Arc’teryx Alpha Parka Review

The release of Alpha Parka once again revealed the reason why Arc'teryx as a brand is the Apple of the technical outerwear industry. The products they launch are so far beyond today's textile technology that their designs orient the direction of the evolution of jackets. 

Alpha Parka (Men's - Women's) is the warmest jacket Arc'teryx has ever manufactured. 

Its 296 grams of 800 FP down provides extreme warmth, and makes the Alpha Parka the loftiest Arc'teryx down jacket of all time, standing at 251,600 cubic inches (=296 x 800) of total fill. 

On top of that, this absolute unit of a parka is also reinforced with a whooping 90 gsm of Coreloft synthetic insulation, which is extraordinary when you look at the industry standards from this point of view. 

As if all these aren't enough, together with its cousin Alpha Lightweight Parka (Men's - Women's), Alpha Parka is also the only Gore-Tex down jackets Arc'teryx has ever manufactured. 

I know. Just shot after shot with no pause. Hard to believe how rich this jacket is in terms of performance and capability. 

Bring all these together and you get a jacket that almost looks and feels like it's from the future... and of course, a staggering price tag in return. 

Quick links: 

• https://arcteryx.com/us/en/shop/mens/alpha-parka 
• https://arcteryx.com/us/en/shop/womens/alpha-parka

No other jacket impresses me even nearly as much as the Alpha Parka (Men's - Women's). As long as it's dry and extremely cold out there, it can be counted on without any second thought. Not only is it the warmest Arc'teryx jacket of all time, it's also the only Gore-Tex Arc'teryx down jacket that Arc'teryx has ever manufactured. 

It also stuffs into itself and comes with a two way zipper to allow for more comfort and mechanical venting where needed, which makes it one of the most versatile jackets out there (hiking, mountaineering, ice climbing, walking around town, you name it). The only downside to this astonishing item is its staggering price.

Warmth

Arc'teryx Alpha Parka is the warmest jacket Arc'teryx has ever manufactured.

As if 296 grams of 800 FP down wasn't enough, this absolute unit of a parka is also reinforced with a generous 90 gsm of Coreloft synthetic insulation in moisture heavy areas. 

One of the important things in here is that you don't necessarily have to be exposed to extreme colds to need an extremely warm jacket. Let's take a look at the two most common scenarios when it comes to this. 

First of all, for whatever reason, every now and then, most of us tend to stay outside for long periods of time without moving. Not moving will always make you feel much colder as your body do not generate any heat as an output, and hence the jacket cannot heat you up. 

Another most common instance that extremely warm jackets can come beneficial is when you stay hungry for long periods of time. 

This can be because you might be on a diet and intermittent fasting, or you might be fasting for religious reasons, or maybe it's just what your daily schedule dictates. 

But if you must go out when your stomach is empty for longer than, say, 3-4 hours; it's almost certain that you're going to fell colder than you usually do if you're like most people. 

In terms of warmth, there really are no alternatives to Alpha Parka as of now. Cerium SV (Men's - Women's - read my review) is the closest you get, though like I said it's not an alternative and hence the warmth difference will be quite noticeable there. 

If we were to include parkas too, then the Therme SV Parka (Men's - read my review) would be the closest. But it's a parka and not a down jacket, so it's comparing apples to oranges. They're not the replacements of one another. 

Now with all that said, there also of course are (or at least can be) some downsides to this much of warmth. Obviously, overheating is the main risk in here. If you're like me and you tend to run much warmer than the average person, then you're likely to overheat in this jacket even when it's pretty cold. 

This is where the two way zipper steps in. Which brings me to my next point. 

Breathability

Equipping a jacket with pit zips and/or a two way zipper are the only ways to provide mechanical venting. 

Excluding the Atom line (Atom SL (read my review), Atom LT (Men's - Women's - read my review) and Atom AR (Men's - Women's - read my review)), which are equipped with mesh panels and not zips in the armpits, Arc'teryx never offers pit venting in their synthetic insulated or down jackets. 

This is a fact and other brands too position their catalogue similarly in this manner. 

Insulated & shell hybrids like Beta Insulated (Men's - Women's - read my review) and Macai (Men's) do not count. Because they're a shell jacket first and an insulated jacket second. 

It's Arc'teryx shells where you'll find a bunch of jackets with pit zips - although just like most of you I too am not 100% happy with the amount of Arc'teryx shells with pit zips and would like to see them more common. 

Two way zippers in insulated jackets also aren't that common, although certainly more so than the pit zips. 

It's great to finally see Arc'teryx heading towards the use of two way zippers. In addition to our Alpha Parka, the new Thorium Jacket (Men's - Women's - read my review) and Thorium Parka (Men's - Women's) (these are NOT Thorium AR (Women's - read my review), by the way) also feature a two way zipper. 

