Arc’teryx LEAF just introduced the new Alpha Gen 2 line consisting of Jacket, Pant and Pant Bib which integrate new improved features. Now, they want to give you a set.
For Alpha Gen 2 Line Arc’teryx has completely redesigned all three garments with the Jacket dropping some weight through fewer seams and narrower seam tape, glued-in zippers and lighter Gore-tex fabric in the hood of the Alpha Jacket. The Pant and Bib both feature glued pockets and waterproof side zips that route aft of the knee allowing movement with the zips open.
Sizes Small – XXLarge, offered in Black, Crocodile, Wolf and MultiCam.
The Contest
Arc’teryx LEAF and SSD want to hear your LEAF Alpha Gen 1 stories and experiences. Specifically, we’d like to know how it performed for you or helped you do your job better. Obviously, there’s no need to disclose anything sensitive, we just want you to share your cool stories. It’s ok to be generic about operational details. Pictures help. Post it somewhere online and put the link in your submission post. Don’t tell us which SSD story you like. We want to hear about how you have used the Arc’teryx LEAF Alpha. The best story will earn the writer an award consisting of an Alpha set: Alpha jacket and Alpha pant or Bib pant in either Solid or MultiCam.
How to Enter
1. In the comments section of THIS article on SSD share your story. Only entries here on SSD (not Facebook) are eligible to win. You can tell the story anywhere you want to but it won’t count unless you post it HERE.
2. Comments are open from now until 2359 Zulu on 28 February, 2014. Ready – Set – Go!
3. Use any alias you want to post but be sure to use a valid email address since that’s how we’ll contact the winners.
4. Once the contest closes, representatives from Arc’teryx LEAF and SSD will review the entries and select a winner.
5. One entry per email address. We will delete entries that violate this policy.
6. Must be 18 to enter. Void where prohibited.
Tags: Arc'teryx LEAF, WL Gore
These are the very best.proformance pieces in the world !
Arcteryx products are the best.
I have been cold and wet from wearing lesser quality gear many of times and I soon realized you get what you pay for. The LEAF line of products deliver that discreet yet professional look that I am looking for in my gear.
The only problem is once you start using Arteryx especially LEAF products, you become and addict.
You will not be sorry for purchasing LEAF gear.
My best time with my Arc’Teryx Leaf Alpha gen 1 jacket has to be the last Red Cross mountain rescue drill. -25celsius, 25km/h wind and snowstorm. I’m so glad i had the Leaf Alpha jacket to get comfy in while waiting for the Sea-King chopper to find me. The warm feeling i got from the jacket protecting me from snow and wind is an incredible good feeling. The greatest feature of the jacket must be the roughness of the fabric. I’ve been crawling over rocks, ice and trough deep woods without the jacket showing any kinds of wear and tear.
I bought my Alpha LT when I was in Afghanistan, because my original military gtx jacket sucks. When they delivered my jacket, at first I thought that is a yoke because of thin material and weight, but after few uses, jacket work perfectly withnout any restrictions, stay dry and I personaly think that crocodile match Afghanistan enviroment very well. When I came back to my country, I have used (and still using) jacket for multiple activities, like mountain climbung, snowboarding, ski alpinism, duty and nearly everywhere, if I expecting bad weather, because of small packing síze and low weight. I also have to say, that Alpha LT also works as perfect shelter aganist heavy rain for about three years I use it.
Last thing, as some people before me wrote, if you pay for arcteryx equipment, you obtain garment that’s realy work in tought enviroment.
Last year I purchased the Alpha LT jacket and pants. I had owned them for about 3 months prior to their first use. A relatively small amount of rain dropped over the period of about 2 hours. Although I stayed dry, I was still skeptical over the duo as the conditions were not that bad. A month or so later (october) I was invited on an Alaskan cruise with some family. The weather was forecasted to be light rain and dense cloud coverage the entire trip. Who ever forecasted the weather was clearly out to lunch; It rained and hailed non stop with seas as high as the statue of liberty. I stood on the deck of the ship in the frigid fifteen degree weather at dusk as we passed by some glaciers, what a sight. I also couldn’t help but notice everyone around me hopping around like jack rabbits. The extremely rainy, windy, cold weather of Alaska was clearly getting to them. I stood out on the deck that morning for three hours, just taking everything in. Coming back into the cabin I took off my chilled leaf gear and found that I was completely dry. I couldn’t be happier.
