Arc’teryx Thorsen vs Therme vs Camosun

Before comparing Thorsen, Therme and Camosun; note that Thorsen (Men's) and Camosun (Men's) remain discontinued in FW23. 

The Therme line, on the other hand, is expanded and now contains 3 products: Therme SV Parka (Men's), Therme Parka (Men's) and Therme Insulated Jacket (Men's). 

These updates also make the Therme SV Parka the warmest Arc'teryx parka of all time, superseding the Thorsen Parka, which is slightly less warm than Therme SV. 

So if you're not interested in getting one of the discontinued products, and would like to get one of the Therme's instead, then stop reading this post and visit this article: https://outdoorcrunch.com/arcteryx-therme-review/. Also make sure to take a look at Therme SV Parka vs Therme Parka vs Therme Insulated Jacket page at arcteryx.com. 

Also try out Arc'teryx's Jacket Finder tool. 

Links: 

• https://rei.com/product/175337/arcteryx-thorsen-insulated-parka-mens
• https://arcteryx.com/us/en/shop/mens/therme-sv-parka
• https://arcteryx.com/us/en/shop/mens/therme-parka
• https://arcteryx.com/us/en/shop/mens/therme-insulated-jacket
• https://rei.com/product/135602/arcteryx-camosun-insulated-parka-mens
• Arc'teryx Jacket Finder: https://arcteryx.com/us/en/shop/jacket-finder

Now let's get back to Thorsen vs Therme vs Camosun. 

All these jackets are designed for walking around town when it's freezing out (so called "line 24"). 

In summary, if the subject temperature range is mostly going to be somewhere between 0 - 30 deg F (-18 - 0 deg C), then both Therme and Camosun would be warm enough. Maybe also consider getting a good Arc'teryx base layer such as this one for more inclement days. 

You'd probably overheat inside the Therme SV and Thorsen at these temperature ranges. So I'd consider them for lower ranges - around 15 deg F (-10 deg C) and below. 

Check out their temperature ratings below. 

Therme Insulated Jacket isn't a parka, so I'm not going to review it in this post. Let me say this one thing about it, though: I can't think of any scenario where a Therme Insulated Jacket would be my primary recommendation. Because there are tons of much better Arc'teryx jackets at that warmth level - which is a very, very low level. No down and only 40 gsm of Coreloft insulation... 

All of these jackets use the same 750 fill power European goose down, which is pretty high quality. 750 - 900 FP is usually considered the highest quality of down. 

• Read more about this in here: https://outdoorcrunch.com/jackets/

However, although the quality of down is the same between these jackets, the amount of it varies. And amount is just as important as the quality. 

Check out the chart below for more information on this. Simply pick "Parkas" in the "Type" filter dropdown menu. 

So what should you consider when getting either one of these jackets?

If the lowest temperature you'll face won't be much colder than 15 deg F (-10 deg C)

In other words, if you'll be in Milwaukee, Toronto, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Boston, NYC, or any other similar temperature range city; then both Therme and Camosun would feel warm enough for around 90% of the winter. 

For the remainder of the winter, you can easily use another simple fleece underneath either of these jackets. And I don't mean something high-quality like Arc'teryx either, even a t-shirt + hoody combo would work. 

Therme vs Camosun: Warmth

The difference is minimal, but not non-existent. If you feel fairly cold inside a Camosun, I'd doubt Therme would solve your warmth problems in the same setting. But still, there are things you'd better consider.

I put together the things you should consider regarding the warmth differences between these two jackets under 3 main subheadings.

1-Easier layering

Compared to Therme, the Camosun is going to be more restrictive when you're trying to layer due to its trimmer fit. It might feel less comfortable if you try layering with a bulky synthetic insulated jacket beneath, such as Atom AR (Men's - read review). 

2-More down

Part of the extra down in Therme (120 vs 105 grams) you see in the product specs results from Therme's 1.5 inch longer hemline. It naturally requires more down. It'll cover a larger portion of your hips - which can be especially important if you don't have or aren't planning to get insulated pants.

Also, even when you ignore the Therme's extra hem length, it still uses a little bit more down than the Camosun - hence a bit more warmth.

3- Traps more air

Baggier cut doesn't necessarily mean that it'll provide more insulation than a more snug cut in every situation. It's contextual and depends on many factors such as how baggy or snug the jackets are, their fill quality (fill power), lengths etc.

But in our case, Therme isn't too baggy to let the air circulate too much and hence let the cold air in. It doesn't use a lower quality fill either.

So, since more insulation is always achieved by trapping more "heated" air, in the end, Therme provides a bit more warmth. 

As you see, the warmth difference is there, but it isn't as big to make you pretty much ignore other stuff. I'd pay at least as much attention to style, hood and personal layering needs. 

I'd recommend you to check out my Therme Parka review as well. 

