Arc'teryx Fortrez Hooded Fleece Jacket - Men's reviews and deals for sale

Great Hoody :) NEEDS Wrist Thumb Holes!

Awesome Polartec Power Stretch w/Hardface Hoody! NEEDS Wrist Thumb Holes! I've been rocking Arc'Teryx Apparel and using their Gear for 21 years now. So I know the innovations that the Arc'Teryx Designers were known for, and I know the back-steps that they've taken regarding their loss of articulated apparel patterning. Arc'Teryx: Fortrez Hoody Men's. Sizing/Fitment: Fitment is… read more true to size! Not too tight, not too loose, just right. You don't want a mid-base layer to fit loose like a sweatshirt. You can wear a long sleeve t-shirt under it and still have the Polartec Power Stretch hoody be comfortable. Comfort: The comfort is excellent, the patterning is pretty much spot on. But as always I do miss the old-school Arc'Teryx neck patterning that they were always known for. It is slightly loose in the forearms, and I would LOVE to see some Wrist Thumb Holes just like on the awesome LEAF Naga Hoody Gen 1 Men's, and especially on every mid-base layer Arc’teryx makes. That's an upgrade feature that needs to happen! Quality: Polartec Power Stretch has always been the number one fabric for me that Arc'teryx has utilized over the years. So I totally LOVE, dig the cool looking and feeling abrasion-resistant Polartec Power Stretch with Hardface! I don't care about weight. I care about proper fitment, overall comfort, stretch, warmth, styling, durability, longevity, and most importantly quality! I don't like the change to the main metal zipper pull, I much prefer the look and quality of the older YKK rounded Aluminum can pull-tab shaped metal zipper pull that was covered with a thick coat of paint which has never ever failed me. Request: Please add Wrist Thumb Holes! Please go back to the older tried and true YKK rounded Aluminum can pull-tab shaped metal main zipper pull tab. Pros: Fitment, styling, material (Polartec Power Stretch w/Hardface), functionality, built-in Phasic AR neck gaiter ninja/covid mask, flatlock construction, new No Slip Zip concept, exterior auxiliary pocket, petite zipper garages. Cons: NO Wrist Thumb Holes :( flimsy new main metal zipper pull tab, not offered in Black. GearFreakNY :)

FIt is off

I own a few Arc'teryx jackets. I love them all... but not this. The Kyanite is by far my favorite. So I thought, what the heck, this seems like a step up. I purchased, tried it on. First impressions: Wow, this jacket is built great! I pulled on the hood, tried the built in neck gaiter/balaclava, cool feature... Then I tried moving around a bit. This jacket has a very strange… read more tightness at the neck I was not prepared for when the hood is up. OK, let me try it down as well... Wow, this is really uncomfortable. I own a large in the Kyanite, and it fits great. This.... continues to have an odd fit and tightness right at the neck, even partially unzipped was not comfortable. Please note, this is just my personal experience, and I know it works great for others, I have a slightly bigger back from lifting, but never had a problem before. Size large for a 190lb person should not be an issue. Sadly returning. I was so hoping this would be my new cold weather hiking jacket.

What the hell were they thinking

I love Arcteryx.... i really do. And pleaded with myself to like this item. However.., given Arcteryx always runs small, and this was listed as “trim” fit. I ordered the large as i usually do. The large was a tent! The arms were so long, you can cut them in half and donate them to make another shirt! So... i sent the large back for a medium. The medium was so small, i woukd… read more have to use the “stretch” of the garment to make the zippers meet in the middle. And the arms? They were ridiculously too ling still. Obviously, for climbing. But still obnoxiously long. Also, the protective fabric is not so “protective”... the Patagonia dual aspect hoodie nailed it as far as im concerned, and this Arcteryx response is utterly weak. The worst Arcteryx product ive ever ordered. . If one njoys the “ninja” look so much (protective balaclava), then may i suggenst Sitka’s Fanatic Hoodie instead. Also... unless your planning to only wear this with a t-shirt beneath, which is possible, i know... then... like the older Arcteryx Covert... i grabs and pulls up on the sleeves of everything beneath. Its nearly impossible to wear casually. I found this item to be totally worthless in every respect, for hiking, casual, winter wear, weather, or any other use that i at least can think of... except perhaos climbing in nothing but a t shirt beneath... in which case.. the hood will flop around unless your wearing it... and the hood would be the only feature worth anything, but it too is not windproof. Im stumped as to any useful purpose for this item and returned both the large and the medium. Im 5’6 tall and weigh 158 lbs... and the large was a tent, the medium too small.

