My Arc’teryx jackets are falling apart. And yours?

I had a serious issue with two Arc’teryx jackets this month.

Arc’teryx Alpha Goretex XCR
While mountaineering the ventilation zips have peeled off / detached for the failure of the glue.  (See pictures) The jacket has no other issue due to the use.

Arc’teryx Beta Goretex PacLite While in a long multi day hike in Ushuaia Peninsula Mitre (Amazing). Bottom bungie detached because (again) of glue problems. Ventilation zips detached in the same way as the Alpha jacket. 
So I sent the PacLite to the repair department and they refused to repair itThe only thing I would get is a 20% discount that is what you usually find as end of the season sale, not a huge save.
Did you experience the same material/quality issue? Is this acceptable?
Does make sense to proceed with an independent repair or should I trash  the jackets even if I would use them as spare in long trails/expeditions. 
Is goretex itself not effective anymore after 5/7 years?
Cheers!

I noticed that soon after they moved production to China, knockoffs appeared that looked similar and had the brand markings, but were not authentic Arc’teryx . Did you buy them at an Arc’teryx  official retailer? If so, take it back, they stand behind their stuff. If not, and you tried to save some $$$$ and bought a cheap fake Arc’teryx stuff off some random internet seller, it's your problem and yours alone.

Same thing with other Mfg, you can get North Face in China dirt cheap.....except...it's not really North Face, it only says it is. 

My guess is their response is that the PacLite is intended for an emergency shell and not for multi-day hiking trips, or climbing, and that you should have sprung for a much more durable material. 

Buy China Made, buy twice.

Was gonna ask same thing about where you bought them (knockoff potential).  Individual results may vary, but all my Arc stuff is going strong, some pieces over 15 years.

Sometimes you can score.  FWIW my Mexican Rolex is still ticking after 20 years as well.   Maybe I accidentally got a real one for 20 bucks.  

i have 2 jackets from them that are used hard....never had an issue except for a zipper pull that broke...

I have an Arcteryx alpha FL I’ve taken around the world and in all sorts of conditions. Only thing to phase it was sharp j-Tree quartzite... three small holes. I threw some tenacious tape on and it’s kept trucking. Been pleased with other items of theirs as well (except for the price!)

In my experience their gear is bomber. Seams/zippers are always the first thing that fails on knockoff gear — I agree with the rest of the posters, it’s likely you (intentionally or unintentionally) ended up with knockoffs.

It looks like the panels of the jacket were not stitched together, only glued-- is that normal for this sort of jacket? 

I warrantied a Theta AR this fall for delamination and bungee separation very similar to yours.  They declined to repair it but gave me a choice of any other jacket in their line for free.  Maybe their warranty service is hit or miss?

The first jacket is goretex xcr which is basically ancient, its run it's course and lived a good life. The second, paclite is not repairable. It's not that they refused, it's that it isn't an option. Paclite jackets cannot be repaired the same way goretex pro can be. The goretex is likely still good, it's the glue that is often the problem. Most of the time its user error from not washing the garment or washing it incorrectly. 

Billcoe wrote: I noticed that soon after they moved production to China, knockoffs appeared that looked similar and had the brand markings, but were not authentic Arc’teryx . Did you buy them at an Arc’teryx  official retailer? If so, take it back, they stand behind their stuff. If not, and you tried to save some $$$$ and bought a cheap fake Arc’teryx stuff off some random internet seller, it's your problem and yours alone.

Same thing with other Mfg, you can get North Face in China dirt cheap.....except...it's not really North Face, it only says it is. 

Going off of this, my wife had an Arc'teryx jacket for several years. She sent it in to them to be repaired and they sent a brand new jacket for $20-40 or something.

Pit zips are bullshit. Circa 2011, I had this happen to me on a shell. Fortunately, they replaced it with a nicer Alpha AR that is still kicking. Good luck with customer service.

Mark Pilate wrote: Was gonna ask same thing about where you bought them (knockoff potential).  Individual results may vary, but all my Arc stuff is going strong, some pieces over 15 years

One jacket bought at PAragon Sports NYC an official retailer the second at the Arc’teryx Vancouver store. Both checked by Arc’teryx customer care and confirmed genuine.

t.farrell wrote: Arcteryx quality is shit. Can’t speak to all of their designs, but I’ve had 3 items (each $400+) that have all experienced the same issue (glue falls apart)

Is totally a glue issue that loses any adhesive characteristic and the pieces of the garment get detached even if there is no wear. It’s incredible that Arc’teryx does not have a solution for this and forces you to buy a new jacket.