Links: 

• https://rei.com/product/175337/arcteryx-thorsen-insulated-parka-mens
• https://arcteryx.com/us/en/shop/mens/therme-sv-parka
• https://arcteryx.com/us/en/shop/mens/therme-parka
• https://arcteryx.com/us/en/shop/mens/therme-insulated-jacket
• https://rei.com/product/135602/arcteryx-camosun-insulated-parka-mens
• Arc'teryx Jacket Finder: https://arcteryx.com/us/en/shop/jacket-finder

Therme vs Camosun: Weather Resistance

With the FW23 update, Camosun is now equipped with more synthetic insulation, which in the end provides more weather resistance. 

Not only does it provide more weather resistance, but it also provides more warmth under foul weather. Another thing you might want to take into consideration. 

Also; Thorsen offers a 90D, Therme Parka a 75D and Camosun a whooping 150D outer shell fabric. 

This means that the Camosun will feel burliest and Therme the smoothest in your hands. But most importantly, all of them are very durable and abrasion resistant, with the Camosun being the highest in this regard. It might (will), however, come overkill for most of us average users. 

Its whooping 150 denier face fabric is also extremely robust and one of the thickest parka shells out there. It's comically strong. If you're unaware of deniers, 150 denier is something like you would double check when you see it somewhere because you think that you must have misread something. It's that unusual. 

This, however, does have its downsides; with the most important one being the noise the Camosun makes because of its burly face fabric. Dealbreaker for some people. 

Lastly, all these jackets are DWR coated - which means that they repel water just fine. 

Therme vs Camosun: Style

If you're fit or thin, Camosun's trimmer cut might look better on you. 

Baggier cut of Therme benefits you in warmth, as I explained earlier in this post, and this is how the baggier cut looks: 

Proceed at your own taste...

Therme vs Camosun: Hood and collar configurations

Camosun's hood is detachable (separate hood) and that of Therme's isn't (integrated hood). This difference in hood construction naturally causes their collar configurations to differ as well. 

Camosun offers DropHood and Therme offers StormHood. The former is considered the most comfortable when the hood is down, and the latter is more comfortable when the hood is up. Only you can decide which one you like. Read more about DropHood vs StormHood in this article: https://outdoorcrunch.com/stormhood-vs-drophood/

Camosun's collar is always up, whereas for the Therme the hood should be in use for collar to be standing up straight. 

Higher collar is typically expected to block more wind, and I'm not saying this is incorrect. But even when the Therme's hood isn't in use (e.g collar isn't standing), you can still zip it upwards and raise it to a position that's as high as that of the Camosun's: 

Still, in the end, it won't feel as comfortable as the Camosun's collar. This is why they're both equally great in terms of blocking wind when the hood isn't in use, but Camosun is more comfortable. 

On the other hand, when you need more wind protection, Therme's collar will reach up higher when the hood is in use. 

Two way zipper

Camosun doesn't offer a two way front main zipper. This can something to think about if you're planning to drive with your coat on, since a two way zipper helps a lot in that case.

Thorsen Parka, Therme SV Parka and Therme Parka all offer a two way zipper, by the way. It also helps with breathability. Its only downside is that it tends to break down more easily than one way zippers. 

Length

Camosun is a bit shorter than Therme, much shorter than Therme SV and Thorsen. I believe the length to be one of the primary parameters of the feeling of warmth, so this is a minus for the Camosun's warmth. 

Now enter my friends Therme SV and Thorsen - and let's get to their reviews. 

It's important to note that both of these parkas would probably come too warm for the above temperature range and setup. Vast majority of people would likely overheat in it (unless they run quite cold). Because it's designed for freezing temperatures. 

...so if you'll be facing a considerable amount of colder days

Say, if you'll be facing as low as -5 deg F (-20 deg C) and below, then I'd recommend getting either:

1. Therme or Camosun (but probably Therme - read below paragraph) AND a good fleece under (such as this one of Arc'teryx) for extra layering (Therme and Camosun alone probably wouldn't be enough to keep you very warm at this cold), 
2. The Therme SV or Thorsen (this color is really liked by many - including me). 

If you choose to go with option #1, again, it's good to note that Camosun is going to be more restrictive in this situation due to its trimmer fit. I'd probably get the Therme and reap the extra warmth benefits as well.

Although the temperature differences between the Therme and Camosun are minimal, this isn't the case for Therme SV and Thorsen. It's significantly warmer than both of these jackets.

For the vast majority of people, even if you layer Therme or Camosun with another synthetic insulated jacket (such as one of these) they still won't feel as warm as Therme SV or Thorsen all by themselves! 

In short, if you want to maximize warmth; then Therme SV or Thorsen is the way to go for you. 

But if you have more $$$ to spare, then layering would give you more versatility. Proceed with your personal needs and desires. 

Links: 

• https://rei.com/product/175337/arcteryx-thorsen-insulated-parka-mens
• https://arcteryx.com/us/en/shop/mens/therme-sv-parka
• https://arcteryx.com/us/en/shop/mens/therme-parka
• https://arcteryx.com/us/en/shop/mens/therme-insulated-jacket
• https://rei.com/product/135602/arcteryx-camosun-insulated-parka-mens
• Arc'teryx Jacket Finder: https://arcteryx.com/us/en/shop/jacket-finder

If you're interested, here are the product videos: