As most of you already know, I've been sharing helpful guides to all kinds of Arc'teryx jackets for the last couple of years now (find full post list at the bottom). Recently I keep getting asked to make an Arc’teryx Beta FL Review, so here you go.
After taking it down 8 years ago, Arc'teryx finally decided to bring the once-loved Beta FL back to life in Jul 2020. As a big fan of Beta AR and SV (read my review), and a big "hater" on Beta SL-Hybrid (read my review), I was excited to review this new member of the line-up.
Summary
Arc'teryx's Beta line corresponds to general purpose shell jackets (source at arcteryx.com).
Among 4 Beta jackets (SL-Hybrid, FL, AR and SV), think of Beta AR as the most well-balanced, central pick; and the Beta FL as the packable version of it (with some sacrifices in weather resistance and durability).
If you're looking for a general purpose hardshell that packs small, look no further. Beta FL (Men's - Women's) is probably exactly what you're after.
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 Best Arc'teryx Jackets article 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 |
I've also put together an Arc'teryx spreadsheet recently. Might help you out:
FULL ratings, live prices, and tech specs; all in one place.
If, however, this is not what you're looking for, then stop reading any further and see my Best Arc'teryx Jackets post instead.
You might also want to check out my Arc'teryx Beta vs Zeta post to see my performance ratings for all Beta and Zeta jackets.
Beta FL Review: Packability 6/10
I gave the packability of Beta FL a 6 out of 10.
It's true that the Beta SL-Hybrid packs a bit smaller than the Beta FL. But it's inferior to Beta FL big time in other departments such as breathability, weather resistance and durability.
So, before you make up your mind, I'd strongly recommend you to give Jacket Finder tool at arcteryx.com a try.
Not to even mention that the Beta SL Hybrid leaks like a busted roof. So, until a future revision arrives to address this deal breaker problem, I wouldn't even consider it as a viable option.
Beta FL Review: Breathability 8/10
In my rating scale, 8/10 is a quite high score.
The reason for Arc'teryx to replace the Beta LT with Beta FL in the first place was because they aimed to upgrade the face fabric of Beta LT to the most rugged and breathable Gore-Tex.
Beta FL is equipped with N40d Most Rugged 3L GORE-TEX PRO in hood, yoke, sleeves and with N40d Most Breathable 3L GORE-TEX PRO in other areas.
This makes it highly breathable AND weather resistant at the same time.
This is actually why I love everything about Beta FL, AR and SV. They offer decent breathability AND weather protection at the same time.
This is something many (all?) other jackets struggle to do. It's a huge advantage if you'll be performing a variety of high output activities.
So, before you make up your mind, I'd strongly recommend you to give Jacket Finder tool at arcteryx.com a try.
Speaking of which...
Beta FL Review: Weather Protection 7/10
Beta FL is also pretty weather resistant, although not as much as Beta AR, as I mentioned earlier. And definitely not nearly as much as the monster Beta SV.
Unless you'll be doing anything extreme, I'd doubt it'll fail meeting your expectations, though.
Beta FL is also DWR coated.
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.
Fit
Comes with a trim fit.
But, attention female readers; Beta FL might fit a little bit larger than typical trim fit Arc'teryx jackets. So you might want to get one size larger than your usual size.
Alternatives
If packability is extremely important to you, AND you'll be hiking and trekking with this jacket mostly (say, 80-90% of the time), then you might get a Zeta SL (Men's - Women's).
It packs super tiny, though lacks breathability and durability big time.
So, before you make up your mind, I'd strongly recommend you to give Jacket Finder tool at arcteryx.com a try.
Here's the Beta FL product video:
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!
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