The day after we went on a whale watching tour on a very expensive “tricked” out RIB boat. With the weather equally as bad as the day prior, I knew we were in for a rough ride. Two hours of bouncing around in the worst weather conditions I have ever seen, I got off the RIB and was off to the cruise ship. Ripped off my leaf gear and found that yet again I was bone dry. Couldn’t be happier. My soaked family members on the other hand were quite the jealous of my gear.
I used the Gen 1 Alpha jacket and pants while deployed as a student on the Nepalese High Altitude Mountain Warfare course encountering weather changes from driving rain and high winds to blizzards. I found that the ruggedness of the gear was second to none. I also used the Gear during many Mountain operations courses with the Canadian Military, also using it overseas. My Alpha Jacket is now 5 years old and has held up very well under the extremes that I have put it through.
In 2012 I went over to Kandahar for the second time. Knowing how important solid clothing is over there, I decided to pick up a pair of Arc’teryx LEAF pants in Multicam before I left. The difference between those and my other issue pants was like night and day.
On my first deployment, I had at least three pairs of issue pants tear during long patrols (I almost had to learn how to sew). The pants were hot, stiff, and cumbersome. The biggest problem I experienced was that whenever I had to go through water, the moisture would leak through. By the time I was finished with the patrol my shins would be rubbed raw. I decided then that when I came back to Afghanistan the next time, I would invest in gear that would see me through it.
On my most recent tour over there, I felt like I was much better equipped. I was forced to take a full kit of 4 issued pants but all those stayed back on the FOB the entire time. My LEAF pants took all the abuse I could give them. Knowing that they were made with GORE-TEX, I was afraid that they would be hot and uncomfortable. On my first time out, those fears were completely put to rest. Not only could I maneuver around perfectly, but the water resistance was amazing. I stepped through the worst kind of wetness and muck and the pants let nothing through, leaving my legs cool and dry. Towards the end of my tour I actually became worried that the pants would be destroyed from the constant washing/reusing but they held up perfectly. I loved having my pants downrange and I wear them out hunting every chance I get.
Thank you Arc’teryx
need one FREE Gen-2 so I can compare it to my Gen-1 side by side…
My favorite story centers around a NODS/Laser training night where the temperatures plummeted and a nagging, soaking drizzle and sleet set in. Because of the amount of movement we were doing, layering too much was a real non-starter. The best way to stay warm was to wear a thinner insulating layer and a moisture/wind barrier. I reached into my pack and saw my Alpha. I have never been so excited to see a jacket in my life.
Even though I have been in colder, less active (and more intense) environments, for some reason on really cold nights I still think about the mental and physical boost that I got when I put that jacket on. It is one of those little times in life where something as insignificant as an article of clothing had a lasting affect. Several years of use and abuse and it still performs as advertised (with a few re-treatments).
I use Arcteryx kit for outdoor tactical protective clothing almost exclusively. I work outdoors almost exclusively (except when stuck in the office) and want all of my kit to do a couple of things.
1. It needs to be light weight and the colors need to match my environment. Arcteryx provides that.
2. It needs to harmonize with other kit from other (reputable) manufacturers. Arcteryx does that.
3. It needs to be a piece of support equipment, quietly doing its job with no excess. When I need something out of a pocket or pouch, it needs to be there, just where I left it. Arcteryx does that.
I had a Gen 1 jacket that I bought off of Ebay after years of using Arc’teryx climbing harnesses and packs in the mid 90’s. I climbed with a Vapor harness and had that dual zip Purple climbing pack. As an industrial designer I appreciate the details that make up these products and the innovation in manufacturing processes. The jacket served me well up in the Sierra’s and the Rockies.
My favorite SSD articles are the ones that show new companies innovations, especially those that deal with soldier protection.
I really appreciated your article “The Rifle”! HK is just awesome!!
