Arc'teryx Kyanite Hoody - Women's Review

The Arc'teryx Kyanite can easily transition from work to the trails. This versatile and sleekly styled lightweight fleece is a wonderful choice for fall hikes and chores around the house. It has a full-zip polyester build with a balaclava hood and two high handwarmer pockets that layer nicely with a climbing harness or backpack.

Performance Comparison

Warmth

This wonderful lightweight fleece packs a lot of warmth into its thinner layers. The outer Polartec shell provides some wind protection, while the interior, soft fleece works to keep the body warm and protected from cold weather. The fleece insulates both when wet and dry, offering lots of warmth in any condition. Wear it on its own or as a jacket on cool days.

From hot summer days to cold fall nights, we wore this jacket in a plethora of conditions. We used it as a wear-alone piece and wore it underneath other jackets on cold days. What we learned is that for lightweight fleece, it's pretty darn warm. It offers decent thermoregulation but holds its heat; as a result, we'd recommend it as a mid-layer during cold days in the winter or as a stand-alone jacket in the winter and fall.

Comfort and Fit

The interior fleece is ridiculously soft and feels so good on the skin. When we first put it on, we didn't want to take it off! The Polartec fabric stretches in all directions and offers a good amount of room through the shoulders, torso, and hips.

The wrists are simple, without any loops or hems in the material. This jacket has two handwarmer pockets (not fleece lined) and an interior chest pocket that's large enough to fit a smaller iPhone. The hood is helmet-compatible and fleece-lined, providing the ultimate in comfort.

Our only caveat in this category is the zipper. In addition to many online users that have reported the "no-slip zipper" sliding down on its own, we noted this problem as well. When it is zipped up about ¾ of the way, and we move, the zipper travels down.

This annoying feature lost many comfort points here. That said, when it's completely zipped up, we had no issues. We strongly urge Arc'teryx to fix this issue, as keeping a jacket zipped shouldn't be as big an issue for such an expensive product. Aside from that, we love this layer, and it's our preference for wearing on most days.

Breathability

The Kyanite provides good thermoregulation, but it's not the best out there. The exterior face fabric is continuous, while the interior architecture is made up of continuous fleece along the back for moisture-wicking and insulation. The front of the fleece features a more breathable mesh that attaches and accommodates the pockets built into the jacket.

We wore this jacket while hiking, running, and playing around town. It provides good breathability, especially in cold weather, though we found ourselves taking it off when we began to sweat. It has an above-average level of thermoregulation but ultimately keeps you warmer than cooler. As a result, we'd recommend it for activities that aren't super sweaty, like day hiking and wearing around town. It's not our first choice for highly aerobic activities like ski touring or running.

Layering Ability

This fleece can layer well but can get stuck on thicker baselayers. Designed to be worn on its own or in a layered system, the Polartec Stretch Pro fabric provides a considerable amount of stretch.

It stretches well but doesn't offer as much room as others in the review. The arms around the shoulders are a little tighter, and if you're wearing a midweight or heavyweight baselayer (depending on the material), it can bunch; this is a result of the fleece-lined interior. With thinner baselayers or t-shirts, we had no problems. The face fabric is continuous and doesn't have much friction, so it layers effortlessly underneath other jackets or larger fleeces.

Ease of Movement

The stretch provides easy movement for all sorts of activities. The arms are long enough to accommodate long limbs, and the jacket doesn't ride up when you reach up. We do wish it was a tad bit longer in the torso. The wrists don't have any thumb loops, so you don't have the option to keep the arms pulled down when reaching up, but it doesn't move much anyway, so we're not too worried about that. We love that the fleece stays where it should, without needing many adjustments.

Weather Resistance

Weather resistance is average. We took the Kyanite with us to Red Rocks, Nevada, where the winds can be pretty strong; we stood up on high peaks to measure how the continuous face fabric holds up to super gusty conditions. When worn with a base layer, we didn't notice the wind ripping through the fabric. As a result, we'd wear it in windy weather with a light windbreaker or thin base layer underneath.

For wet weather, it provides some basic resistance but is far from waterproof. In our water tests, we poured a little water on the face fabric. For a moment, when there were just a few beads, it did a good job of repelling the droplets; the water didn't absorb at first and simply dribbled away.

We also observed the same result when wearing it during a light rain shower. However, when more water was added, and the rainstorms got heavier, the fabric readily absorbed the water. During our objective water tests, it provided resistance from complete absorption for about two seconds, before the 100mL of water absorbed into the fabric. Even though the water absorbed into the fabric, it didn't transfer into the inner layers, which means more protection during wet storms.

We'd recommend this fleece for wearing under a light rain jacket or windbreaker when the weather gets bad. It'll do fine for some wind, but doesn't offer the same protection as an insulated jacket or softshell; just as you'd expect.

Value

This jacket is expensive. Some people might be willing to shell out the extra dollars simply because it is stylish and versatile. However, for those looking to pinch pennies, there are better options with better value. That said, the materials used are durable, and the fleece hasn't shown signs of pilling or durability issues, even after wearing consistently for a few months.

Conclusion

The Arcteryx Kyanite stands out as a lightweight and fashionable fleece that offers technical performance. It's perfect for wearing as a mid-layer in the winter while milling around town, or as a light hiking jacket in the Fall or Spring. It is expensive, so be sure you're ready to throw down if you fall in love with it.