Gear Review by Kelly: Arc’teryx Alpha SL Hybrid Jacket in Long Dong, Taiwan

Welcome back to Singapore! We just returned home from a 10-day climbing trip to Long Dong, Taiwan. It’s my second trip to Long Dong (and Taiwan) since December 2010. Qx was expecting three groups who will come and go pretty much back-to-back during our entire stay. The first (Naldo & Fenny) and third groups (Melissa, Michelle & Samie) were there for a trad climbing course and the second group (Theresa & Andrea) stayed for a few days for some great rock climbing in this beautiful place. So here I am to help Qx out and at the same time hopefully, we could manage to squeeze in a few climbs in between! (Qx’s trip report on Long Dong coming soon!)

Late spring/ early summer time in Long Dong would be a great time to clock in some good climbs indeed. However mid-trip, we were caught by the raining season (梅雨季节 aka mei yu ji jie, named after the rainy season that usually takes place following the ripe of the plums). According to a local climber, there would be a disastrous downpour (“灾难性的大雨” he said). And indeed, there were disastrous heavy rains and flash floods further south in Tainan. Thank goodness in Long Dong we only experienced intermittent light drizzles most of the days (except one when our climbing day with Andrea and Theresa was unfortunately interrupted by a series of sudden downpours) and despite that, it didn’t stop us from climbing. And I’m really glad that the only jacket that I brought with me from our sponsor, an Arc’teryx Alpha SL Hybrid was put into good use!

Alpha SL Hybrid Jacket

Alpha SL Hybrid (SL for Super Light) is a GORE-TEX waterproof shell jacket and is so light and compact that I could simply stuff it in my helmet and make room for other gears in my pack (everyone knows how much space jackets could take!). One feature that I really like is the spaciousness of the hoody. With this, I could easily slip it over my helmet, which stays snug-fit underneath. The rim along the hoody also forms a little arc that prevents rain from flowing into the jacket.

As with other waterproof shells, one could feel rather warm inside especially when you’re wearing it while being on the move. On a good note however, this also means that the jacket is fully sealed (even along the seams) to ensure its waterproofness.

To learn more about the Alpha SL Hybrid Jacket, you may go to http://www.arcteryx.com/product.aspx?language=EN&gender=womens&model=Alpha-SL-Hybrid-Jacket-W