FROM THE

Field

TRIED & TESTED: ARC'TERYX NUCLEI FL

Overview

Pros:

• Lightweight (325g)

• Easy to carry on a harness

• Extremely weather resistant

• Insulation doesn’t pack out

Cons:

• No double zipper/belay zip

Best for:

• Packable/rackable belay jacket

• Static belays in cold climates

From the desk crag bag of VL’s resident Gear and Coffee Nerd (yes, that’s what’s in his email signature), comes this highly requested field review segment. Sule’s passionate about demystifying the technology that underpins our favourite kit, all in the name of helping climbers spend their money on the best gear option for their goals –or on more food to keep dirtbags from dumpster diving dinner, we’re not judging!

One downside of being a gear nerd is that the hardest part of leaving for any trip is the challenge of picking which of my many bits of gear to bring - oh the agony of choice!

This is made slightly easier if there’s even a slim chance of the weather getting chilly, because that means Arc'teryx Nuclei FL is probably coming with me.

First off it’s important to state that this is through and through, a static piece. Meaning if you’re standing still or hanging in a harness then it’s guaranteed to keep you the perfect level of toasty while you’re stationary, that’s its bread and butter. However, if you’re planning on using it in an active context such as bouldering, hiking (or god forbid walking the dog), only to complain about getting heinously sweaty, then you’ve missed the mark on what this jacket is for.

When deciding on which jacket to pack on a trip or spending your hard-earned dollarydoos on, the first thing to consider is its main purpose. In this case, I’m looking at the best option to keep me warm on long belays in cold temperatures, and if this was on the Arc'teryx Nuclei FL’s job description, then its performance would make it a star employee. Honestly, it’s so good at its job that I’m unsure if the Arc'teryx designers realised just how good of a jacket they were making.

The Nuclei is a synthetic jacket made from a more durable type of synthetic fibre insulation, making it far less likely to pack out and lose its ability to loft after a few seasons of shoving it into the included compression sack. This is the main thing that sets this jacket apart from other pretenders. Personally, I’ve had many other synthetic jackets over the years (with different fibre constructions) that seemed great at first, but slowly transformed into a pancake of disappointment after being compressed, an unfortunately relatable sentiment for many cold climate climbers.

Synthetic jackets have an advantage in this context as they maintain warmth if it gets wet, which in my opinion is a nonissue in the case of the Nuclei FL considering this is the most water-resistant non-hardshell jacket I’ve ever worn. Seriously, this thing has no business being as water-resistant as it is –and that extends to its wind resistance too. I’ve worn it during multiple heavy downpours and never seen it wet out, even to the point that I stopped carrying a hardshell if I was taking my Nuclei with me. Its synthetic insulation also makes it a fairly warm layer. For reference, I’m usually quite content wearing my Nuclei over a sun hoodie and grid fleece during frigid, windy belays.

In terms of durability, it’s pretty damn good for something with a 10D ripstop face fabric. Obviously, you wouldn’t climb an offwidth in it, but after a few years of robust use, I'm yet to do any real damage. I’ve climbed a few offwidths with it clipped onto my harness and it’s seen a few prickly shrub battles in Tassie, and haven’t had a tear yet.

Shrubs aside, the place this jacket really shines is when it needs to be clipped onto a harness. This is the closest thing to a perfect midweight belay jacket I’ve ever owned. It packs small, doesn’t weigh much, keeps the weather out and doesn’t lose all its loft after you compress it. If you live somewhere where cold climbing is the norm, like Tassie, then you should probably own this jacket. I’ve owned it since before I was part of VL (yeap, bought it with my own golden doubloons!) and I'm sure I’ll own it long after. So there you have it, a near-perfect bit of gear that undoubtedly holds a place in my gear closet hall of fame.

Overall, I’d rate it 4.5 out of 5 blue offsets.

I’ve pipped it by .5 because it doesn’t have a double zipper for belaying. This may not bug everyone, but as my main belay jacket, it baffles me as to why they didn’t add one… but if by chance any Arc’teryx designers are reading this, I’d gladly bump you up to the full 5 bars in exchange for a double zipper!