Insulated Jackets

Nuclei SV (Men's) is the warmest synthetic insulated jacket in Arc'teryx's line up. It's a stunning jacket and the good news is that its women's counterpart is on its way for FW 2023. 

As you can also see in this Best Arc'teryx Jackets article, Nuclei SV is one of the best Arc'teryx jackets ever. 

Summary

Extremely generous insulation amount (180 + 90 gsm of Coreloft Continuous) of the Nuclei SV makes it the warmest Arc'teryx synthetic. Its ability to get stuffed into itself makes it versatile. Arato 15 face fabric is smooth to touch and makes the inner fabric is pretty comfortable to contact with the skin, although it's fragile and hence not suitable for things like climbing. 

3 external (1 chest + 2 hand warmers) and 2 internal drop-in pockets are roomy and offer plenty of storage options. As if all these aren't enough, Nuclei SV also offers a two way zipper (rarely seen in Arc'teryx jackets), which offers added breathability and comfort - especially when wearing a longer jacket like Nuclei SV. 

All in all, it's almost impossible to be disappointed with this stunning jacket. 

Arc'teryx shines the most when it comes to synthetic insulated jackets. For down jackets, it still outperforms other brands like Rab and Mountain Equipment. But the difference there is less than the difference in synthetics. 

Synthetics from Arc'teryx like Atom AR, Proton LT, Kappa, Fission SV, Nuclei FL and Dually Belay are all fantastic and you probably have never heard any bad things about any of them. Overwhelming majority of users are extremely happy with them. 

Some of these jackets have gotten discontinued over time and Arc'teryx had recently brought the Nuclei SV back to life. Now it is the one that carries the flag in front. Along with Atom AR and Nuclei FL, it's the best synthetic jacket for casual use in cold/freezing damp weather. 

Start with checking out the table below and find if the Nuclei SV is too warm for you. If it is too warm, then either go after the Atom AR or the Nuclei FL. 

Let's dig deeper. 

Warmth

Front, back and upper arms are all equipped with ample Coreloft Continuous at 180 gsm. In addition to that, the sides, hood, lower arms and underarms are reinforced with 90 gsm of it. 

A single layer of 90g/m2 at underarms, lower arms, sides, and hood. And two layers for a total of 190g/m2 everywhere else (front, back, upper arms). 

Weather Resistance

Like all other Arc'teryx synthetics, Nuclei SV also provides amazing weather resistance. It also comes with a DWR coating. 

Durability

Probably the only area where the Nuclei SV doesn't shine. The outer fabric is tear prone but I'd highly doubt you'll experience any problems if you're planning to wear it casually. 

I'd layer with a shell if I were to wear it when climbing or bouldering (e.g activities where the jacket experiences high wear). 

Two way zipper

Lengthy design of Nuclei SV adds to its warmth as it covers your butt more than shorter jackets. Still, with a lengthier jacket, comfort is what you sacrifice a little bit in return.

This is because the jackets get crumpled when sitting down. It can be especially uncomfortable when driving or cycling. 

Arc'teryx sidetracks this problem by adding a two way zipper. It basically allows you to keep the upper half of the jacket zipped while keeping the bottom half unzipped. As a result, the jacket doesn't get crumpled anymore as you legs don't get in the way. 

Most Arc'teryx users usually complain about Arc'teryx not having enough amount of jackets with a two way zipper. This puts the Nuclei SV even more in front compared to the other models. 

Other benefit of a two way zip is that it allows for mechanical venting. Mechanical venting is the most important component when it comes to the ultimate breathability of a jacket.

Mechanical venting is achieved either by pit zips or a two way zipper. A toasty jacket like Nuclei SV definitely has the potential to overheat most of us even when using it for low output activities (e.g walking). 

So it's amazing to have an option like this - especially if you have a special desire about not sweating but at the same time you wouldn't want to get cold either. 

In other words, it allows fine tuning for the warmth level. 

Packed size

Packed size of Nuclei SV isn't that small. 

That said, when it comes to down vs synthetic jackets, higher weight and bigger packed sizes are what you trade off in return for amazing weather resistances. Because down always packs smaller. 

I still think it's a must to make this feature available in all synthetic jackets as it adds to the versatility quite a bit and is almost always worth the extra price. Most other Arc'teryx jackets don't offer this feature. 

Conclusion

Extremely generous insulation amount (180 + 90 gsm of Coreloft Continuous) of the Nuclei SV makes it the warmest Arc'teryx synthetic. Its ability to get stuffed into itself makes it versatile. Arato 15 face fabric is smooth to touch and makes the inner fabric is pretty comfortable to contact with the skin, although it's fragile and hence not suitable for things like climbing.

3 external (1 chest + 2 hand warmers) and 2 internal drop-in pockets are roomy and offer plenty of storage options. As if all these aren't enough, Nuclei SV also offers a two way zipper (rarely seen in Arc'teryx jackets), which offers added breathability and comfort - especially when wearing a longer jacket like Nuclei SV. 

All in all, it's almost impossible to be disappointed with this stunning jacket. 

Compared to other synthetics, here's how the Nuclei SV performs: