and the zipper, which really is a poor design in that the baffle is too small and does not keep wind from coming through. Arcteryx, I hope you take note - this and the Thorium SV both need bigger baffles with more insulation to prevent wind seeping in, and, even independent of wind, cold spots from forming due to lack of insulation. Both these things can noticeably compromise the warmth of these pieces, especially in harsh, windy conditions. The Firebee and Ceres, for example, have much more substantial baffles behind the zipper. A waterproof zipper may or may not be necessary in addition to the bigger baffle - I am guessing not if you do a good job. Another gripe: the stitching on the pockets lets in cold air when the weight of your hands stresses them. That is just sloppy - hand-warmer pockets that don't keep your hands warm. Maybe they need to be seam taped? Or use a different stitch or thread? I don't know, but I'm sure you can come up with a solution. So, if you wear this piece in windy (and especially windy and snowy) conditions for more than a short time you will not be happy. Even the face fabric itself, while wind-resistant enough for mild to moderate conditions, will start to allow some airflow and compromise your warmth. Similarly, it is not appropriate wear for a snowmobile. While it is not fragile, and fine for walking around in or stuffing in and out of your pack, it is also not a piece durable enough to use for bushwhacking or carrying firewood or equipment. Even though it is not that warm or durable in absolute terms, it is actually very warm and durable for its weight, and this is where it shines: as a technical layering piece. If you want to pair this with an under-layer to absorb some of that cold wind that might seep in, and/or pair it with a large wind shirt or hard-shell to go over top, you have a really excellent system that is lightweight, packable, and versatile. A fully-featured jacket, by contrast, would be unnecessary when combined with a shell; just adding weight, bulk, and cost. A down sweater, so to speak, with no pockets, would be less versatile (and typically such pieces are also less warm, designed solely as mid-layers and made with less down). It also performs well on its own, or with a sweater underneath, in milder weather, and could be a good around-town option for someone who is not out all day, doesn't live in a place with harsh winters, or really values lightness and lack of bulk. The Thorium AR is so light you barely know it's there - a nice reprieve from those bulky winter jackets that you can never seem to find a place for when sitting in a restaurant or riding in a taxi. Bear in mind though that the lack of membrane means you must be conscientious of moisture. This jacket is not so warm that it can be only be worn below freezing, and so you may encounter rain, or at least freezing rain, sleet, or melting snow, when you have it on. A shell is therefore a good idea for backcountry use. In the same vein of versatility, the cut is also a pro or con, depending your view, in that is almost between sizes. It leaves just enough room to comfortably fit a layer or two underneath, and so when worn alone feels slightly too large, which makes it a little less warm and cozy. It is overall still relatively svelte though, so it can comfortably fit under a shell or larger parka, as long as it is not cut too slim. In other words, it's made to be both a mid-layer and outer-layer, and it does that well, but at the cost of fit when worn on its own or over just a light sweater. So not a piece to live or work in on the mountain, or wear in hard weather without a shell, but a good around-town piece for those who want something light and aren't standing around outside for long periods; a good belay jacket or puffy piece to come out during periods of inactivity; and a good technical layering piece to be paired with a mid-layer and hard-shell, or at least a wind shirt. All-in-all, it's very well done with the exception of the leaky zipper and pockets, which really should be addressed. Those oversights are not deal-breakers, in my opinion, but certainly hurt the case for this piece a little bit, especially if you plan on wearing it as a standalone. As far as temperature, I find I run about average for a man (the EN sleeping bag readings are generally accurate for me, for what that's worth). I am 6'1", 185lbs, medium, athletic build, and I find I can wear this piece comfortably (by itself, with low activity) down to 40F with mild wind. With heavy wind, that gets pushed up to 45F to 50F, and with absolutely no wind or humidity I could probably get by at 35F. That is just walking around with only a t-shirt underneath and mid-weight jeans on the bottom; no base-layers, no hat, no gloves, no warm boots or heavy duty socks. If I add a sweater underneath, throw on a hat and gloves, or add a wind shirt over top, I can push the temp down farther. Fully-equipped with a shell, mid-layer, base-layers, etc., I would imagine I could easily push down past 20F, and much lower if I were active. That is not around-town wear though, and, being down, this is also not the best piece for active use. Everyone is different though as far as temperature, so know your body. Know your environment, your layering systems, and your intended activities as well. Summary: Great layering piece for technical activities, mediocre standalone piece or outer-layer except for milder winter weather or those who value lightweight and packability over weatherproofness, ruggedness, or pockets. The composite down/synthetic mapping is a good idea and seems to work well - no complaints, and, using the same amount of down, makes for a warmer jacket (just more insulation overall), but it hasn't felt revolutionary or like a tremendous advantage in any way so far. If you like Arcteryx, as I do, and you need something more wind-resistant or moisture-resistant for a similar warmth, go with the Atom AR (just won't be as light or compressible). The kappa, which has a membrane, would be your next level up if you want to stay synthetic. If you want something substantially warmer, of a similar, lightweight design, step up to the Thorium SV. The Firebee would be even one more step up, more fully-featured, and suitable for harsher weather and precipitation given it has a membrane, a waterproof zipper, and a larger baffle - just a lot of $$$, and only usable in rather cold conditions.

