Favorite active insulation piece?

I’m in the market for an active insulation synthetic piece to fill out my jacket lineup. My primary uses would be the following:

Ice climbing outer piece

Alpine and rock climbing outer piece in cold conditions 

Skiing (downhill) midlayer, skinning outer piece

I was pretty set on trying out the new Proton LT from Arcteryx, but the venue where I’m able to get a good discount is out of stock in all of my sizes, so I’m pretty bummed. I’m now looking into offerings from other brands as well, and I’ve been considering the the North Face Ventrix and Atom LT as my primary choices. I’m specifically curious of any personal experience with the Ventrix to see what the consensus is on it. 

I’ve used the OR Ascendant before but don’t like the fuzzy interiors. Any other recommendations are appreciated as well from any brand. 

TL;DR, Wanted Proton LT, out of stock, other options, Ventrix??

I have two ventrix jackets and really really really like them. I have a hard time picturing them as an outer layer for ice climbing, though -  I think it breathes too well, and it won't hold up to picks and poons. It's also pretty much the NF version of the Patagonia Nano Air, if you're familiar with that. 

 I like the Marmot ROM hoody. 

 I wear a Patty R1 hoody or Arcteryx Forterz hoody and merino wool base layer on colder days. If it’s near freezing I wear a light Patty cap 1/4 zip and a silk base layer.

La MoMoFace wrote:

I have two ventrix jackets and really really really like them. I have a hard time picturing them as an outer layer for ice climbing, though -  I think it breathes too well, and it won't hold up to picks and poons. It's also pretty much the NF version of the Patagonia Nano Air, if you're familiar with that. 

Good to know. I’ve heard the Ventrix runs warmer than other similar jackets such as the nano-air, not sure if any personal experience can verify that. As far as durability for ice though, it seems pretty good to me. It has some climbing specific features like more durable fabric on elbows to help minimize tears. I should also mention the Ventrix has fit me really well when I tried one on, I was very surprised. 

I’m also curious about the hood on the Ventrix. I’ve read one place that it is helmet compatible and another that it is not. Also wondering if the lack of hood adjustability is a hinderance, I’ve always enjoyed hood adjustability. 

I have an Atom LT, Proton LT, Proton AR, and Nano Air. The Proton is now my go to ice climbing jacket, far more breathable and stretchy than the Atom LT. Not quite as breathable as the Nano Air, but close. The Proton will block a small amount of wind, unlike the Nano Air. My Atom LT just stays in the closet now. I'd try to get the Proton if you can, it fits just a tad snugger than the Atom.

^MyFeetHurt^ nailed it.  I, too, own the Proton LT Hoody, Nano-Air & Nano-Air Light Hoody.  My primary exterior piece is the Proton LT Hoody because it's a bit more wind/weather resistant.  For midlayer, the Nano-Air series is king.  It breathes like a champ & dries super fast.  On super cold days, like the past two weeks have been - below 0ºF here in the northeast, I combine the Nano-Air Light Hoody and the Proton LT Hoody.  I've been very happy with that combination thus far.  Added to my pack is a super light shell (Alpha FL) for windy/snowy weather and I'm golden.  I rarely ever need the hardshell as the active insulation pieces dry really fast. 

Thanks for the awesome replies guys. I was right in leaning towards the Proton LT, but unfortunately it won't be available for a while from the place I was to buy it, and I need a piece for an upcoming ice trip first week of February. Does anyone have experience with the Summit Series Ventrix L3? That seems to be the best option i'm leaning towards right now.

cmqr9001 Black wrote:

Good to know. I’ve heard the Ventrix runs warmer than other similar jackets such as the nano-air, not sure if any personal experience can verify that. As far as durability for ice though, it seems pretty good to me. It has some climbing specific features like more durable fabric on elbows to help minimize tears. I should also mention the Ventrix has fit me really well when I tried one on, I was very surprised. 

I’m also curious about the hood on the Ventrix. I’ve read one place that it is helmet compatible and another that it is not. Also wondering if the lack of hood adjustability is a hinderance, I’ve always enjoyed hood adjustability. 

See this review which talks about the jacket being pretty abrasion resistant and shows the hood being helmet compatible and does have a cinch cord for adjustability.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qE2K0uPI7NE

Here's another video which again talks about the helmet compatible hood and adjustability without a helmet, and how it layers with other TNF Summit Series L1 baselayer, L5 shell pants/jacket and L6 belay jacket.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXYhIIUgi_I

MyFeetHurt wrote:

I have an Atom LT, Proton LT, Proton AR, and Nano Air. The Proton is now my go to ice climbing jacket, far more breathable and stretchy than the Atom LT. Not quite as breathable as the Nano Air, but close. The Proton will block a small amount of wind, unlike the Nano Air. My Atom LT just stays in the closet now. I'd try to get the Proton if you can, it fits just a tad snugger than the Atom.

Do you have any issues with the Atom LT, Proton LT/AR or Nano Air insulation losing it's loft (and therefore warmth) after repeated compressing/decompressing from back pack, or sitting down with back of jacket being compressed/decompressed repeatedly?

I hear Atom LT's Coreloft insulation looses it's loft pretty quickly and essentially turns into a wind shirt, and wondering if you have the same experience with your Atom LT or Protons or Nano Air. 

ty

GearGuy 316 wrote:

Do you have any issues with the Atom LT, Proton LT/AR or Nano Air insulation losing it's loft (and therefore warmth) after repeated compressing/decompressing from back pack, or sitting down with back of jacket being compressed/decompressed repeatedly?

I hear Atom LT's Coreloft insulation looses it's loft pretty quickly and essentially turns into a wind shirt, and wondering if you have the same experience with your Atom LT or Protons or Nano Air. 

ty

The Atom is probably the least lofty of them all. I'm sure technically they have all lost some loft as do most synthetics, but haven't actually noticed any difference. This includes practically living in the Nano Air for 3 weeks in Alaska, and 2 weeks in Bolivia with the Proton. The Atom LT is not a warm jacket for sitting around, but it is too warm for any sort of active layer.