The newly introduced Arc'teryx Fissile SV Down Jacket adds to the brand's growing lineup of all-weather insulated ski and snowboard jackets. This goose down-insulated, Gore-Tex-protected Fissile SV Down Jacket is supposedly Arc'teryx's warmest jacket for days churning laps at the resort. It's competition includes the Beta Down Insulated Jacket, the Macai Jacket, the Sabre Insulated Jacket, and the Rush Insulated Jacket.
Before we do our deep dive, here's how Arc'teryx compares the Fissile SV Down Jacket to the aforementioned others: https://arcteryx.com/us/en/compare/X000008481/X000007183/X000007394/X000007447/X000007315
And if you need help narrowing your choices, one of our favorite tools is Arc'teryx's jacket finder: https://arcteryx.com/us/en/shop/jacket-finder
Arc'teryx Fissile SV Down Jacket
At a glance
Warmth & Insulation
We'll get to the merits of insulated ski jackets in a moment. But make no mistake, the new Fissile SV Down Jacket has been designed to keep you toasty warm on even the coldest lift-served ski days.
Arc'teryx has packed 195 grams of RDS-certified 750 fill-power European grey goose down into this jacket, and supplemented it with 100gsm PrimaLoft Silver polyester synthetic insulation in strategic areas like the shoulders, neck, cuffs, hood and underarms. Why synthetic insulation? Because as you may know, for all its amazing insulating properties, natural down is worthless when wet. Which is why Arc'teryx uses synthetic insulation - which doesn't lose its insulating properties when wet - in areas of your jacket prone to moisture build-up.
If you really want to understand the insulating properties of down and synthetic insulation, as well as how we determined the relative temperature ratings of jackets in our chart below, check out our in-depth article: https://outdoorcrunch.com/jackets/.
Name Activity Temp (F/C) Breathability Weather Res. Durability Bottom line Review Pit zips? Two way zipper? Stuffs into itself? Face Fabric Fit Weight Length Alpha (aka AR) (Men's - Women's) Climbing N/A 8/10 9/10 8/10 4/10 Go-to climbing harshell. Review Yes No No N40d & N80d Most Rugged 3L Gore-Tex Pro Regular 430 g / 15.2 oz 79.5 cm / 31.25 in No Alpha SV (Men's - Women's) Climbing N/A 8/10 10/10 10/10 3/10 Strongest climbing hardshell. Review Yes No No N100d Most Rugged 3L Gore-Tex Pro Regular 510 g / 1 lb 2 oz 78 cm / 30.75 in No Beta (Men's - Women's) All Round N/A 6/10 7/10 7/10 8/10 Streamlined all-doer shell. Review No No No N30p-X 3L Gore-Tex Trim 300 g / 10.6 oz 76 cm / 30 in No Beta Lightweight (Men's - Women's) All Round N/A 8/10 7/10 7/10 6/10 Review Yes No No N40p 3L Gore-Tex Fitted 380 g / 13.4 oz 75 cm / 29.5 in No Beta LT (Men's - Women's) All Round N/A 7/10 7/10 8/10 6/10 Review Yes No No N40d 3L Gore-Tex Fitted 395 g / 13.9 oz 76 cm / 30 in No Beta AR (Men's - Women's) All Round N/A 8/10 9/10 9/10 4/10 Go-to all-round harshell. Review