Softshell Jacket—Arc’teryx Sigma AR vs Marmot Sharp Point

**TommyLA** · 11-02-2006, 10:27 PM

Hello all,

I plan to buy a softshell jacket soon. I have budget around $200. I am looking at:

1) Arc’teryx Sigma AR Jacket (Seagull) $173 at REI Outlet
http://www.rei.com/outlet/product/48...NS_CLOTHING_SA

2) Marmot Sharp Point Jacket (Indigo blue) $175 at Rockcreek
http://www.rockcreek.com/products/listing/item5784.asp

3) .... Are there any other choices at this price range?

Their prices, which are on sale now, are about the same. I wonder which one is a better. I heard that Arc’teryx has a very good name so I lean forward it. But I’m just afraid that it will get dirty easily since its color is Seagull, which light gray (it’s the only color that is on sale). I plan to wear this jacket when I go hiking and would like to be able to wear it around town during the rainy winter too (40-60 deg F).

By the way, I looked at Arc’teryx jacket product lines and get confused since they have so many jackets. What is the difference between Gamma jacket and Sigma jacket? I read through several threads here and found that many people talked about Arc'teryx Gamma SV or MX jackets a lot.... not many talk about Sigma.

I will be grateful for any comment. Thanks a lot.!!

**mitch buchannon** · 11-03-2006, 12:21 AM

**TommyLA** · 11-06-2006, 08:22 PM

I come to give an update. I ordered Arc'teryx Sigma AR jacket and just picked it up from a local REI store. The jacket looks great. It fits me well. Note that this Arc'teryx Sigma AR is made in China!! I found one flaw about this jacket. It has pit zips, which is a great feature, but there is no flap covering the pit zips inside the jacket. So the zips keep scratching my skin. At first I just ignored but it started to hurt after a while.

Compared to Marmot Sharp Point jacket (I tried it at the store), the Sharp Point jacket has flaps to cover the pit zips. The Sharp Point jacket also has adjustable VELCRO brand cuff. People keep praising Arc'teryx for its superb quality, even the guy at the store. But what I found when I looked at both jackets carefully was that Marmot Sharp Point jacket is better made than Arc'teryx Sigma AR. It's also more comfortable. Now I start to wonder whether I should return this Sigma AR jacket and get the Sharp Point jacket instead.

Anyway, I am not an expert....I just said from what I saw.

**dingbatoolpud** · 11-15-2006, 03:22 PM

I know I might be a little late for you, but for what it's worth I just went through the same dilemma.

I ended up getting the Marmot Sharp Point, but a special variant - the Military Version. http://tinyurl.com/w7tme

I bought the large from REI's online outlet a month ago, but it doesn't look like they still have them. For me, the military version was the way to go because of the pockets on the shoulders. I'm an avid photographer and I usually carry a backpack with my equipment, so having pockets that are accessible for a small hat when it's cold, lens filters, pen and paper, chuck my car keys in, sunglasses, chapstick, etc. is very nice...and they're not blocked by a chest strap or waist-belt harness. Side note: the shoulder pockets come with the soft part of the velcro on them so you can attach a patch to them...those pieces of velcro came off without a hitch (just carefully rip the threads with a pair of small scissors or a pocket knife) and the Schoeller fabric will wiggle itself back into place and you'll never see the needle holes.

I specifically didn't go with the Arc'teryx or Mountain Hardware equivalents because they felt relatively minimalistic - almost like there was nothing to it and I didn't feel I was getting my $180 worth. I also didn't like that Arc'teryx neglected velcro on the wrist cuffs.

If things get particularly nasty, I can easily layer a rain shell over the sharp point with no trouble. I only wish I'd bought it a year ago so I could have taken it on a trip through Colorado, Utah and Arizona last November...it was pretty windy some days and that's where the sharp point really does the business. I'm sure the Arc'teryx is similar in that regard, but I can only give you my experiences with the Marmot.

One final note of vanity - everyone who has seen this jacket wants to know where I got it...it is slimming and feels very good walking around with it. To size it, try them on in a store...they're sized exactly the same as the regular sharp points, but they can be bought for roughly $75 less than the normal price of a non-military sharp point.

Happy hunting.

-DBTP