Overview
Spring 2021 Updates to Arc'teryx's Beta and Zeta lines:
- Zeta line: The entire Zeta line (Zeta FL, LT and AR) except the Zeta SL got discontinued.
- Beta line: Beta SL Hybrid and Beta FL got discontinued. Also, after taking it down 6 months ago, Arc'teryx finally decided to bring our beloved Beta LT back to life.
MSRP | 399 USD | 599 USD | 675 USD | 299 USD |
Breathability Packability Weather Resistance Durability Length Bagginess | ||||
Beta LT | Beta AR | Beta SV | Zeta SL | |
Weight | 395 grams (13.9 oz) | 460 grams (16 oz) | 495 grams (17.5 oz) | 310 grams (10.9 oz) |
Gore-Tex | N40d 3L GORE-TEX | N40d Most Rugged 3L GORE-TEX PRO N80d Most Rugged 3L GORE-TEX PRO | N80d Most Rugged 3L GORE-TEX PRO | N40r GORE-TEX PACLITE Plus |
Women's counter-parts | ||||
Cell | #Note: All face fabrics are DWR (durable water repellent) applied. DWR is a coating. It's basically sprayed on to the surface of these jackets as a finish. It stands for Durable Water Repellent - which means that water will be repelled under wet conditions instead of soaking into the fabric. DWR also decreases dry time. It's a good thing these jackets are coated in DWR, but pay attention to the fact that DWR is a coating - meaning that it will wear off over time. Which is why you might want to invest in a DWR spray such as this one for after treatment. As you see, there's a strong correlation between FP x FW and temperature ratings, but not more than, say, 80%. I explained why this happens here in this post of mine. | |||
Beta AR (see image). It's pretty much as versatile as a shell gets. Besides Proton LT, it's also my other top Arc'teryx piece.
As most of you already know, I've been publishing informational guides to all kinds of Arc'teryx pieces (see full post list at the bottom) for the last 3 years.
I thought a post around Arcteryx Beta vs Zeta would be helpful for most of you since I've recently published a lot of in-depth information about them.
Choosing the right Arc'teryx can be daunting. They're simply just way too complicated for most of us.
Let alone tens of different types of lines such as Alpha, Thorium, Beta etc., there are also two letter modifiers at the end of each line.
In Arc'teryx terminology, each line is devoted to different types of outdoor activities.
In our case, the Zeta line represents the hiking/trekking specific jackets, whereas the Beta line represents versatility focused jackets. You can see this in Arc'teryx's Naming Scheme Page here as well - for both "Beta" and "Zeta".
But there are also additional sub-models.
REI blog also published a great article about the comparison of Beta and Zeta jackets here: https://www.rei.com/blog/hike/comparing-arcteryx-beta-zeta-jackets
Full data set to Arc's entire shell line can be found here:
Colors indicate design intentions:
- Red: All-round, general purpose;
- Green: Hiking, backpacking, trekking;
- Blue: Snow sports,
- Grey: Climbing & alpine activities.
Bold are my top picks for each category. Also see my Arc'teryx Favorites post to read more about this.
| Breath-ability | Pack-ability | Weather Resistance | Durability | Length | Bagginess |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
7/10 | 7/10 | 5/10 | 4/10 | 6/10 | 7/10 | |
8/10 | 5/10 | 8/10 | 9/10 | 7/10 | 8/10 | |
8/10 | 3/10 | 10/10 | 10/10 | 10/10 | 10/10 | |
10/10 | 8/10 | 2/10 | 3/10 | 6/10 | 5/10 | |
10/10 | 5/10 | 3/10 | 7/10 | 7/10 | 6/10 | |
8/10 | 4/10 | 4/10 | 8/10 | 6/10 | 6/10 | |
3/10 | 8/10 | 5/10 | 3/10 | 8/10 | 7/10 | |
8/10 | 5/10 | 8/10 | 9/10 | 6/10 | 7/10 | |
8/10 | 3/10 | 7/10 | 8/10 | 6/10 | 3/10 | |
6/10 | 5/10 | 6/10 | 6/10 | 7/10 | 3/10 | |
8/10 | 3/10 | 9/10 | 9/10 | 10/10 | 6/10 | |
7/10 | 8/10 | 8/10 | 7/10 | 10/10 | 7/10 | |
7/10 | 7/10 | 8/10 | 7/10 | 9/10 | 8/10 | |
5/10 | 3/10 | 8/10 | 6/10 | 10/10 | 6/10 | |
9/10 | 5/10 | 8/10 | 8/10 | 7/10 | 8/10 | |
8/10 | 3/10 | 10/10 | 10/10 | 9/10 | 10/10 |
If you still can't decide, here's something that might be of help:
- JacketFinder Tool: https://arcteryx.com/us/en/shop/jacket-finder/
Rock solid Beta SV.
If you're planning to under layer these shells with relatively thick garments...
...then a baggier fit would be a better option for you.
Otherwise, a trimmer cut is likely to feel more comfortable than a baggier one.
I'll now mention some typical buyer profiles because it's highly likely that you're one of these guys.
Typical buyer profiles
- "I really don't need any really specific features. I want to stay active during the quite cold winters in my town: A lot of fat biking, outdoor climbing, hiking, skiing, snowboarding etc. I'm looking for a jacket I can easily use during all these."
Now if this is you...
Then I'd recommend the Beta AR to most of you.
Beta AR Men's:
Beta AR Women's:
If, on the other hand, you either (1) want something even more durable than the Beta AR, (2) will be hiking in quite severe weather or (3) want something baggier to maximize your under layering options, then Beta SV can be an amazing choice for you.
You can check out my Beta AR vs SV post if you'd like to read more about this.
Beta SV Men's:
Beta SV Women's:
- "I want to stay active during the quite cold winters in my town, will be doing various activities with my jacket, but at least 80% of the time during these activities I'll be hiking/trekking."
If this is you...
Then I would have recommended the Zeta AR to most of you, but it got discontinued by Arc'teryx in Spring 2021.
You might still be able to find it on other stores such as REI and Backcountry. But I mostly don't recommend getting a discontinued piece.
So, instead of the Zeta AR, I'd recommend you the Beta AR if this is you.
Last words on Zeta SL and Beta LT:
- I'd recommend the Zeta SL only to those who are looking for an emergency shell.
- Beta LT was once this amazing, solid jacket which I was recommending a lot to my readers here. It was a perfect lighter and more packable alternative to Beta AR. It was actually literally a light Beta AR with minimal sacrifices.
- But with the most recent revision, it got slammed. My advice is to consider getting it only if you're OK with getting a "cheap" Beta AR. On top of that, get ready to experience lots of durability problems in the zipper and outer face fabric - especially if you're not planning to be gentle to it.
I hope this post was helpful for you to learn more about the jacket(s) in your mind.
Feel free to ask me any questions or provide feedback and I'll be happy to respond in the comment section below.
Guide: Insulated & Shell Jackets
Start here:
Complete list:
Also see:
Thank you for reading!
Thank you for the article. It is very informative.
I need some advice. I need a packable rain jacket for mountain hiking to layer over my Atom sl as needed. I also need it for extreme wind in the Falklands (40-50 degrees).
I have been researching the Beta sl hybrid and Zeta lt. Can you please offer some advice?
Your charts are very helpful. Could you add a ranking for noise? I could use more information on quiet jackets are for someone who is hard of hearing. My understanding is that, for Goretex, C-knit is quietest, but Arc’Teryx has discontinued all C-knit products.
Note, Beta SL is still being produced (or being produced again?). Arc’Teryx recommended that as the most similar to the Zeta AR.