The name of Thorium AR has been changed to Thorium for winter 2023. There has also been some design updates:
- A two way zipper is added, which to me is the main (and the strangest) highlight,
- An external chest pocket is added,
- Fit is now a little bit baggier,
- Baffles are a bit larger (see image below),
- Hood is now helmet compatible,
- Amount of 750 FP down is increased from 130 grams to 140 grams,
- Made more eco-friendly.
There has also been subtle changes in the weight (slight increase) and center back length (slight decrease). Check out the jackets database table below for more details about them.
Thorium Parka is also just in! Here's the Thorium vs Thorium Parka vs Thorium AR side-by-side comparison page on arcteryx.com: https://arcteryx.com/us/en/compare/X000006585-bitters/X000006919-black/X000006972-figment
Even if Arc'teryx decides to discontinue the Thorium AR in the future, its second hand will live pretty long because of its popularity and durability.
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.
Summary
Arc'teryx Thorium is a fantastic, warm down jacket for casual use in dry areas. It's comfortable, light, stuffs into itself and is even equipped with a two way zipper.
I wouldn't recommend it for damp areas at all though. Because it soaks water like a sponge (as all down jackets do). Don't think about it for high output activities either (fragile face fabric and poor breathability).
FYI, Thorium isn't the only down jacket line Arc'teryx offers. There's the Cerium line, too - which is a lighter and less warm alternative to it.
Links:
- https://arcteryx.com/us/en/shop/mens/thorium-hoody
- https://arcteryx.com/us/en/shop/womens/thorium-hoody
- Thorium vs Cerium side by side comparison page on arcteryx.com: https://arcteryx.com/us/en/compare/X000006972-figment/X000006919-black
Warmth
Thorium is pretty warm, especially for its weight. This isn't surprising news for any down jacket as they offer incredible warmth to weight ratio.
Check out its temperature rating below:
Name Activity Breathability Weather Res. Durability Temp (F/C) Bottom line Review Pit zips? Two way zipper? Stuffs into itself? Hood? Face Fabric Fit Weight Length Alpha FL (Men's - Women's) Climbing 7/10 No data No data 10/10 N/A 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 5/10 7/10 No data 9/10 N/A No No Yes N40p 3L Gore-Tex Trim 326 g / 11.5 oz 77.5 cm / 30.5 in Yes Alpha (aka AR) (Men's - Women's) Climbing 8/10 9/10 8/10 4/10 N/A 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 8/10 10/10 10/10 3/10 N/A 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 Alpha IS (Men's) Climbing 7/10 5/10 No data 8/10 23/-5 No Yes Yes N40p-X 2L Gore-Tex Regular 610 g / 1 lb 5.5 oz 78 cm / 30.75 in Yes Beta (Men's - Women's) All Round 6/10 7/10 7/10 8/10 N/A 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 8/10 7/10 7/10 6/10 N/A 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 7/10 7/10 8/10 6/10 N/A 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 8/10 9/10 9/10 4/10 N/A 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 8/10 9/10 9/10 4/10 N/A 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 6/10 5/10 No data 5/10 N/A 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 9/10 7/10 8/10 No data 21/-6 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 7/10 No data No data No data 16/-9 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 9/10 7/10 8/10 No data 0/-18 Yes Yes No 2L 40D Gore-Tex Regular 760 g / 1 lb 10.8 oz 79 cm / 31 in No Beta Long All Round 4/10 9/10 No data 3/10 N/A 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 7/10 6/10 4/10 5/10 N/A 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 8/10 10/10 10/10 3/10 N/A 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 Gamma Lw. (aka SL) (Men's - Women's) All Round 7/10 2/10 6/10 5/10 N/A Review No No No Fortius 1.0 Trim 310 g / 10.9 oz 74 cm / 29.1 in No Gamma (aka LT) (Men's - Women's) All Round 7/10 3/10 7/10 3/10 N/A 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 - Women's) All Round 6/10 4/10 8/10 3/10 N/A 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 10/10 10/10 10/10 1/10 N/A 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 No Sabre (Men's) Skiing 8/10 8/10 7/10 2/10 N/A Review Yes No No N80p-X 3L Gore-Tex Regular 705 g / 1 lb 8.9 oz 79 cm / 31 in No Sabre Insulated (Men's) Skiing 7/10 No data 6/10 No data No data Review Yes No No N80p 2L Gore-Tex Regular 815 g / 1 lb 12.7 oz 76 cm / 30 in No Rush (Men's) Skiing 8/10 9/10 9/10 3/10 N/A 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 Insulated (Men's - Women's) Skiing 3/10 5/10 5/10 9/10 16/-9 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 No data No data No data No data N/A Review Yes No No N80p-X 3L Gore-Tex Regular 775 g / 1 lb 11.3 oz ? No Macai (Men's) Skiing 7/10 7/10 6/10 1/10 5/-15 Review Yes No No N40p-X 3L Gore-Tex Regular 990 