Arc'teryx
Arc'teryx Beta SL Jacket (men's)
- Weight: 7/10 How much it adds to your pack.
- Rain protection: 7/10 How well the fabric and seams keep out heavy, long rain, when new.
- Warmth: 1/10 How much warmth the jacket itself adds. Most shells add little: wear a warm layer under them.
Hillwalking, scrambling and alpine days where a light shell with a helmet-compatible hood is wanted
- Weight
- 340 g (not stated)
- Waterproof rating (HH)
- Not published
- Fabric
- 3-layer GORE-TEX ePE (PFAS-free membrane) with GORE C-KNIT backer, 40D x 70D nylon face, PFAS-free FC0 DWR
- Seams taped
- Fully
- Pit zips
- Yes
Where to buy
Cotswold Outdoor £434.89 In stock. Free delivery. RRP £450 on the page. Free next-day delivery over £125.
View at shop: Cotswold OutdoorArc'teryx £450 In stock. Free delivery. Free shipping and returns.
View at shop: Arc'teryxPrices checked 8 Nov 2026 on each shop's own page; shops can change them. We earn no commission on these links; shops are listed by price. More
Our ratings (out of 10)
1 to 10, compared with the whole market. Each says what it's based on. How we score
Weight
From maker's figures 7/10How much it adds to your pack. 7: Better than most.
Arc'teryx lists 340 g without naming the size, in the 280-369 g band. OutdoorGearLab weighed 318 g, but we band the brand's figure.
Rain protection
From maker's figures 7/10How well the fabric and seams keep out heavy, long rain, when new. 7: Better than most.
GORE-TEX with no mm figure published for this jacket, so the GORE-TEX rule gives 7 (an estimate: a 9 or 10 needs reviews). Arc'teryx's product description and technical features never mention seams. The only seam statement on its own UK product page is a reply from Arc'teryx staff in the Questions section (18 June 2026): 'All seams are fully taped on the Beta SL Jacket'. We count it as the brand's own statement, because Arc'teryx staff wrote it under the brand's name on the brand's own page, but it is weaker than a line in the description. The same reply quotes 28,000 mm, the generic GORE-TEX figure, which we ignore.
Warmth
Estimate from maker's specs: thin shell (adds almost no warmth) 1/10How much warmth the jacket itself adds. Most shells add little: wear a warm layer under them. 1: A real weak point.
Estimate from maker's specs
In short
Good for
- Hillwalking, scrambling and alpine days where a light shell with a helmet-compatible hood is wanted
- Walkers who run warm and want pit zips on a GORE-TEX jacket
- Buyers who want a PFAS-free GORE-TEX membrane and are happy to pay for it
Strengths
- 340 g (Arc'teryx's figure) for a 3-layer GORE-TEX shell
- Arc'teryx says all seams are fully taped
- Weather protection 5 from seven independent tests
- Helmet-compatible StormHood, pit zips and a RECCO reflector
Weaknesses
- Fitted cut: BASE found size M roomy over layers, but OutdoorGearLab says sizing can be tricky
- The DWR needs regular washing and re-proofing to keep the face fabric from wetting out (OutdoorGearLab, The Trek)
- Arc'teryx calls it superlight, 'emphasizing lightweight and packability over durability'; the heavier Beta AR is the tougher choice
- Breathability isn't published and is an estimate, not a reviewed score
Sources
We haven't tested this ourselves. Every score comes from these specs, tests and reviews.
ShowHide sources (8)
- Arc'teryx UK: Beta SL Jacket Men's (340 g, size not stated; product page, previously the Beta Lightweight Jacket)
- Gripped: The Arc'teryx Beta SL Jacket: A Review (men's, 340 g)
- Treeline Review: Arc'teryx Beta SL Jacket Review (men's size M, bought)
- OutdoorGearLab: Arc'teryx Beta SL Review (men's, measured 318 g, bought)
- BASE Magazine: Review: Arc'teryx Beta SL Jacket (men's size M)
- CleverHiker: Arc'teryx Beta SL Rain Jacket Review (Miles Knotek, men's, Alaska; updated 15 October 2026)
- BetterTrail: Arc'teryx Beta SL Rain Jacket Review (Jade Downing and Eli Bernstein, men's, 480 km+)
- The Trek: Arc'teryx Beta SL Rain Jacket Review (Anna McKinney Smith, women's size L)