Never a company to rest on its laurels, Arc'teryx's midwinter release of the Serratus Hoody adds a new technical softshell to the brand's ever-expanding jacket lineup. The Serratus Hoody, available in both men's and women's versions (the women's is called the Psiphon Hoody), was designed with climbers in mind but is an intriguing choice for anyone who loves a good softshell for its stretch, warmth, and versatility.
In this article we take a first look at the new Serratus Hoody and Psiphon Hoody, including materials, weather resistance, fit, feel and features. We'll also see how they stack up to other softshells from Arc'teryx, including the legendary Gamma line.
BTW, one of our favorite ways to sort through Arc'teryx's impressive number of jackets is with their handy jacket finder tool.
At a glance
Arc'teryx Serratus Hoody (men's) & Psiphon Hoody (women's)
Softshell vs Hardshell Jackets
Feel free to skip ahead if you're already well versed in the distinctions between softshell and hardshell jackets. But it's worth a brief overview for those of you less familiar.
Softshells
- Purpose: Made for comfort and breathability during high-output activities like hiking, trail running, climbing or even skiing in milder, drier conditions. Best for when you need moderate weather resistance with maximum flexibility.
- Fabric: Constructed from stretchy, water-resistant (not waterproof) fabrics like woven polyester or nylon, often treated with a DWR (durable water-repellent) coating to help shed light amounts of precipitation.
- Features: Prioritize mobility and comfort, often with a fleece-lined interior for added warmth.
- Breathability: Highly breathable, making them great for sweat-inducing activities.
- Feel: Softer, more flexible, and quieter than hardshells, offering better freedom of movement.
Hardshells
- Purpose: Designed for maximum protection in harsh weather conditions like heavy rain, snow, or strong winds. Ideal for activities like alpine climbing, skiing, or backpacking in unpredictable climates.
- Fabric: Made with fully waterproof and windproof materials, typically featuring membranes like Gore-Tex. They are often 3-layer or 2.5-layer constructions, prioritizing weather resistance.
- Features: Lightweight and packable, often with taped seams, adjustable hoods, and water-resistant zippers.
- Breathability: Less breathable than softshells but better at keeping you completely dry.
- Feel: Stiffer and less stretchy, with a "crinkly" texture, focusing on durability and protection.
So, whether you need a hardshell or a softshell really depends on the day and the activity. I live at 9,000 feet in the heart of the Colorado Rockies and for years have snowboarded on bluebird days in a fleece-lined Marmot softshell. Of course, I also have several technical hardshells for when I'm skiing and riding in all other conditions (my current go-tos are the Arc'teryx Sabre SV for when it's nasty outside and the Stio Environ Jacket for most other days).
Also see:
Materials & Construction
Back to the Serratus and Psiphon hoodies. True to their Arc'teryx softshell status, both are constructed with a mix of Fortius DW 2.0™ and Aequora AirPerm™ fabrics.
Fortius DW 2.0™ is a durable, high-stretch and breathable recycled nylon fabric also used by Arc'teryx in its popular Gamma softshell jackets. But whereas the Gamma line uses Fortius DW 2.0™ throughout, the Serratus and Psiphon jackets substitute a lighter-weight and even more breathable fabric under the arms and across the back. This stretchy recycled nylon fabric, called Aequora AirPerm, will give the Serratus Hoody and Psiphon Hoody an unmistakably lighter and closer-to-body feel than the Gammas. To point, the men's Serratus Hoody is 35% lighter than the men's Gamma MX Hoody.
- Here's how Arc'teryx compares the Serratus Hoody to the Gamma MX Hoody for men: https://arcteryx.com/us/en/compare/X000009570/X000008485
- Here's how Arc'teryx compares the Psiphon Hoody to the Gamma MX Hoody for women: https://arcteryx.com/us/en/compare/X000009515/X000009456
The mixed construction makes sense given Arc'teryx's positioning of the Serratus and Psiphon jackets as technical climbing shells. The durable Fortius DW 2.0 fabric across the front body, sleeves and shoulders provides needed protection when rubbing up against rock, while the Aequora AirPerm increases the ventilation everywhere else.
We'll point out here that Arc'teryx says it body mapped the dual-fabric construction of both hoodies in a gender-specific way. From Arc'teryx.com:
“Based on thermal mapping data from our Advanced Concepts team we know that women and men heat-up and cool-down at different rates during outdoor activities, which is why we strategically placed breathable materials on our women’s Psiphon kit in high humidity areas, and added warmth where we know she’ll need it most.”
