Arcteryx soft shell pants
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Thinking of upgrading my 2018 NF L4 Pants to an Arc’teryx model. Is there any major difference between the Gamma AR and Sigma AR? My uses are general alpine and ice climbing.
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From a question on the Arc’teryx website: "The Gamma AR pants are more durable and abrasion-resistant all around, whereas the Sigma AR Pants use the same durable fabric only in the reinforced, high-wear areas. As a result, the Sigma ARs are a little lighter and a little more air-permeable than the Gamma AR pants. In addition, because the Sigma ARs are designed for alpine and ice/mixed climbing, they are more tapered at the lower leg. They also have grommets at the cuff for installing gaiter cords." I started wearing the Gamma AR pants last year for ice climbing last year and they were great. I thought that they had a good feature set. One of the best benefits of the Gamma AR is that it comes in multiple inseam lengths. |
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I'm interested to hear if anyone has the Gamma ARs and uses them for ice climbing. I need the long inseam so this was one of the few that might fit the bill. I'd be replacing the cirques which i thought were great from a weather proofing standpoint but I can always add a little more baselayer to compensate. It sucks that so many of these pants don't come in a long. |
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David Maver wrote: That’s worth the price of admission right there for those of us who aren’t blessed with 50th percentile 32” inseam. |
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Mike S wrote: It is. I love not having lots of pant leg bunched on the tops of my boots waiting to catch a crampon. |
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Matt S wrote: Worked well for me last year in NH with just a light baselayer underneath. I wasn't in any gnarly conditions, but some cold days and they did a nice job. |
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Mammut has most of their better softshell pants in a long inseam too. |
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Best softshell pants ever made for cold ice routes = Psiphon AR Pants. Of course they'd discontinue them, though. |
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Matt S wrote: I don't, but Raphael Slawinski does or has in the past. |
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I have the sigma ARs and the sigma FLs. The FLs are the best fitting pair of technical pants I have ever put on, and I the fabric is surprisingly burly, water and wind resistant. They are awesome climbing pants. I use them for cold weather alpine rock and mellower ice climbing days.
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