I've had the Thorium AR hoody for a few weeks and love it. Fit is perfect, it's warm, wind resistant, and light weight, making it perfect for those chilly fall days where my Arcteryx Atom LT hoody is too light or those warmer winter days where my parka is too heavy. The jacket is also super compressible. In the left pocket, there's a little sack that you can stuff the jacket into - perfect for outdoor adventurers or minimalist travelers. My only complaint is with respect to the lack of features. The Thorium AR Hoody has only two pockets on either side of the body. Most other down jackets come with additional features, like pockets on the in or outside of the chest. Given the price, I would expect Arcteryx to incorporate a few more useful features into this jacket.

I've had the Thorium AR hoody for a few weeks and love it. Fit is perfect, it's warm, wind resistant, and light weight, making it perfect for those chilly fall days where my Arcteryx Atom LT hoody is too light or those warmer winter days where my parka is too heavy. The jacket is also super compressible. In the left pocket, there's a little sack that you can stuff the jacket into - perfect for outdoor adventurers or minimalist travelers. My only complaint is with respect to the lack of features. The Thorium AR Hoody has only two pockets on either side of the body. Most other down jackets come with additional features, like pockets on the in or outside of the chest. Given the price, I would expect Arcteryx to incorporate a few more useful features into this jacket.

Great jacket light and warm. I was surprise to see that it was made in China. I hope the quality is not compromised.

I have worn this jacket almost daily for the last 5 months in temperatures from +5C to -29C with variations of 2 to 4 merino wool layers underneath and my much loved Theta jacket on the coldest of days. What I love most is the comfort and weightless feeling of this jacket, you can easily achieve a full range of motion without restriction. What I hate most, and I know hate is a strong word but justified in this case and that is the lining on the inside of the hood and neck which feels like ICE touching your skin in temperatures below -5C. I learned very quickly not to get caught without a neck gator and lightweight beanie to create a barrier between my head/ears/neck and the fabric. Trust me, it is a shock when that fabric touches your bare skin on colder days! The cuffs are great on the days you don't need heavy gloves/mitts. I found it tricky to get a seal between glove and cuff. The cuffs are too bulky to tuck inside the top of the glove and too narrow to go over top of the glove. All my long sleeve merino base layers have thumbholes so it really wasn't a problem to keep my skin covered completely, more of a mild irritation. The fit is true to size. I have a medium in this jacket as well as the Theta which it fits under comfortably. I am 5'8 and 147lbs.

I've been wearing the Thorium AR for about a month now, and it's braved the (not particularly) chilly depths of UK winter. I wanted something that I can take on little climbing & hiking trips, but also wear around town. It's marketed as a midlayer down jacket, but I bought this primarily as an outer layer and I'm sure most people will use it likewise. It's warmer than something like the Rab Microlight or TNF Catalyst. The fit is the biggest selling point, and conversely it's only real flaw I can see. Fit's great around the body, no pinching under the arms or shoulders. I really like the high zip-up neck on this jacket, the Cerium is lower, and you can hunker down into this when it's particularly chilly. It's very windproof too, and stands up to the odd shower with water beading on the surface rather than wetting out instantly. The low-sheen of the fabric is great, I don't like down jackets that make you look like you're walking around in a brightly coloured bin-liner, so this was a selling point for the Thorium too. All around brilliant. Only minor issue I can see is one that a few other folks mentioned, the sleeve length. Arcteryx have made the sleeves 'just long enough' on the Thorium. I guess they'd say because it's a mid-layer, and maybe to save some weight #it's an incredibly light jacket), but I think just slightly longer sleeves and it would have been perfect. Of course, everyone is a different size and shape, I'm a 5 9" and 38" chest - size small is a very good fit on me. The down issue some are mentioning, well if you've owned a down jacket before you'll know that you get the odd feather popping through. It's minimal on my jacket so I don't see it as an issue. I hope Arcteryx will expand their down range and bring out something along the lines of the Rab Neutrino, I'd be first in the queue for one!