— Ashley Anson, vice president of product design, women’s apparel, snow apparel and hardgoods and accessories
A side-by-side comparison of the Serratus Hoody and Psiphon Hoody show the nuanced placement differences of the Aequora AirPerm panels. The men's version features AirPerm panels all the way down the underarms to the wrist and a straight back panel stretching across the middle of the shoulder blades down to the lower back. The back panel on the women's version comes up higher on the back, while the underarm AirPerm panels end above the elbow, not the wrist.
For those of you who aren't climbers but still appreciate a great softshell, these two new jackets absolutely merit consideration for other high-output activities. We see the Serratus Hoody as a great hiking, trail running, ski touring and cross-country skiing option across all four seasons, including here in Colorado. The expanse of Aequora AirPerm fabric across the center of the back will feel particularly well suited to wearing a pack.
Arc'teryx also says the Serratus and Psiphon jackets and pants are designed with cut-and-sew construction in high-wear areas for easy repair in the field.
Weather resistance
As mentioned before, a softshell is almost never waterproof or windproof. And that's true of the Serratus Hoody. Instead, it's water-resistant, which Arc'teryx describes as "able to resist the penetration of water to some degree but not entirely." As for wind, the plain weave nylon of the Fortius 2.0 is dense enough to be wind resistant, but nothing more.
The Serratus Hoody and the Psiphon Hoody are treated with FC0 DWR, a PFAS-free durable water repellant finish that will help them shed light amounts of precipitation. A DWR finish won't make your softshell waterproof, but it will help keep you dry in a brief rain or light snow shower. If there's a chance you'll encounter heavy rain or snow, be sure to have a waterproof hardshell with you as well.
Warmth & Insulation
Softshells like the Serratus Hoody and Psiphon Hoody aren't insulated in the traditional sense; you won't find any CoreLoft or PrimaLoft synthetic lining to add warmth. But the Fortius DW 2.0 fabric offers excellent warmth-to-weight ratio, as anyone who has worn a Gamma MX jacket or hoody can attest. When combined with appropriate baselayers, the Serratus Hoody should keep you warm in temperatures as low as freezing, particularly when you're working hard.
Fit & Feel
Arc'teryx says it designed the Serratus Hoody and Psiphon Hoody with multi-pitch alpine climbs in mind. As such, the focus on articulation emphasizes both freedom of movement as well as gender-specific design. How does that translate to the actual softshells?
Well, the four-way stretch properties of both the Fortius DW 2.0™ and the Aequous AirPerm ™ mean the Serratus and Psiphon move with your body and feel way less restrictive than other jackets, particularly hardshells. The sleeves of the Serratus and Psiphon hoodies are also cut longer than other jackets, which climbers will appreciate when they're reaching for that next hold.
When it comes to feel, a primary reason for the popularity of softshells in general is that they're just more comfortable to wear. That stretchy, breathable fabric not only feels good it also lacks the crinkly nature of most weatherproof hardshells.
Additional Features
Pockets
You'll find only two pockets on the Serratus Hoody (and the women's Psiphon Hoody): external, zippered handpockets that are harness and backpack friendly. There are no internal pockets. But the placement of the pockets is different between the Serratus and Psiphon. The Serratus Hoody's pockets are larger and positioned on the edges of the torso, with the interior of the pockets stretching toward the jacket's main zipper. The Psiphon Hoody's pockets are smaller and higher up on the chest, extending out from the main zipper toward the armpits. See the pics below.
Hood
The Serratus and Psiphon have helmet-compatible StormHoods with an adjustment cord at the back of the hood and two pull adjustments on either side of the collar. We're big fans of Arc'teryx's StormHood - the fit, visor and adjustability means it fits well and doesn't restrict your vision whether or not you're wearing a helmet.
Zippers
The big callout here is a two-way front zipper for when you're on belay - but only on the men's Serratus Hoody. For some reason Arc'teryx chose not to include a two-way zipper on the women's Psiphon Hoody. The main zipper and pocket zippers on both models have low-profile rubber pulls for easy up and down, with or without gloves.
Cuffs
Both sleeves on the Serratus Hoody feature adjustable hook-and-loop cuffs. It's a different story for the women with the Psiphon Hoody, however, which instead has shaped cuffs with elastic on the inner half to seal out drafts.
Our take
Arc'teryx and other leading technical outdoor brands have no shortage of options when it comes to breathable jackets for high-output activities. The Proton and Atom lines (read our comparison ofd the two here), for example, are perennial favorites. But the true softshell category is a bit smaller, and the main competitor within the Arc'teryx line is the Gamma, which is a heavier and warmer jacket than both the Serratus Hoody and Psiphon Hoody.
Although positioned as a jacket for climbers, we think the Serratus (and the Psiphon) is a worthy option for anyone who likes the idea of a stretchy softshell that's super breathable for activities like running, hiking and ski touring. We'll update this article once we've had sufficient time to truly put the Serratus Hoody to the test.