Best for Ice Climbing

It fills the gap between warmth and features between the Delta LT and the Delta AR

Ninja Surprise

This has very quickly become one of my favorite layers. I bought it just before a climbing trip that I went on. I wanted something to climb in that was lightweight, durable and warm. I did not know about the built in face mask before purchasing, and man was I stoked when I found it. I can't say that I've found myself in many situations that necessitate the use, but I appreciate… read more the ingenuity. I'm typically either a large, or medium for base type layers, and I like the way that the large fits.

Great midlayers and casual jacket

This jacket is has some improvements over your 'average' fleece. The hardface exterior looks great, keeps the jacket from looking fuzzy, and actually puts up a bit of a fight against drizzle and cool breezes. Not waterproof, for sure, but somewhat more resistant than other fleece jackets I've had. The hood seems like a bit of a gimmick, but it has actually become a favorite feature.… read more The hood is slim fitting and works well under my ski or climbing helmet when I need a little more warmth. And the balaclava actually works nicely. Moderately warm - my last fleece was an R2, and the Patagonia was warmer (under a shell, at least - the R2 was not water or wind resistant at all, plus it was so furry looking, to the point that I hardly ever wore it alone). But the Fortrez under my shell keeps me warm skiing into the 20's. Finally, it looks nice enough to wear around.

Not for tall people

The center back length is too short to be used as a tech fleece. It works great for casual/street wear, but for a cold technical fleece, I'm sticking with my R1. I do love the material, very light weight and soft inside

Great for my usage

I've had this for a little over a year and used it extensively. Hiking, skiing, around town, by itself or under a softshell or a hybrid shell. Fits just perfect, not baggy at all (as I saw others complain). Sleeves length is as it should be, as is the overall length. I've put on a little weight over the last year from 5.11 and 185 to about 200#, but cannot say the fit is worse,… read more just a little tighter, as expected. While hiking, I used this as my main jacket over a short sleeve T. Found it held surprisingly well against mild breezes and easily down in the high 30s. It only works if you move. If you expect this to keep you warm while sitting down waiting for sunrise, you will be disappointed. It's not what it is meant for. But throw a light hybrid shell on top (like the Alpha Comp) and you will be surprised how well it holds. The built in hood comes in incredibly useful while skiing. I had a Gore Bike wear head/face mask I used before and was curious how well does this hold. And it does great. While it really doesn't have the wind resistance of the Gore, so it won't be useful in extreme cold with gale strength winds, for regular skiing purposes it's just perfect. I use the Fortrez over a REI merino base and under a Procline Hybrid and it did great down to 5F. Below that I had to change plans... As far as resistance of the fabric... I washed it at least 15-20x and it still feels and looks as new. No piling. No loss of anything. No holes. I'm genuinely puzzled reading some of the posts here. I'm not sure how to interpret them based on my own experience. I'm not an Arc super-fan. I like their stuff a lot, but also own gear from Millet, Marmot, MH, Smartwool, Ibex, Dynafit, UA, REI, TNF. They all have their respective pluses and minuses. Some are definitely better for certain usages and certain conditions than others, but none is really a 1-2 stars quality.

Ninja

I'll be honest. I bought this to be a ninja with my coworker. I went with the small black size and love the simple design. This has easily become my go to fleece and is perfect on it's own. I did notice as the wind picks up though it doesn't offer much coverage so it becomes a great midlayer as the temps dip down

Great Mid Layer

Bought this for my boyfriend. He uses it primamirly as a base layer for winter backpacking/outdoor living. It also works great for him as a layer to wear while being active in cold weather. When it gets really cold out, he loves the built-in neck gaiter. His only complaint is that he wishes the sleeves had the built in thumb holes for putting the sleeves over your hands.