Yes No No N40d & N80d Most Rugged 3L Gore-Tex Pro Regular 460 g / 1 lb 76 cm / 30 in No Beta AR StormHood (Men's - Women's) All Round N/A 8/10 9/10 9/10 4/10 Review Yes No No N40d & N80d Most Rugged 3L Gore-Tex Pro Regular 460 g / 1 lb 76 cm / 30 in No Beta Coat (Women's) All Round N/A 6/10 5/10 No data 5/10 No Yes No 3L Gore-Tex Regular 320 g / 11.3 oz 88 cm / 34.5 in No Beta Insulated (Men's - Women's) All Round 21/-6 9/10 7/10 8/10 No data Go-to hybrid jacket. Review Yes Yes No N40d 2L Gore-Tex Regular 680 g / 1 lb 8 oz 78.5 cm / 31 in No Beta Insulated Coat (Women's) All Round 16/-9 7/10 No data No data No data No Yes No N40d 2L Gore-Tex Regular 600 g / 1 lb 5.2 oz 86 cm / 34 in No Beta Down Insulated (Men's) All Round 0/-18 9/10 7/10 8/10 No data Yes Yes No 2L 40D Gore-Tex Regular 760 g / 1 lb 10.8 oz 79 cm / 31 in No Gamma SL (aka lightweight) (Men's - Women's) All Round N/A 7/10 2/10 6/10 5/10 Review No No No Fortius 1.0 Trim 310 g / 10.9 oz 74 cm / 29.1 in Yes Gamma (aka LT) (Men's - Women's) All Round N/A 7/10 3/10 7/10 3/10 Go-to softshell. Review No No No Wee Burly Double Weave Regular 545 g / 1 lb 3.2 oz 76 cm / 30 in No Gamma MX (Men's) All Round N/A 6/10 4/10 8/10 3/10 Strongest softshell. Review No No No Fortius 2.0 Regular 555 g / 1 lb 3.6 oz 74 cm / 29.1 in No Sabre SV (Men's) Skiing N/A 10/10 10/10 10/10 1/10 Strongest ski jacket. Review Yes Yes No N100d Most Rugged 3L Gore-Tex Pro Regular 595 g / 1 lb 5 oz 85 cm / 33.5 in Yes Sabre (Men's) Skiing N/A 8/10 8/10 7/10 2/10 Review Yes No No N80p-X 3L Gore-Tex Regular 705 g / 1 lb 8.9 oz 79 cm / 31 in No Sabre Insulated (See related products) Skiing No data 7/10 No data 6/10 No data Review Yes No No N80p 2L Gore-Tex Regular 815 g / 1 lb 12.7 oz 76 cm / 30 in Yes Rush (Women's) Skiing N/A 8/10 9/10 9/10 3/10 Go-to ski jacket. Review Yes No No N80p-X & N100p-X 3L Most Rugged Gore-Tex Pro Regular 590 g / 1 lb 4.8 oz 79.5 cm / 31.25 in No Rush (Women's) Skiing 16/-9 3/10 5/10 5/10 9/10 Review No No Yes Hadron 2L Gore-Tex Infinium Regular 515 g / 1 lb 2.2 oz 79 cm / 31 in No Macai Shell (Men's) Skiing N/A No data No data No data No data Review Yes No No N80p-X 3L Gore-Tex Regular 775 g / 1 lb 11.3 oz ? Yes Macai (Men's) Skiing 5/-15 7/10 7/10 6/10 1/10 Review Yes No No N40p-X 3L Gore-Tex Regular 990 g / 2 lb 2.9 oz 75 cm / 29.5 in Yes Macai Lightweight (aka LT) (Men's) Skiing 8/-13 7/10 7/10 6/10 2/10 Review Yes No No N40p-X 3L Gore-Tex Regular 855 g / 1 lb 14.2 oz ? Yes Theriss Down (Women's) Skiing No data 7/10 6/10 7/10 2/10 Review Yes No No N80p 2L Gore-Tex Regular 709 g / 1 lb 9 oz 63 cm / 24.8 in No Sentinel (Women's) Skiing N/A 8/10 7/10 7/10 2/10 Go-to ski jacket. Review Yes No No N70p 3L Gore-Tex Regular 640 g / 1 lb 6.6 oz 73.7 cm / 29 in No Sentinel Insulated (Women's) Skiing 21/-6 8/10 No data No data No data Review Yes No No N80p 2L Gore-Tex Regular 600 g / 1 lb 5.2 oz 79.8 