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Sometimes cold sneaks up on you slowly, sometimes it grabs you by the ears and punches you in the face. Either way, the key to comfort -- and in some circumstances, surviving -- is maintaining core warmth. Few options provide the amount of warmth per unit of bulk as the Arc'teryx Atom line of insulated jackets.
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When I first saw the LEAF Atom LT Hoody, I honestly thought, "What's the point?" Just put on a darn hat if you feel cold's grip latch onto your ears. If all they did was add the hood, it might be enough for the updated version to take the place of my venerable, six-year-old Atom LT. But, with a host of improvements and details that include a stronger face fabric, a vertically routed hem drawcord, and media ports in the pockets, the updated LEAF Atom LT Hoody has relegated my old Atom to spousewear.
Before we go any further, I need to point out that there are now two versions of the Atom LT Hoody: the commercial and the LEAF. Even though they share the same name, they are not the same product. The LEAF design team looked at the commercial Atom and applied tactical sensibilities to their update. Unless stated, we're talking about the LEAF version from here on out.
I've never seen anything like the hood on the updated LEAF Atom LT Hoody. The elastic adjustment cords run under your ears. At first, this feels foreign and, perhaps, a bit uncomfortable. But, what this does is lock the hood in place from the back of your head, around your ears, out of your eyes and across your forehead. Once adjusted, the hood moves with your head as if it were a puffy watch cap. The routing channels for the cords are proud of the lining, so the insulation stays lofty and effective. It's genius.
If you wear a duty belt or carry gear on your waist, you know how annoying the findings on waist drawstrings can be. The cordlocks at three- and nine-o'clock can get caught up in a pistol draw and some are big enough to cause interference concerns when holstering. The drawstring on the LEAF Atom LT Hoody is now routed upward from the waist on the inside of the jacket. There's no chance the findings will hang below the hemline.
The Atom series is a mid-layer that can pinch hit as an outer layer. This is made clear when looking at its face fabric. The new 40d, up from 30d in earlier versions, is DWR coated, but it's not a Gore style, downpour-shedding laminate. The face fabric's hand is quiet and soft, allowing the insulation to loft and conform to the body's angles during movement. The supple fabric also contributes to the the jacket's extreme packability as well as it's off-the-chart snuggleability. Wear it for a while and it will start to feel like Linus's blanket.
Keeping in mind the Atom's mid-layer nature, it still defends against things like elbows on rocks, dripping hydraulic fluid, sling and rifle abrasion ... all things that won't really rip a jacket, but will cause its slow death. Taking these hazards into account, the extra denier probably adds more to the jacket's long-term endurance vice its tear-strength.
The media ports in the pockets are a long time coming. They allow you to pass a cable through the interior and into the pockets. The ports aren't huge. They are sized to pass a 3.5mm plug; the typical size for a set of commercial earbuds or a discreet comms earpiece. They work perfectly for piping in music or monitoring a handheld when routing wires externally is a tangle hazard.
And, while we are talking pockets, I'll point out the Atom's pockets are lined with a light fleece that instantly provides a hit of comfort versus the slick-faced fabric lining usually found in pockets. They are also tall. Tall enough to hold a handheld radio with a short antenna.
Unchanged are the Atom's elastic cuffs, non-locking zipper (easier and faster venting), breathable and stretchy underarm fleece panels and non-reflective branding.
Adding up all the parts, new and unchanged, the LEAF Atom Hoody is remarkably warm for it's weight and lack of bulk. The bigger achievement, though, is the way the jacket moves with the body. It's got the warmth of a parka, but the feeling of your favorite sweatshirt.
I've spent a lot of time in the LEAF Atom LT Hoody this year. It's kept me warm while shooting winter classes in the desert, and handled the rapidly changing environment of climbing in the southern Alps in summer. Add to this my experience wearing other members of the Atom family over the last five years while shooting photos in Afghanistan, skiing in Utah and shopping in Northern Virginia, so I feel pretty confident in calling the latest iteration of the Atom a worthy upgrade.
In case you were thinking of getting a more colorful version of the Atom LT Hoody from the commercial side of the Arc'teryx line, be advised they are not the same product. I've confirmed with Arc'teryx that although the commercial Atom LT Hoody was updated for 2014, it does not have the stronger face fabric, vertically routed hem adjusters, media ports or watchcap hood.
The LEAF Atom LT Hoody has an MSRP $239 and is available in Black, Croc, and urban gray. More information available from Arc'teryx.
