Faulty Arc'teryx Alpha Ar - The response from Arc'teryx.

A few weeks ago I returned a faulty Arc'teryx alpha AR jkt. which was leaking through the front zip .The supplier -Snow and rock were very helpful keeping me informed of progress whilst Arc'teryx inspected it... their  response was less than helpful and quite honestly astounded me .

I tweeted my disappointment and had many messages of support , the restrictions in twitter meant that lengthy discussion's are impractical - hense this post .

A bit of background. I originally purchased an Arc'teryx alpha Lt back in 2012, I bought this in a sale although it was still expensive . I liked the fit , features and the weight and was very happy until it leaked through the front zip. It was returned to Snow and Rock who in turn sent it back to Arc'teryx to be assessed .A few weeks later I received a letter from Snow and Rock informing me Arc'teryx had found it to be faulty AND had refunded my money, with which I could choose another jacket . I could have chose another brand but was delighted with Arc'teryx's response so I chose to pay full price for the updated AR version ( the LT had been discontinued ).like most outdoor folk I have limited funds for outdoors gear and any purchase needs to be considered , usually involving a combination of saving , selling unused item's and family contributions for birthdays , Christmas ect.

I used this replacement for around 2 1/2 years until it too developed the same fault , I went through the return procedure but this time the outcome was not so satisfactory ! below are the responses I received from supplier and manufacturer.

To say I was astounded at Arc'teryx's reply would be an understatement ! They basically say the front main zip that we all rely on to keep us dry is infact NOT waterproof ! instead it relies on a flap behind the zip . Below are 2 pic's showing this flap.

Would you say that flap is a reliable way to keep water out ? I don't ! it's just not wide enough , and doesn't even have a 'rain drain' !
The overall quality of Arc'teyx  jackets is very good- so why do they compromise that with a sub standard zip/ method of keeping water out ? I know this has been discussed on social media , forums and blogs many times , and you are probably fed up with hearing the same old discussion over & over again , but until manufacturers take note what choice do we have ?

Needless to say , I'm in the process of sending another email to Arc'teryx but don't hold out much hope .. I'm just not important enough

Daron

 

Edit . 24/07/2017

Had an email response from  Arc'teryx today . I questioned their testing procedure- they replied saying they 'do not have sight of jackets sent to their repair facility through authorized retailers ' and are unable to see what 'tests' have been carried out to determine the jackets ability to withstand water .

 

They go onto say ' the retailer will have more info' on what tests have been carried out , they do ask for a RA number so they can see what tests have been done so they can  supply a ' detailed ' explanation of what tests have been done . I supplied the reference no. on the retailers letter from - snow and rock .

 

Am now in the process of sending snow and rock another email , detailing what Arc'teryx have said & to get the RA number .

 

A windy night under cuben in the Eastern Fells

I didn't think I would be able to get out in july due to work & family commitments, so when my wife planned a night out with friends I jumped at the chance to get a night out in the hills .

A few messages were exchanged with lee taylor & Peter Dixon and we decided on a 2 day route in the Eastern Fells so I could tick off a few unclimbed Wainwright's in the area.

Mr Lake District a.k.a. Peter Dixon know's the Lakeland fell's & all its nook's and crannies far better than me , so I was more than happy for him to plan a route.

After a couple of day's he got back to me with a crackin route of just under 26 miles & we agreed to meet in Hartsop Saturday morning , the weather didn't look too good - 40 - 45 mph winds , gusts too 55 mph light rain showers before heavier rain moved in for the evening , they pretty much got this bang on !

An early start saw me parked up in hartsop at around 7.30. We had planned to meet around 8.30.but travelling from the midlands , along the M6 I knew I had to allow extra time for traffic ect.

Peter , Lee & Oscar ( Peter's faithful hill companion a 10 yr old chocolate Labrador ) pulled up around 45 min's later .We greeted each other then kitted up and headed out .

The tops were in clag , and it was raining lightly , but it didn't dampen our spirit's & soon we reached brock crags - a new wainwright for me.

From there we headed towards Angle Tarn Pike , passing Angle Tarn along the way .

Next target was Beda Fell where we decided we would take a break there before descending northwards towards Ullswater , then onto the Roman Road (high street ) that runs all the way to the summit .

Just before we got to Beda Fell  Oscar started limping badly he was obviously in dis-comfort as he kept stopping for a rest .

Concerned for Oscar's welfare peter decided it wasn't wise to continue on our intended route , being a dog lover myself I could fully understand his concern & we took a break at Beda Fell & weighed up the options .

Peter decided to head back the way we had come , and camp to allow Oscar to rest , leaving a short walk to his car the next day . lee and myself could have continued , but decided we would head back with Peter and camp with him .

 



 



It was getting quite windy now & we knew we would need to find somewhere sheltered to camp , Peter suggested a spot he and lee had camped at a few yrs previous just below Satura crag .

Soon 3 mountain laurel designs cuben duomids were fastened to the hillside & we retreated to our individual shelters for a brew , there was a brief lull around tea time & we took the opportunity to eat and chat behind a near by wall .

After around 30 mins we went back to the shelters for the night , I took a wind speed reading & it showed gusts too 50.6 mph ! they got stronger during the evening.

 This was the 1st real test for my Duomid  - I was really impressed with it as well , I did have 1 problem which I quickly sorted - I had used MLD'S  guyline on the 4 main corners , but had used thinner dyneema on mid panel guy points , this was a mistake as the constant buffeting caused them to slip - I solved this by tying them off & it stood rock solid for the rest of the night. I have changed back to the thicker guyline .

Morning came and we all still had cuben above our heads , the mountain laurel designs cuben duomids had took all mother nature threw at them during the night , no damage was suffered - testament to mld's superb build quality & materials.

Whilst eating breakfast we noticed signs of blue skies & a little while later we packed and set off to a much improved day .

We said our goodbyes to Peter & Oscar then myself and lee headed towards the Knott .

Around 15 mins later Peter & Oscar caught us up again - Oscar had started doing 'doughnut's ' shortly after leaving us , so he decided to catch us up . We then walked together to Thornthwaite crag from where we parted company again - Peter , Oscar & lee making their way back to the car park whilst I continued on to Stoney cove Pike / Cauldale moor , before bagging my final wainwright on that side - Hartsop Dodd .

It had been another fantastic trip & it was great to catch up with the lad's again.

Till next time .... happy wildcamping
Daron