cm / 31.5 in No Sentinel Relaxed (Women's) Skiing N/A No data No data No data No data Yes No No N80p 3L Gore-Tex Regular 655 g / 1 lb 7.1 oz ? No Sidewinder (Women's) Skiing N/A 8/10 8/10 7/10 2/10 Yes No No N80p 3L Gore-Tex Regular 570 g / 1 lb 4.1 oz ? No Squamish (Men's - Women's) Running N/A 5/10 4/10 7/10 9/10 Go-to running jacket. Review No No Yes 30D Tyono Trim 140 g / 4.9 oz 77.5 cm / 30.5 in No Norvan Windshell (Men's Running N/A No data No data No data No data No No Yes Permeair 20 Trim 90 g / 3.2 oz 73 cm / 28.75 in Yes Norvan Shell (Men's Running N/A No data No data No data No data No No No 13D 3L Gore-Tex Trim 190 g / 6.7 oz 73 cm / 28.75 in No Nodin (Men's - Women's) Running N/A 8/10 5/10 5/10 10/10 No No Yes 20D Tyono Trim 130 g / 4.6 oz 75 cm / 29.5 in Yes Incendo Airshell (Men's Running N/A No data No data No data No data No No Yes ? Trim 105 g / 3.7 oz ? Yes Solano (Men's - Women's) Around Town N/A No data No data No data No data Review No No No Gore-Tex Infinium Relaxed 355 g / 12.5 oz 72 cm / 28.3 in No Alpha FL (Men's - Women's) Climbing N/A 7/10 No data No data 10/10 No No Yes Hadron 3L Gore-Tex Trim 209 g / 7.4 oz 76.5 cm / 30 in Yes Alpha SL (Men's - Women's) Climbing N/A 5/10 7/10 No data 9/10 No No Yes N40p 3L Gore-Tex Trim 326 g / 11.5 oz 77.5 cm / 30.5 in Yes Alpha IS (Men's) Climbing 23/-5 7/10 5/10 No data 8/10 No Yes Yes N40p-X 2L Gore-Tex Regular 610 g / 1 lb 5.5 oz 78 cm / 30.75 in Yes Beta Long All Round N/A 4/10 9/10 No data 3/10 Review No No No N80p 3L Gore-Tex Regular 441 g / 15.6 oz 85 cm / 33.5 in Yes Beta LT Hadron All Round N/A 7/10 6/10 4/10 5/10 No No No Hadron 3L Gore-Tex Fitted 255 g / 9 oz 76 cm / 30 in Yes Beta SV (Men's - Women's) All Round N/A 8/10 10/10 10/10 3/10 Strongest all-round harshell. Review Yes No No N80p-X Most Rugged 3L Gore-Tex Pro Regular 495 g / 1 lb 1.5 oz 79 cm / 31 in Yes Andessa (Women's) Skiing 8/-13 10/10 No data No data 1/10 Yes No No N40d 3L Gore-Tex Trim 869 g / 1 lb 14.7 oz 67 cm / 26.4 in Yes Andessa Shell (Women's) Skiing N/A 5/10 No data No data 3/10 No No No N70p 3L Gore-Tex Trim 560 g / 1 lb 3.8 oz ? Yes Micon Heather Skiing N/A No data No data No data No data Yes No No NP100-d 3L Gore-Tex Regular 685 g / 1 lb 8.2 oz 83 cm / 32.5 in Yes Micon (Men's) Skiing N/A No data No data No data No data Yes No No N80p 3L Gore-Tex Regular 685 g / 1 lb 8.2 oz 83 cm / 32.5 in Yes Cassiar (Men's) Skiing N/A 8/10 7/10 8/10 3/10 Review Yes No No N70p 3L Gore-Tex Trim 820 g / 1 lb 12.9 oz 74.5 cm / 29.3 in Yes Cassiar LT (Men's) Skiing N/A 6/10 6/10 6/10 5/10 Review Yes No No N70p 3L Gore-Tex Trim 605 g / 1 lb 5.3 oz 75 cm / 29.5 in Yes Ravenna (Women's) Skiing N/A 8/10 7/10 8/10 3/10 Review Yes No No N70s-4 3L Gore-Tex Trim 725 g / 1 lb 9.6 oz 69.5 cm / 27.4 in Yes Ravenna LT (Women's) Skiing N/A 6/10 6/10 6/10 5/10 Review Yes No No N70p 3L Gore-Tex Trim 540 g / 1 lb 3 oz 69 cm / 27.2 in