Perfect Mid-Layer

Recently went fly fishing in Wyoming. We were hit with everything from cold wind to snow and rain. Wore this everyday as the warm under layer and was perfectly comfortable everyday. Even used the hood a few times which is an added bonus!!

Excellent

Nice and fine fabric!

Great fleece

Other reviewers are right, not as tight in the waist as other pieces, like the konseal. Still super warm, got it as a mid layer fleece for skiing, I like full zip over 1/4 for konseal, and neck gaiter is a plus for cold days as hood works well under helmet.

Great fleece!

I've worn it as a mid-layer for hiking and climbing. It is pretty warm and light, and definitely does what it promises. I am 100% satisfied with the product.

Just what I was looking for

I was looking for a lightweight hooded layer and this is perfect. I've used it on some late winter hikes in Vermont and New Hampshire and it's great to pop the hood on/off to regulate temperature. I wasn't sure how the integrated balaclava would work, but you don't notice it when you're not using it and it works well. I saw that others thought it was "large" and it seems to be… read more made for the over 50 crowd who's packing on few extra pounds. As a "slightly" overweight hiker, I agree that it could be cut trimer.

Not quite what I expected

This fleece is made of a high quality material, the pockets are large and well placed, and the hood is a proper size for my smaller than average sized head. I echo the sentiments below that the waist is very wide and the lack of drawstring causes the fleece to lose a ton of its insulating property. The fleece material was also much thinner than I expected, leaving me with a beautiful… read more piece of clothing that barely keep me warm. If it is below about 55 degrees outside and even the slightest bit windy I need to layer considerably over this particular fleece. If you are looking for something a little thicker, try the Arenite or Straibo. I do believe this fleece is well made and works well for its intended purpose (an active layer) but the lack of waist drawstring and bag-like fit at the bottom do not combine well.

Awesome midlayer, perfect for layering

Not sure where the negative feedback is coming from on other reviews. I am a lanky 5'10" 155lbs, all arms and legs with a short torso so that may be the reason but I find this to fit perfectly. The arms are plenty long and I have a problem with sleeves being too short. I'm a soccer player and very skinny, I don't find it to be too baggy at all and I'm always on the lookout for that.… read more I wear a small in most brands: Nike, JCrew, etc. I wear this while working outside in the winter (carpentry) with a Smartwool baselayer and a $20 softshell jacket to take the abuse. This setup is fine for anything above 15F, if it gets colder I add a NorthFace Thermoball jacket. The balaclava was awesome last week when when windchill dropped below. Haven't noticed it when I'm not using it, in fact I forgot about it until I my face was numb and I needed a fix. I've been wearing this for 2 weeks straight and as another review said, I don't ever want to take it off. Took it for a hike on a 40F day with a little wind. It seemed to block a reasonable amount of wind which was surprising. The hardface is great, looks brand new still. In short, a great piece if you know what you're expecting. I already owned the Thermoball insulated jacket so I didn't want to get the Atom LT or a similar piece. I wanted a lightweight midlayer that would add some warmth, block some wind, and look good enough that I'd want to wear it alone when possible. This has more than met those expectations!

Good CASUAL fleece

Solid casual piece that fits for the most part ok. It does rise up at the bottom as I've seen other people mention as well. I don't take this camping/hiking as the R1 is a much better "performance" article of clothing. Best traits of the Fortrez are stylish look and overall comfortableness. Probably not worth 200 bucks but I'd snag one if you were in the market for something stylish… read more and saw it on sale. This thing would probably cost $150 if it was made by TNF or MH. I've experienced no "pilling" or color fade as others have claimed and I've had mine for about a year.

A Great Addition to My Activewear

I purchased this with the intent to use it as a midlander piece and it has done exactly what I intended it to do. The comments on the waist (not form fitting) are true but I purchased it knowing that. I am 5'9" with a 43 chest and 34 waist and the large fits me very nicely. Sleeve length is perfect and maybe a 1/2 too long but has not bothered me. The feature that I really love… read more on this jacket is the built in baclava. I have layered it under the Atom LT while cross country skiing at -12 Farenheit and been perfectly warm with the baclava over my mouth and nose. Have also worn it while running at pretty low temps and it performed well there also. Didn't get any serious draft because of the bigger waist.