The Venta SV utilizes some of the best fabrics, zippers and construction technologies available. It’s safe to assume a jacket like this will prove highly mobile, durably weather-resistant and ergonomically superior; even so, I found its performance to be quite impressive. It even earned a couple of bonus points by shrugging off ice-screw incursions and remaining totally adjustable while I was wearing thick belay gloves.

The Venta SV seems to blur the line between hard-shell and soft-shell—it features three different weights of Gore Windstopper fabric, and mostly-taped seams. I tested it in a variety of conditions to discover exactly what it could and couldn’t do:

Rain
Impressive wet-weather performance for a soft-shell: After two hours of continuous exposure in steady rain, the Venta SV leaked slightly at the embroidered and un-taped logos on the left breast and shoulder; the jacket seemed otherwise functionally waterproof.

Snow and Wind
Serious alpine-armor for hard knocks in full conditions: This jacket was my primary shell on a January ice-climbing trip to Lee Vining Canyon in the eastern Sierra. I waded through deep snow for over 2 hours on the approach, climbed pitches of near-vertical ice coated with rime while being blasted by spindrift, hooked an elbow around a dripping ice-pillar, and lived constantly in the Venta SV over a couple of windy days in the mid 20s (F). In combination with a mid-weight merino wool baselayer, and with an occasional opening of pit-zips, the Venta SV kept me warm, dry and comfortable.

Breathability
Complete weather protection still comes at a certain price:  The Venta SV is only slightly more breathable than a thin modern hard-shell jacket, and is much less breathable than non-windproof soft-shells I have worn.

Detailing

Arcteryx is famous for its attention to detail, and this jacket is no different. (3 bonus points for  for perfecting the little stuff you only notice over time.)