A two way zipper primarily makes it possible for you to vent out some of the heat you don't need. 

But it's not limited to that. There are two side benefits you get with it: 

1. Two way zippers can make it a lot more easier for you to access the area around harness and hardware during most outdoor activities. 
2. It also allows for increased comfort when sitting down, as it won't bunch up if you only keep the upper half zipped. 

The biggest downside of a two way zipper is that it's more difficult to work zip and unzip than the regular one way zippers. Especially with thick gloves. Other downside is that it tends to break down a bit easier, though the user also plays a role in here. 

Anyways, let's get back to breathability. 

The membrane itself, 2L Gore-Tex, is also pretty breathable, but mechanical venting will always account for the overwhelming majority of the total breathability of a jacket, no matter what. 

So that's the primary point in here. Always look at mechanical venting first when trying to comprehend the potential breathability of a jacket. 

Weather and Abrasion Resistance

It isn't ordinary for synthetic insulated jackets or down jackets to supply a Gore-Tex membrane. 

We did see Arc'teryx manufacturing synthetic insulated Gore-Tex jackets in the past, such as the discontinued (and still being deeply missed) Fission SV (read my review) and Kappa jackets. 

But for down jackets, this is the first time in history where Arc'teryx puts a Gore-Tex on a down jacket. 

Hood, chest, shoulders, sleeves, and rear hem and equipped with Hadron 2L Gore-Tex Infinium. All the other locations are equipped with N30r 2L Gore-Tex Infinium. 

If you're unaware, two-layer (2L) Gore-Tex fabric is made up of two layers - an outer layer that is typically made of a durable, abrasion-resistant material, and an inner layer that is coated with the Gore-Tex waterproof membrane. 

Gore-Tex face fabric is another item that adds a lot to the versatility to the Alpha Parka. With the help of its Gore-Tex membrane, the Alpha Parka will hold up against precipitation much more than other down jackets. 

But, at the end of the day, Alpha Parka is still a down jacket and will start soaking after, say, 0.5 - 1 hr under, say, average drizzle. 

Momentary contact with the snow or water isn't going to be a problem at all though. The Gore-Tex outer fabric will be more than enough to combat this. On top of that, jacket is also coated with DWR and will bead water perfectly. 

Pockets

2 hand warmer, 1 external chest and 2 internal drop in pockets offer plenty of storage. Probably even more than you'll need because the internal pockets are enormous. 

Fit

Does this jacket really fit larger? 

Well, yes, but that's limited to the torso. It does fit true to size in the arms and shoulders. 

This alone should be enough to discourage you from sizing down, because you risk the jacket to come narrow in the arms and shoulders in that case, which would be a deal breaker. 

I'll take a jacket that fits large in the torso over the one that fits small in the arms and shoulders everyday. 

But, in addition to this, another factor you should also consider is layering and warmth. As you can also see in this article where the working principles of down jackets are explained, air makes up as an amazing insulator. And in case you would like to layer this jacket, the added warmth you'll end up getting will be much more than a more slim jacket. 

Alpha Parka is like a base layer, a mid layer and a shell all put together in one piece. Still, depending on your personal needs and desires, you might want to layer it. 

• Fit

I'm 5'11", 165 lbs, athletic build. Size M fits me perfectly. 

My size is always the same. Arc'teryx, Patagonia, TNF, Salomon, Columbia, Nike, Adidas, Under Armour, Zara... Doesn't matter. 

• Arc'teryx's 2024 men's fit revision

Straight from arcteryx.com on what's changed: 

Source: https://arcteryx.com/us/en/help/sizing/mens/tops/new

Not all jackets come with revised fit. Only the ones with following statement. 

• Poll

Which Arc'teryx fit do you prefer?

Legacy fit

Revised fit

• Poll

Which cuff type do you like more?

Stretch gusset cuffs

Stretch knit cuffs

Best uses

Alpha Parka is marketed as a climbing jacket. But you can absolutely use it just about for anything - hiking, climbing, walking around town (casual use), etc. People even use it for skiing (speaking of which, if you're interested in Arc'teryx ski jackets, read this article). 

As long as nothing more than a little protection against precipitation is expected, I really can't think of any scenario where the Alpha Parka wouldn't be ideal. 

Conclusion

If you can afford it, I can recommend the Arc'teryx Alpha Parka my eyes closed. It's a breathtaking down jacket you'll appreciate having over and over again. 

Quick links: 

• https://arcteryx.com/us/en/shop/mens/alpha-parka 
• https://arcteryx.com/us/en/shop/womens/alpha-parka