Bought this item and will likely need to return as it does not fit overly well, I'm 6'1" and 205lbs. The jacket could use a touch more length and it pinched me under the arm pits the XL was too big in the body so there was not a solution. I'm sure it'll fit guys with a smaller frame, so if you have similar specs to me then try on before purchasing.. jacket is great otherwise.

The Thorium has a fantastic fit and is a great value however the second I put my hands in the pockets I was terribly disappointed. It seems Arc'teryx simply recycled the face fabric to construct the palm side of the pocket linings which has a sticky water resistant coating. It feels like you are putting your hands into a rubbery waterproof stuff sack. If they had simply flipped the fabric around so the sticky side is against your clothes rather than your bare hands it would have been much better. Better still, make it like your other jackets and use a fleece backed fabric for the pocket lining and charge a bit more. This may seem picky, but this is a down puff jacket after all and when I'm wearing one I typically have my hands in the pockets more than 50% of the time. I had to return it and will wait for the next revision.

I bought this jacket last winter and am disappointed in the fit around the shoulders. I'm 5'11 but very skinny (125 lbs) and normally wear a women's S or M in jackets. I got the medium and the first thing I noticed was the shoulders being extremely bulky at the top (so instead of having a nice straight line down the arm, it had a bump on the shoulders) and tight in the arm hole. I wore it around for a few weeks thinking the down might just need some use to compress into a normal shape, but no luck, it stayed bulky in the shoulder. Everywhere else it fit perfectly and even loosely around my waist, no issues, so I think I may have gotten a defective one. Anyways the jacket has now been sitting unused in my closet since last winter because I couldn't return it but didn't want to throw away something I invested so much in. I'm very bummed about it, especially because I really liked the lightness and (otherwise) low bulk style.

Bought this last winter season and absolutely loved everything about it. It is very warm even in a t-shirt in 30 F degree weather, and the hood engulfs you so completely that you don't need any scarf. My biggest problem with it is that this winter season just started and the jacket is shedding feathers like crazy. I can see that it won't last very long before it's completely flat. I might have chosen something different if I knew this and it is extremely unfortunate for how much is costs. I saw it starting to shed a feather here and there the second time I wore it out last season, but now it really truly is shedding and leaving feathers on my clothes. I didn't even have it for very long.

Bought this last winter season and absolutely loved everything about it. It is very warm even in a t-shirt in 30 F degree weather, and the hood engulfs you so completely that you don't need any scarf. My biggest problem with it is that this winter season just started and the jacket is shedding feathers like crazy. I can see that it won't last very long before it's completely flat. I might have chosen something different if I knew this and it is extremely unfortunate for how much is costs. I saw it starting to shed a feather here and there the second time I wore it out last season, but now it really truly is shedding and leaving feathers on my clothes. I didn't even have it for very long.

No qualms about the ability of this jacket but the arm developed a rip after my first use. If it can't candle a journey to a university lecture then there's no hope for outdoor activities is there

Bought this about a month ago, fits a bit small, order a size up if you want to layer. Love the colour. However for the price, I would have expected a warmer coat. No way this will be okay in a Canadian winter.

I bought this because I wanted a slightly heavier, warmer down jacket to layer fleece under and use as a standalone piece in the dry cold where I live. The Cerium LT look good but didn't seem warm enough, and the Cerium SV looked a bit too bulky, so I thought this one would work out nicely given the features on the page. Well, after getting the jacket, the fit through the body is good but the fit through the arms is super puzzling. They are comically baggy. I get leaving room for layers, but I could feel the empty space instead of the nice plush feel of down loft against the arms. It felt and looked comical in a way that definitely wasn't apparent in the photographs. Maybe this jacket can work for most but I know I'm not the only one who is confused by the fit of the arms on this jacket. All this being said, I'm not particularly well-built, but almost everything else in Arcteryx fits me in a small. I ended up being very impressed with the Cerium SV over this jacket and would recommend it despite the significant price difference if you're looking for a heavier weight down jacket for max warmth.

I bought this because I wanted a slightly heavier, warmer down jacket to layer fleece under and use as a standalone piece in the dry cold where I live. The Cerium LT look good but didn't seem warm enough, and the Cerium SV looked a bit too bulky, so I thought this one would work out nicely given the features on the page. Well, after getting the jacket, the fit through the body is good but the fit through the arms is super puzzling. They are comically baggy. I get leaving room for layers, but I could feel the empty space instead of the nice plush feel of down loft against the arms. It felt and looked comical in a way that definitely wasn't apparent in the photographs. Maybe this jacket can work for most but I know I'm not the only one who is confused by the fit of the arms on this jacket. All this being said, I'm not particularly well-built, but almost everything else in Arcteryx fits me in a small. I ended up being very impressed with the Cerium SV over this jacket and would recommend it despite the significant price difference if you're looking for a heavier weight down jacket for max warmth.

