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Home > Gear Reviews > Arc'Teryx Maverick AR Jacket 
; "Arc'Teryx Maverick AR Jacket")
Arc'Teryx Maverick AR Jacket Brand: Arc'Teryx Model: Maverick AR Size: Large Price: $179 Purchased At: Local specialty shop Arc'Teryx Maverick AR Jacket
posted by fonixmunkee in Adventure Travel, Backpacking, Freestyle Skiing, Hiking, Snow Skiing, Snowboarding  Email to a friend
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Where I live, warmth is of the utmost importance, from about November until April. During these months, the weather is biting cold: blustery, windy, and just down-right chilly. Usually, just a Gore-Tex shell isn’t enough when it’s snowing, and when it’s not snowing, it’s windy, and the wind cuts through something like a fleece with no problem. So how do you bridge the inclimate weather? Easy: the Maverick AR Jacket. Don’t let the name confuse you: the Maverick is a jacket, but it’s also a base layer (pretty much anything in Arc’teryx’s catalog is multi-functional). The Maverick works great as a stand-alone jacket: thick, and hella warm. The wind still cuts through it, but not as much. Which is why the Maverick isn’t just a jacket: it’s a layer a well. It fits perfectly right under my Stingray Gore Tex softshell. So when the wind is howling, the Gore Tex knocks down the wind, and the Maverick keeps me toasty. Don’t let the name confuse you: the Maverick is a jacket, but it’s also a base layer (pretty much anything in Arc’teryx’s catalog is multi-functional). The Maverick works great as a stand-alone jacket: thick, and hella warm. The wind still cuts through it, but not as much. Which is why the Maverick isn’t just a jacket: it’s a layer a well. It fits perfectly right under my Stingray Gore Tex softshell. So when the wind is howling, the Gore Tex knocks down the wind, and the Maverick keeps me toasty. Let’s talk about how warm the Maverick is: warm enough to keep me comfortable in -10 temps standing next to Lake Superior. That’s thermonuclear warmth. But that’s also the jacket’s downfall: moisture management. Because it’s so damn warm, it succeeds as a base layer but fails as well: there’s not moisture-wicking or moisture release with the Maverick. It’s really only functional as a base layer if you use it for competely inclimate climates and not in any sort of aerobic capacity. So if you are going to be snowshoeing and want to stay warm, this jacket isn’t going to be ideal, even with some moisture-wicking Duofold or Underarmor underneath it; the Maverick will simply bake the sweat and turn it into a downright Amazon rain basin inbetweenst ye layers. All this aside, truthfully, I rarely use my Maverick as anything more than a jacket, and most of the time, it’s casual wear. It does accompany me on fall camping trips because I don’t have to be afraid of it getting wet (there’s no protection from the elements in any of the fabrics). During winter trips, it usually doesn’t accompany me as I can be assured that I will either be snowed on, or in a snow cave, and therefore the jacket will be wet. Putting on my Gore Tex over it isn’t an option as I will back. The only time the Maverick accompanies me outside of the casual wear is on ski trips, in which I wear it if it’s -25 at elevation, such as at Big Sky, or even colder yet, the -35 at Breck. Then, no matter what, I can rest assure that I don’t have to worry about moisture management because no matter what, my balls will be as cool as hell. The only reason why the Maverick gets a 9/10 is because of the lack of moisture wicking. It’s not the jacket’s fault or Arc’teryx’s fault: no one, as of the posting of this article, has been able to combine effective moisture management with the warmth that the Maverick provides. Every other feature is up to the typical Arc’teryx par, even though nowadays Arc’teryx has most of their manufacturing for non-technical gear outsourced to China and Bangledesh (bastards). The seams are solid, the zippers garaged, and the arms gusseted. The colors are solid and non-obtrusive (I have the spruce color). And, it’s fleecy feel is so nice against your skin, you feel warm just by touching it. The Maverick is a solid jacket and a great cold-weather layer. For the price, it’s worth it as well. Comments
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