As I was not going to replace two super expensive jackets in one season i decided to look for alternatives. After asking a friend that does a lot of expeditions I ended up to order a  North Face Summit L5 that is built with a new material called futurelight.. By the reviews I read futurelight looks like a much more breathable option than the classic goretex used by Arc’teryx. If it works could be a game changer for my  backcountry split boarding and long trails in humid weather like southern patagonia or North Pacific.

https://www.thenorthface.com/shop/mens-summit-l5-lightweight-jacket-nf0a35qf

I had a glue issue on one of my softshell (I think Gamma line) after about 3 years of use (say daily light duty during Spring and Fall). Had it replaced by Arcteryx, no question asked because they couldn't fixed it. They never asked for proof of purchase or history of the jacket. It was clearly quality issue.

I've two jackets of theirs (Atom Lt hoody and the Alpha SV) and they have been the best jackets I've owned in over 30 years of alpine and rock climbing all over the world.

Bummed that this happened to you but my experience with their gear has been nothing but outstanding.  

WTF.   Just curious if this is all completely due to some manufacturing location changes or what.   I haven’t bought any new Arc stuff in about 5 years cuz I don’t need to.  When you pay that much, you expect it to last. I have about 7 variations of jackets and pants ranging from 5-17 yrs old and they all still look and perform great.   I only wear them for technical endeavors, not for casual wear or a run to the store so they don’t see “daily use” but still.   Gonna think twice about certain Arc’teryx items again if all the stories above  are within the last three years or so.

Edit:  at least they seem to be backing their products up with good customer service. 

Mark Pilate wrote: WTF.   Just curious if this is all completely due to some manufacturing location changes or what.   I haven’t bought any new Arc stuff in about 5 years cuz I don’t need to.  When you pay that much, you expect it to last. I have about 7 variations of jackets and pants ranging from 5-17 yrs old and they all still look and perform great.  

I have been a big fan of Arc’teryx so far buying anything from backpacks to shoes and jackets.

I currently own 4 Arc’teryx jackets and on the oldest black alpha jacket that has 15 years I had only the bottom bungee problem that makes sense as it is a stressed area.

BUT The two jackets in the post had the issue at the arms ventilation zips a month apart after 7 years of technical use. Technical use meaning that I usually leave them in the backpack going up if the weather is good and I put them on descent or storm/windy conditions.  I was surprised because under the arm there is no mechanical stress and to me is 100% a material quality problem in the glue maybe because it gets degraded by the body humidity / acidity / salt.

I have already sent the paclite for service and they offered me 20% off but no repair. I am going to send the very expensive and supposed to be very durable alpha and i will update on their response.

cheers!

Micah H wrote: I warrantied a Theta AR this fall for delamination and bungee separation very similar to yours.  They declined to repair it but gave me a choice of any other jacket in their line for free.  Maybe their warranty service is hit or miss?

How old was the jacket? I am going to send my Alpha tomorrow.

Thanks!

Let me just play devil's advocate again.
1) Seven years is a long time to own and rely on a technical garment. Its a good life and arcteryx will likely work with you to get you a new one that will probably last longer without paying full price.
2) A high end technical outdoor piece is like anything else that is expensive that you might buy to last a long time, like a leather jacket. It will treat you right for a long time but you have to take care of it correctly or it will fall apart.
3)I hear this all the time and it irks me. Manufacturing in Asian countries does not necessarily mean the quality is going to decrease. Companies move manufacturing overseas when they need to make many more units. So even if only 1% of products are defective before and after the transition, that's a lot more defective product people will see. That being said, I totally understand that quality does sometimes suffer.
4) Futurelight looks incredible IF it works as advertised. I tried one on and it felt like any other goretex jacket but I was not out in the elements so I'm withholding any judgments but I'm I'm psyched to see it in action. 

Aaron Felder wrote: Let me just play devil's advocate again.
1) Seven years is a long time to own and rely on a technical garment. Its a good life and arcteryx will likely work with you to get you a new one that will probably last longer without paying full price.

Arc’teryx has written me back after receiving the request for the second jacket with the same glue issue. They are conducting the gen manager for customer service to see if there a option for repair.    

3)I hear this all the time and it irks me. Manufacturing in Asian countries does not necessarily mean the quality is going to decrease. Companies move manufacturing overseas when they need to make many more units. So even if only 1% of products are defective before and after the transition, that's a lot more defective product people will see. That being said, I totally understand that quality does sometimes suffer.

Manufacturing in Asia has nothing to do with quality. A lot of luxury and technical goods are manufactured in Asia with good quality control. In this case I think is a specific issue with the glue.

4) Futurelight looks incredible IF it works as advertised. I tried one on and it felt like any other goretex jacket but I was not out in the elements so I'm withholding any judgments but I'm I'm psyched to see it in action.