Good conception, the outside garment seem quite resistant. Quite compact when packed but on the other hand I'm afraid it's not warm enough for its weight, may be there could be more down so that it's thicker and warmer (or I should choose another model, of course). My impression was that it doesn't inflate as much as on the photo. Dracaena color is great (as Arbour), I hope more product will be offered in these colors.

I love the color, I liked that it wasn't shiny, I liked that it was a stand alone jacket. Came in the mail today, extra small, it's huge on me. I'm just over 5'2 and 110lbs. Very sad I'll have to return it.

Overall, not as warm as I had hoped. You can tighten the hems on the bottom closed, but doing so creates a vacuum which puffs and pulls air in and out of the jacket as you walk around. I got a size large and the fit for me is fine. I'm 5'8" with ~41" chest. The side zip pockets are designed behind the down baffle. When the pockets are open, the cold rushes right in against your body. Wish they were fleece lined like the ATOM series pockets are. It's not gloom. The face fabric is very sturdy, and the hood fits better then the ATOM hoods do.

Overall, not as warm as I had hoped. You can tighten the hems on the bottom closed, but doing so creates a vacuum which puffs and pulls air in and out of the jacket as you walk around. I got a size large and the fit for me is fine. I'm 5'8" with ~41" chest. The side zip pockets are designed behind the down baffle. When the pockets are open, the cold rushes right in against your body. Wish they were fleece lined like the ATOM series pockets are. It's not gloom. The face fabric is very sturdy, and the hood fits better then the ATOM hoods do.

Ich habe viel Arc'teryx Produkte und zahle sehr gerne den hheren Preis. Bislang war ich von der Qualitt auch mehr als berzeugt aber dieses Mal ist das anders. Die Wrmeleistung ist wirklich sehr sehr gut und auch die Passform ist einfach top. Aber jedes mal, wenn ich diese Jacke trage, ist mein Oberteil berst mit kleinen Daunenfedern. Auerdem schauen aus den Nhten jede Menge Daunen raus. Klar knnte man sagen, dass dies bei jeder Daunenjacke passiert aber ich habe noch eine Daunenjacke einer anderen Marke und da passiert das leider nicht. Somit sollte das auch bei der Qualitt, die Arc'teryx anbieten mchte und auch preislich verlangt, nicht passieren.

Good looking garment, warm, excellent fit, but the feathers constantly get out. I dont know if because the seams are too big or is a fabric problem, but every time I wear it my under layer is covered with feathers. I own another jacket from a japanese brand and I dont have any problems with the feathers. Honestly I dont expect this kind of problems with a product that is not cheap. Another issue is the hood design when is windy if the zipper is not completly up, the back of your neck freezing.. I hope that review helps to make some improvements and soon we can see a new Thorium AR 2.0

It's a great jacket BUT, Big expectations, bigger disappointments, I didn't expect these kind of mistakes from such a hi caliber brand, even when it's your first down launch. From the I WANT MY MONEY BACK! to the niggles: 1. the main zipper, although acceptably robust, doesn't lock!!!! it actually opens up when you move, come on! 2. the flap behind the zipper gets caught in the zipper, there are simple solutions, all the companies put some attention there , don't tell me its because of weight issue. 3. the pockets, should have a little larger openings, also the zipper ends pretty high so when you put your hands in and relaxing, all the weight goes down on the zipper and instead of having fun you feel the zipper stuck in your hand. 4. bottom draw cord, no problem having only one, but, No "one hand pulling", you need to reach it from inside, AND the elastic cord is too thin and delicate, wont last a year, loose elasticity and will look like a road kill. and another thing, the cord only shrinks on the back, although looks good, hot air/cold winds escapes from the front. 5. too much down escapes from stitching 6. using tied strings as a zipper puller, uncool, this isn't the 70's 7. painted zipper finish looks cheap. 8. color differentiation on the synthetic areas are almost un-noticed, needs to be just a little bolder. you are supposed to be top shelf, please don't cut corners, stay uncompromising. if I would want to compromise I'd buy cheap. that's it for the moment, other than that, its awesome, amazing fit, great hood, maize color is awesome. thanks, lots of respect, I using it all the time. :)

As other reviewers have noted, this product is quite well-designed and very functional but with one critical flaw. What what I can see, smaller feathers are finding their way out of the pockets from the small holes of the stitching where the thread goes through. I've only owned this jacket for a day, and have already had to pick 10-15 feathers off my base layer. I'll see if this rate slows down over the next couple of days. If not, I'm going to return it.