g / 2 lb 2.9 oz 75 cm / 29.5 in No Macai Lightweight (aka LT) (Men's) Skiing 7/10 7/10 6/10 2/10 8/-13 Review Yes No No N40p-X 3L Gore-Tex Regular 855 g / 1 lb 14.2 oz ? No Theriss Down (Women's) Skiing 7/10 6/10 7/10 2/10 No data 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 8/10 7/10 7/10 2/10 N/A 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 8/10 No data No data No data 21/-6 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 No data No data No data No data N/A Yes No No N80p 3L Gore-Tex Regular 655 g / 1 lb 7.1 oz ? No Sidewinder (Women's) Skiing 8/10 8/10 7/10 2/10 N/A Yes No No N80p 3L Gore-Tex Regular 570 g / 1 lb 4.1 oz ? No Andessa (Women's) Skiing 10/10 No data No data 1/10 8/-13 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 5/10 No data No data 3/10 N/A No No No N70p 3L Gore-Tex Trim 560 g / 1 lb 3.8 oz ? Yes Micon Heather Skiing No data No data No data No data N/A 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 No data No data No data No data N/A 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 8/10 7/10 8/10 3/10 N/A 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 6/10 6/10 6/10 5/10 N/A 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 8/10 7/10 8/10 3/10 N/A 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 6/10 6/10 6/10 5/10 N/A 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 No data No data No data No data N/A 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 No data No data No data No data N/A 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 7/10 8/10 7/10 7/10 N/A 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 7/10 8/10 7/10 7/10 N/A 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 7/10 8/10 7/10 8/10 N/A 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 7/10 8/10 7/10 8/10 N/A 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 8/10 9/10 9/10 3/10 N/A 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 Squamish (Men's - Women's) Running 5/10 4/10 7/10 9/10 N/A 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 - Women's) Running No data No data No data No data N/A No No Yes Permeair 20 Trim 90 g / 3.2 oz 73 cm / 28.75 in No Norvan Shell (Men's - Women's) Running No data No data No data No data N/A No No No 13D 3L Gore-Tex Trim 190 g / 6.7 oz 73 cm / 28.75 in No Nodin (Women's) Running 8/10 5/10 5/10 10/10 N/A No No Yes 20D Tyono Trim 130 g / 4.6 oz 75 cm / 29.5 in No Incendo Airshell (Women's) Running No data No data No data No data N/A No No Yes ? Trim 105 g / 3.7 oz ? No Incendo (Men's) Running 7/10 4/10 5/10 10/10 N/A Review No No Yes Lumin Trim 125 g / 4.4 oz ? Yes Norvan LT (Men's - Women's) Running 5/10 5/10 8/10 6/10 N/A No No No N13p 3L Gore-Tex Trim 190 g / 6.7 oz ? Yes Norvan SL Ins. (Women's) Running No data No data No data No data 39/4 No No Yes Gore-Tex ShakeDry Trim 270 g / 9.5 oz 71.5 cm / 28.1 in Yes Cita (Women's) Running 7/10 4/10 5/10 10/10 N/A Review No No Yes Lumin Trim 120 g / 4.2 oz 67.5 cm / 26.5 in Yes Cita SL (Women's) Running 7/10 4/10 4/10 10/10 N/A Review Yes No Yes Permeair 20 Trim 65 g / 2.3 oz 61.5 cm / 24.2 in Yes Incendo SL (Men's) Running 7/10 4/10 4/10 10/10 N/A 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 7/10 6/10 8/10 8/10 N/A Review No No Yes Gore-Tex Infinium Trim 120 g / 4.2 oz 77 cm / 30.4 in Yes Trino SL (Men's) Running 8/10 5/10 7/10 6/10 N/A Review No No No Gore-Tex Infinium Trim 340 g / 12 oz 74 cm / 29.1 in Yes Trino SL Anorak (Women's) Running 8/10 7/10 8/10 7/10 N/A Review No No No Gore-Tex Infinium Trim 290 g / 10.2 oz 65 cm / 25.5 in Yes Solano (Women's) Around Town No data No data No data No data N/A Review No No No Gore-Tex Infinium Relaxed 355 g / 12.5 oz 72 cm / 28.3 in No Venda Anorak (Women's) Around Town No data No data No data No data N/A No No No Gore-Tex Relaxed 255 g / 9 oz 75.5 cm / 29.7 in Yes Zeta FL (Men's - Women's) Hiking 4/10 6/10 4/10 6/10 N/A 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 3/10 5/10 4/10 5/10 N/A 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 5/10 7/10 8/10 5/10 N/A 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 7/10 8/10 7/10 4/10 N/A 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.
When it gets soaked in water (e.g use under precipitation), not only it lets the water in, but it also loses insulating power. That's because down provides warmth by trapping air in its vacant spots, and water, as you can guess, interferes with that mechanism.
If you'd like to read more about the working principles of down insulated jackets (or synthetic insulated jackets for that matter) check out this article: https://outdoorcrunch.com/jackets/
In addition to down, Thorium is also insulated with Coreloft, a synthetic insulator made by Arc'teryx. Just like all synthetic insulators, Coreloft too is much more weather resistant compared to down, and doesn't lose insulating capability under wet conditions.