Yes Procline (Men's) Skiing N/A No data No data No data No data Yes No No N70p Gore-Tex Infinium Trim 720 g / 1 lb 9.4 oz 76 cm / 30 in Yes Shashka Stretch (Women's) Skiing N/A No data No data No data No data Yes No No N70p Gore-Tex Infinium Trim 670 g / 1 lb 7.6 oz 71 cm / 28 in Yes Sabre AR (Men's) Skiing N/A 7/10 8/10 7/10 7/10 Review Yes No No N70p 3L Gore-Tex Regular 700 g / 1 lb 8.7 oz 79 cm / 31 in Yes Sentinel AR (Women's) Skiing N/A 7/10 8/10 7/10 7/10 Review Yes No No N70p 3L Gore-Tex Regular 590 g / 1 lb 4.8 oz 72.5 cm / 28.5 in Yes Sabre LT (Men's) Skiing N/A 7/10 8/10 7/10 8/10 Review Yes No No N80p 3L Gore-Tex Regular 660 g / 1 lb 7.3 oz 83 cm / 32.5 in Yes Sentinel LT (Women's) Skiing N/A 7/10 8/10 7/10 8/10 Review Yes No No N80p 3L Gore-Tex Regular 565 g / 1 lb 3.9 oz 73.5 cm / 29 in Yes Incendia (Women's) Skiing N/A 8/10 9/10 9/10 3/10 Review Yes No No NP100d 3L Gore-Tex Trim 610 g / 1 lb 5.5 oz 79 cm / 31 in Yes Indencia IS Skiing No data No data No data No data No data Yes No No N80p 2L Gore-Tex Regular ? 78 cm / 30.75 in Yes Incendo (Men's) Running N/A 7/10 4/10 5/10 10/10 Review No No Yes Lumin Trim 125 g / 4.4 oz ? Yes Norvan LT (Men's - Women's) Running N/A 5/10 5/10 8/10 6/10 No No No N13p 3L Gore-Tex Trim 190 g / 6.7 oz ? Yes Norvan SL Ins. (Women's) Running 39/4 No data No data No data No data No No Yes Gore-Tex ShakeDry Trim 270 g / 9.5 oz 71.5 cm / 28.1 in Yes Cita (Women's) Running N/A 7/10 4/10 5/10 10/10 Review No No Yes Lumin Trim 120 g / 4.2 oz 67.5 cm / 26.5 in Yes Cita SL (Women's) Running N/A 7/10 4/10 4/10 10/10 Review Yes No Yes Permeair 20 Trim 65 g / 2.3 oz 61.5 cm / 24.2 in Yes Incendo SL (Men's) Running N/A 7/10 4/10 4/10 10/10 Review No No Yes Permair 20 & Canim Trim 80 g / 2.8 oz 73 cm / 28.75 in Yes Norvan SL (Men's - Women's) Running N/A 7/10 6/10 8/10 8/10 Review No No Yes Gore-Tex Infinium Trim 120 g / 4.2 oz 77 cm / 30.4 in Yes Trino SL (Men's) Running N/A 8/10 5/10 7/10 6/10 Review No No No Gore-Tex Infinium Trim 340 g / 12 oz 74 cm / 29.1 in Yes Trino SL Anorak (Women's) Running N/A 8/10 7/10 8/10 7/10 Review No No No Gore-Tex Infinium Trim 290 g / 10.2 oz 65 cm / 25.5 in Yes Venda Anorak (Women's) Around Town N/A No data No data No data No data No No No Gore-Tex Relaxed 255 g / 9 oz 75.5 cm / 29.7 in Yes Zeta FL (Men's - Women's) Hiking N/A 4/10 6/10 4/10 6/10 No No No N20r 2L Gore-Tex Trim 221 g / 7.8 oz 76 cm / 30 in Yes Zeta SL (Men's - Women's) Hiking N/A 3/10 5/10 4/10 5/10 Review No No No 2L Gore-Tex Trim 310 g / 10.9 oz 77.8 cm / 30.6 in Yes Zeta LT (Men's - Women's) Hiking N/A 5/10 7/10 8/10 5/10 No No No N40P-X 3L Gore-Tex Trim 335 g / 11.8 oz 78 cm / 30.75 in Yes Zeta AR (Men's) Hiking N/A 7/10 8/10 7/10 4/10 Yes No No 3L Gore-Tex Regular 425 g / 15 oz 80 cm / 31.5 in Yes
Performance data axis of synthetic jackets (table above) and shell jackets (this table) are different. Don't compare them.