My most memorable Experiences with my Alpha Jacket Gen 1 came to be when a good friend of mine from Uber Group and myself coined a new term for the jacket when discussing it with members of NSW, “Gunfighter Cut.” I had purchased two Alpha jackets months prior, one for myself and one for my uncle, and had some awesome opportunities to use it both in LE Handgun courses through Armitage Tactical Group and backpacking trips to Big Sur in Central CA. Through it all it seemed the only title more fitting than “Gunfighter Jacket” was what it truly was… The Alpha of all jackets- “Alpha Jacket.” It is a jacket that has done me well and made me an Arc’teryx fan for life.
Long live Dead Bird Society!
I got plenty of stories with me having my rainy day saved by the Alpha jacket I was given a few years back. Booooorrring!
The story I actually want to write about is not about using that life saving garment, but rather about witnessing a few great friends wearing (and giving hell to) those jackets and other invaluable items (of the drypack-invaluable type) in some undisclosed location muddy tunnels filled with human bones not too long ago (Full disclosure, putting it that way sounds way scarier than it actually was).
It was a true bonding experience on a human level, and incidentaly yet another occasion to see for myself how reliable everything that bears a dead-bird embroidery is. I also ended up trashing up some of my gear (just to be clear, this means heavy stains, not any single catastrophic failure), and still, all I remember is those happy faces, including mine, once we exited the tunnels.
Reasons I’m writting this story:
1- I know those involved will most likely read it… heck they will actually judge it, and I know they’ll recognize the specifics
2- I want use that opportunity to let everybody know how supportive the LEAF team has always been with the end-user community, as most of what I was wearing was donated by them.
3- I have no personnal business with this contest (see reason #2). I’m already blessed with everything one could dream of. Yet I have many brethren in arms way who could use an Alpha set, so I figured I’d compete on their behalf.
Now bring in some more stories guys!
https://www.facebook.com/Wulfi.LF/posts/10152282316286873
I have shared one of my Alpha stories, and put up some pictures on the link above.
Enjoy!
Wulfi.
After months of trying to get my unit to purchase some Arcteryx gear to no avail, and working with some sub par outerwear, I decided to bite the bullet and buy myself an early Christmas present. I was heading out the door for another deployment and knew the quality/durability was well worth the price. I opted for the complete set of Gen I Alpha pants/jacket in crocodile so I could still wear in civvies if needed.
A month in, and my kit was already paying off, the Helmand was colder than I expected and the Alpha set kept me plenty warm while patrolling and on guard especially when layered up. I eventually changed things up and found myself flying around a lot more. The preferred seat of choice was the “wind tunnel” on a particular bird. Given the fact it was still cold as balls out, I rolled with the Alpha set every trip. While most everyone was shivering out of their boots, the Arcteryx kit kept the wind to a minimum and allowed me to stay pretty comfy considering the the giant tumor (ruck) I was carrying around.
It was on one particular trip that I was thanking my lucky stars for my earlier purchase. We were moving around at night, go figure, and we came across a creek. We decided to cross said creek with a “very sturdy” ladder. While I made it across without issue, others were not so surefooted. I proceeded to flop for the next 45 minutes in about five inches of mud while my companions attempted the treacherous crossing with varying degrees of success. While I was sitting there, completely dry and comfortable, I thanked myself yet again for my early Christmas present.
https://www.facebook.com/Wulfi.LF/posts/10152282316286873
Enjoy my Alpha story!
Wulfi.
Sorry for the double-post!
I once saw an alpha jacket on a good friend of mine. That happens to be my favorite story, considering it’s my only encounter. Love the things, I will purchase a jacket as soon as funds are available.
I don’t own very much LEAF gear but am a big fan of Arc’teryx. Their gear is top notch and worth every penny. Not only do you get quality made gear that performs but it comes with first class service to back it should something ever happen. My Arc’teryx shell stood up to hours of pounding rain in the Panamanian jungle and not a drop inside to speak of. Even managed to pull the humidity and sweat out. A+!
A couple years ago, I was issued an Arc’teryx Alpha Parka and Atom Light Jacket before a trip overseas. Hands down, it is the best system I have ever used. I now have a closet full of “other brand”, high end jackets that never get worn.