If you'd like to read more about Coreloft and other synthetic insulators as well as their working principles, check out the article https://outdoorcrunch.com/clo-values/ in addition to the article I've shared above.
- Poll results: Giant Arc'teryx & Patagoina survey (Gore-Tex, pockets, hoods, fit, & more) [1000+ participated]
- Pics from outrageous discounts I ran into at Arc'teryx Parndorf Outlet
- I bought Gamma Lightweight (aka SL), Gamma (aka LT) and Gamma MX
- Patera Parka (one year update): Ain't worth the price...
- Alpha vs Beta: I bought all 4 Beta's and both Alpha's. Settling this for good
- I visited Iceland again, this time with a Nuclei (aka FL)
- Proton Hybrid: A "hidden" way to stuff it in itself!?
- Best Insulated Jackets: A hands-on Arc'teryx & Patagonia face-off
- 2024 Nano Air is in! Bought it immediately...
- I bought all 7 of Winter '24 Atom and Proton jackets
- Best Arc'teryx Ski Jackets: Rush is ideal, Sabre SV is overkill
- Arc’teryx colors: Most and least liked (poll results)
- Took my Nuclei SV to the Alps near Pfander, Austria
- Arc'teryx Alpha Parka Review: The most impressive jacket of all time
- Arc'teryx ReGEAR: OutdoorCrunch exclusive promo code!
- Beta Insulated Jacket is in: Pit zips AND two way zipper
- DropHood vs StormHood: Pros/cons and best uses
- 7 things all Arc'teryx newbies should know
Like hauntingly dark yet brilliantly brilliant electronic music? Check out my Hidden Electronic Gems playlist at Spotify.
- Macai Shell: https://arcteryx.com/us/en/shop/mens/macai-shell-jacket
- Nita: https://arcteryx.com/us/en/shop/womens/nita-down-jacket
- Epsilon: https://arcteryx.com/us/en/shop/mens/epsilon-insulated-hoody
- Cerium Pants (yes, seriously): https://arcteryx.com/us/en/shop/mens/cerium-pant
- Liatris: https://arcteryx.com/us/en/shop/womens/liatris-down-jacket
- Thorium SV: https://arcteryx.com/us/en/shop/mens/thorium-sv-hoody
- Proton Heavyweight: https://arcteryx.com/us/en/shop/mens/proton-heavyweight-hoody
- Atom Shacket: https://arcteryx.com/us/en/shop/womens/atom-shacket
- New Nano Air: https://patagonia.com/product/mens-nano-air-insulated-hoody/84367.html
This brings me to the next point.
Weather & abrasion resistance
The point of reinforcing a down jacket with synthetic insulators is to provide it at least a little bit of a weather resistance. Because no matter where you live, you don't want to be completely vulnerable to unexpected weather changes. ZERO protection against precipitation is usually unacceptable.
Reinforcements made in Thorium accomplishes this pretty well.
We experienced all sorts of snow, rain and drizzle (welcome to Iceland in March) and Thorium did a pretty good job in terms of withstanding it for, say, up to half an hour on average.
If you need a much more weather resistant jacket with at least the same amount of warmth, then you must forget about down jackets. I'd recommend you to check out Nuclei SV (Men's) and Atom AR (Men's - Women's - read my review) in that case.
In terms of wind resistance, it's solid and won't cause you any problems, although it's not as solid as wind-proofing focused jackets such as the Nuclei FL (Men's - Women's - read my review).
Breathability
Thorium is the first of its kind in this regard.
It's the first light-Arc'teryx-down-jacket that is EVER offered with a two way zipper.
I've long been mad about Arc'teryx's approach on two way zippers, especially for men's counterparts (almost all of women's parkas offer one but this isn't the case for men's parkas, for example).
I didn't expect a move like this. Thank you Arc'teryx!
Now there is a downside to having a two way zipper. It tends to break more often and easily. But I don't see this being a problem unless you're planning to use the jacket for 5+ years.
It also takes a bit more time to zip it up compared to the ordinary one way zippers. Especially if you have gloves. Two way zippers sometimes do feel annoying to me, but the breathability and comfort advantages also cannot be overlooked.
I also say comfort in addition to breathability in here because being able to keep the only upper half of the jacket zipper and the lower half unzipped, it's so much more comfortable when sitting down.
The comfort difference in this regard is much more apparent with the longer jackets (mainly parkas), so don't expect day and night kind of difference with the Thorium in this regard since it's a rather shorter jacket.
Packability
I'm a big fan of jackets that stuff into themselves.
One thing to keep in mind in here though is that stuffing and unstuffing a jacket tens of thousands of times can take a toll on its insulating power over time. The ideal way to store a jacket is to hang it.
Links:
- https://arcteryx.com/us/en/shop/mens/thorium-hoody
- https://arcteryx.com/us/en/shop/womens/thorium-hoody
- Thorium vs Cerium side by side comparison page on arcteryx.com: https://arcteryx.com/us/en/compare/X000006972-figment/X000006919-black