All that nice grey goose down comes at a price (and we don't just mean the $1,100 cost of the Fissile SV Down Jacket). This thing weighs more than 2 1/2 pounds - great for cold days chasing vert via lifts but not for any sort of touring or backcountry adventures. The Fissile SV is too warm for any high-output activities anyway, which brings us back to insulated vs non-insulated ski jackets.
As a general rule, we prefer shells over insulated jackets for skiing and snowboarding. Why? Because we like being able to customize our layers to each day's weather conditions and activity. The shell provides the weatherproof outer layer, but what we wear as a baselayer and midlayers is entirely dependent on the day. If, however, you like the idea of easy, reliable warmth on consistently cold resort days, then an insulated jacket may fit your needs just fine.
Read our article on Best Arc'teryx Ski Jackets: https://outdoorcrunch.com/best-arcteryx-jacket-for-skiing/
Weatherproofing & Breathability
Unless it's a guaranteed bluebird day, you want to know your ski jacket can withstand whatever Mother Nature throws your way. That's particularly true if your ski jacket is insulated with down (remember, down insulation and moisture don't play nice).
For the Fissile SV Down Parka, Arc'teryx has opted for the new 3L Gore-Tex ePe Gen 2 waterproof and windproof membrane. The 3L means it's a three-layer laminate featuring the waterproof/windproof/breathable Gore-Tex membrane sandwiched between a face fabric and a lining. The second-generation ePe is Gore-Tex's newest iteration of its PFAS-free material. Arc'teryx says all its Gore-Tex garments have a water column rating of 28,000mm, which means they can truly withstand any amount of water (in the form of snow, rain, sleet) and pressure you could conceivably encounter in the real world.
At 80-denier, the Fissile SV Down Parka's face fabric is burly enough to hold up to the abuses of resort skiing - from the constant rubbing of your ski or snowboard edges against your jacket on the walks to and from your car, to the occasional slaps and scrapes of tree branches as you search for untracked. The Fissile SV's lining is a 15-denier recycled and downproof nylon.
Finally, the Fissile SV Down Parka's face fabric is coated with a FC0-DWR finish, which is also free of PFAS (aka forever chemicals). DWR (Durable Water Repellent) finishes are what cause water to bead up and roll off your technical outerwear, and they need to be reapplied every so often as your jacket gets dirty or oily from sweat during regular use. Scroll to the bottom for care instructions for your Fissile SV Down Parka (and any other Gore-Tex down insulated jacket in your closet).
In terms of the breathability of the Fissile SV Down Jacket - i.e., how well it allows moisture and sweat to escape the inside of the jacket - don't expect much. First, consider the high-loft down insulation throughout the jacket and remember that moisture doesn't play nicely with down. It doesn't matter whether that moisture is in the form of precipitation or perspiration. Second, and perhaps more important, you shouldn't need the Fissile SV Down Jacket to be very breathable. It's intended use is for very cold days riding the chairlift at your favorite resorts. Lift-served skiing and riding is a fairly low-output activity and therefore it should be difficult to wet out the inside of your Fissile SV from perspiration. But if you do need to dump some heat, we appreciate that Arc'teryx included pit zips on the Fissile SV for exactly that purpose. Plus, their mesh backed to prevent snow from getting inside your jacket when they're open.
