Its DWR treatment helps the jacket shrug off light showers, but one issue discussed more below is that the outer is so thin that when it does get wet it really does feel wet through. So far, it is actually this material which has shown signs of wear on my jacket, as it has gone bobbly in places other than this there are no other obvious signs of wear and tear during the test period. On this hybrid jacket the side panels are different, and instead of a 3-layer outer insulation and inner fabric, they are a single layer brushed microfleece with a smooth outer surface the same colour as the rest of the jacket. These stretchy side panels aid breathability and movement. It may be worth noting the voices on the UKC/UKH gear forum which have raised concerns about how robust this fabric may be - see here. The outer fabric is Tyono™ 20 which seems hyper-breathable and has a ripstop-type grid to increase durability however, the fabric does feel extremely thin and is quite noisy. The hood is cut in a way that it will fit under a helmet, however I was quite surprised to find that it did go over a helmet well enough to offer some benefit, too - but it is not what you would categorise as helmet compatible. The rim of the hood is not adjustable, is not wired and it does not have any kind of peak although there is a short length of stiffening above the eyebrows. The rear of the hood has a volume adjuster toggle the elastic tracks the lower edge of any hat you are wearing so it feels quite secure. The hem has an elasticated drawcord that's about it, the architecture of the jacket is mostly a vessel for the insulation. The cuffs are not adjustable, just simple stretch fabric. There is one internal chest pocket which is relatively large. Unfortunately neither of these functions as a stow pocket, which is a feature that would have made sense in a lightweight jacket that you might want to stuff down as compact as possible in a pack, or hang off your harness on multi pitch routes. There are two external zipped pockets suitable as hand warmers as they go inside the layer of insulation.
This is out and out lightweight, so one should not expect masses of features.
When the jacket is hung up or in a pile it looks rather insubstantial, but when you put it on it seems to have more of the feel of a fluffed up insulated jacket! When the jacket is zipped up it comes up nice and high around the neck, which makes it feel cosy and I guess this helps squeeze the most warmth out of the minimalist design. I have sometimes noticed a tendency for the jacket to ride up under a rucksack hip belt - however that effect may have been peculiar to the arm action of using long poles during Nordic skiing, because it doesn't always happen. Being too short in the body is a common review criticism of garments like this, so it's nice to see a bit hem length here. The Atom does at times poke out of the bottom of this, so it is cut quite long which on balance is a good thing in terms of keeping the midriff warm and draught-free. I have been wearing an athletic fit type Gore Tex shell ( Salewa Ortles 3) over this a lot of the time. The stretch panels at the sides mean you can achieve quite a close fit although the lightness of the structure means it does flap about at times when you are wearing this as an outer. I'm pretty slim but even on me there is not masses of room to add more substantial layers without feeling restricted. At about 5'11'' and roughly 75kg (to mix my measures) I've been using a men's size Medium. I have been wearing this over a warm baselayer and occasionally a thin fleece hoody as well. The Atom LT comes in both men's and women's versions. Just to be clear, this is not in any way in belay jacket territory - at least not as far as winter is concerned. In less challenging conditions it'll function as an outer layer, but for winter in particular this really feels predominantly like a midlayer, and much more an active piece than something to stand around in for hours. Lightweight stuff like this could be used all year round in various environments. I'd dispute Arc'teryx's claim that this jacket has "a high degree of weather resistance" - that's not what it's for at all. For this reason, most of the time in the winter I ended up putting a shell over the top. However, with this breathability comes air permeability, and you feel cold penetrating when the wind blows hard. It feels light and unencumbered in the upper body, and breathable enough that you can wear it in comfort when working hard.
I have used the Atom LT as an outer during climbing, walking and nordic skiing in more benign winter weather. © Dave Saunders In winter - mostly a midlayer
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