Arc'teryx Men's Mako Jacket

Great Jacket So Far.....
February 02, 2012

I finally broke down and bought what I thought would be a no-compromise ski jacket that would (hopefully) last me for about 8-12 ski seasons. At this point, I've skied in this jacket for a couple days in very cold conditions (by northern Utah standards) and am convinced I won't need another outer layer for a long time. This jacket is very comfortable to wear. I bought the XL and at 6'2" 210lb it fits just tight enough that it never feels baggy, just loose and relaxed. But it's just loose enough I can put a layer of fleece under it on the coldest days. It extends just below the waist on me which I like. And the sleeves are just right on me, but I have long arms. If you have shorter arms you may feel like these sleeves are a bit too long for you. Compared to jackets in size XL from other brands this one seems just slightly bigger. Build quality can only be matched by very few other brands, and never surpassed. The exterior seems very durable without the hard, crinkly, plasticy feel of other Gore-tex shells I've tried on. Just two things I personally don't care for. 1 - The hood is not detachable. I would rather not have a hood as I don't use them but I knew this before I bought it and decided that it was not a deal breaker for me. 2 - Not quite as warm as I expected for a Gore-tex jacket with a good deal of insulation. Every review I've read everywhere had me believe this jacket would almost be too warm. Not so. After a couple trips up the ski lift at PowMow in 10 deg temps with a windchill I found myself running back to the truck to change to a thicker mid-layer. After that I was fairly warm. So, minus one point for the level of warmth. It is a warm jacket, but it doesn't quite do enough to reduce layering. Overall, I'm pretty happy with this one. On my own scale I think I'd give it a 9 out of 10.