Fit & Finish
The regular fit of the Fissile SV Down Jacket means it's roomy enough for the requisite underlayers but not so bulky that it restricts your movement on the slopes. Arc'teryx has incorporated a snowsport-specific articulated pattern to provide the right balance of mobility and comfort.
Hood
The Fissile SV's hood is insulated, adjustable with a single pullcord, and helmet compatible. We also appreciate that it's removable, because there are some days you just don't want or need the added bulk of an insulated hood hanging off the back of your jacket.
Pockets
From energy bars to apres-ski beanies to car keys and a phone, there's always a need to stash goodies close to your body for a day at the resort. The Fissile SV Down Jacket's pockets are more than capable of doing the job.
The jacket has two zippered handwarmer pockets - and we love their placement. These roomy pockets are higher up than traditional waist-level handwarmers, offering convenient access when sitting on the chairlift.
The Fissile's other external pocket is a small zippered pocket on the lower left forearm. This is where you keep your RFID season ski pass for easy, no-hands lift access.
On the inside of the jacket is an internal chest pocket and two large internal dump pockets - great for stashing bulkier extras like a balaclava or beanie for apres-ski adventures.
Powder skirt
Proving its snowsport-specific nature, the Fissile SV Down Jacket comes equipped with the requisite powder skirt. We like that it's removable, because as much as we wish every day were a powder day, that's just not the case.
Don't know what a powder skirt is or why you might need/want one? We go into detail here: https://outdoorcrunch.com/powder-skirts
Zippers
We mentioned it above, but the Fissile SV Down Jacket includes mesh-backed pit zips for ventilation without snow entry.
The jacket's two-way front zipper is also protected by a storm flap to keep any wind or snow from sneaking in.
Collar
Whether or not you remove the Fissile SV's hood, the down-insulated collar sits high and comfortably around your neck to keep the warmth in and the weather (mostly) out.
How to care for your Fissile SV Down Jacket
Down is such an incredible insulator because of the tiny pockets of air within it that trap your body's heat and thus keep you warm. But when down becomes wet it loses its insulating power and is essentially worthless. It also takes a long time to dry. All of this is to say that caring for your down garment is essential to keeping you warm and to making sure that expensive jacket performs for years and years.
There's no need to wash your Fissile SV Down Jacket or other down garments until you know or see that it's dirty, and that's because things like dirt and sweat compromise the ability of your jacket's high-end fabrics to repel moisture.
When it is time to wash your down jacket, here's what Arc'teryx recommens:
- Close the main zippers but leave open pocket zippers (and make sure all those pockets are empty
- Release the tension on any drawcords, like the one for your hood
- Loosen and secure any Velcro cuffs
- If you have a top-loading washing machine with an agitator, toss your garment in a mesh bag to help protect it
- Use a mild detergent without scents, dyes or fabric softener, and wash on medium heat with a permanent press or gentle setting. Add an extra rinse cycle to ensure all the detergent is washed out. This down detergent from Nu is recommended and sold by Arc'teryx.
- If you need to refresh your jacket's DWR (durable water repellent) finish, this is the time to do it. Close all zipper, hang up your damp garment, and spray the DWR evenly and thoroughly across the outside of the coat. Arc'terx recommends this Nu Durable Water Repellent spray.
- When finished washing, turn the jacket inside out and put it in the dryer on a low heat setting. Add two clean tennis balls or other dryer balls to help the down regain its loft. Note you may want to turn the jacket inside out again to ensure all areas of the down get completely dry.
Voilà ! Your Fissile SV Down Jacket is hopefully as good as new.