While working overseas, the jackets keep me warm and dry during some nasty snow/ice storms. I have since relocated to South Texas where the winters are thankfully milder. Nonetheless, there are still days (especially this winter) where the Alpha gets broken out. I keep it in my work truck, along with the Atom Light, and have never needed anything else. Whether it is a training day or an operational deployment, the Alpha has always performed.
Although, on a recent trip to the range with AV (you know who you are), I was wearing my Alpha/Atom and may or may not have been shivering. In my defense, it was in the low 40’s and raining (and I grew up in Florida where it never gets that cold). AV commented that I was wearing a $1000 in outerwear and should be warm. I think I am just getting old.
Nothing really supper operator about my LEAF usage. I use my Alpha LT and Mattock Socks on just about every backcountry trip here in UT. We had an early snow storm back in September so I decided to ditch work for the day and head up my favorite canyon to bag a couple peaks with my trusty mutt in the snow. What was rain at 6,000 feet was hail and graupel and 8,000 and a full blown blizzard at 10,000. Of course i wasn’t about to be turned around, so I trudged through knee deep snow without gaiters for the better part of three hours – big mistake. Hit the summit much later than I wanted and started heading down around sunset. About 20 minutes into the descent, my headlamp went dark, and I had no extra batteries. At the same time the somewhat wet snow (I’m used to to deep Utah powder that usually take 16 inches to get 1 inch of water) turned into a bulletproof layer of ice that was mid calf high. Of course, the good idea fairy led me to believe that leaving a pair of crampons home to save weight would be a good idea. I spent another couple of hours using my piolet (Grunts: fancy European word for ice axe) to cut stairs down the steepest sections of the trail for me and the pup. Finally, despite being bundled up in her own softshell and snow boots, my dog decided she had enough of following my dumb ass in the dark down a mountainside. I tried alternatively to carry her in my arms and slung over my shoulders, but kept losing my balance on the ice. Eventually my Alpha LT came off and I awkwardly zipped her into it. After a really terrible lashing job to my pack, all 45 pounds of her rode in relative comfort wedged between the top of my pack and the back of my head and bundled up in her softshell and my goretex jacket. The ungrateful little butthead even had the audacity to fall asleep before we even made it back to the truck. Throughout the whole trek my feet stayed dry and my core stayed warm thanks to the Mattocks and my Atom hoody. The only casualty in the whole ordeal was my sleep – my wife wasn’t real understanding with me disappearing for 18 hours in a snow storm without so much as text so I spent the night on the couch.
Excited to pick up a pair of the Gen 2 bibs for some longer expeditions hunting and climbing this year, especially if I can draw an elk or big horn tag this year.
2008 had a whole duffle stolen at the airport, not just issued junk, airline offered $300 for insurance, barely enough to cover any of it. I called your 800 # and asked if you guys had seconds I could buy. They were quick to hook me up with first quality dead bird for their costs. Thanks
LEAF gear is best.
Being an avid outdoorsman all my life and after 19 years of Law Enforcement. I have used my share of gear. I was always a cheapskate and it left me cold and wet many times. Once I realized that you get what you pay for I am much happier. I discovered Arcteryx and eventually LEAF gear and shazam Sgt Carter, I was amazed, I know it can be pricey but sometimes being comfortable is priceless. I know whenever I order a piece of Arctetyx LEAF gear that I am getting the best money can buy. Also it has a conservative subdued styling that you can wear when not working.
If you are on the fence take the plunge, you will become an Arcteryx addict.
I wear my Alpha Bibs a lot, but I was never more thankful for them than when I was climbing in Torres del Paine. We were making an ambitious early season attempt on Torre Norte with a marginal weather window. The approach was a brutal slog of rock scrambling that eventually transitioned to some demoralizing post-holing. For weight savings, I opted to leave my gators in the Northern Hemisphere, which would normally make for dangerously wet, cold feet, but due to the ingenious lace hook and well designed elastic cuff on the bibs, my feet stayed plenty dry. Eventually the post-holing turned to all-out wallowing in a steep, snowy couloir. The high-rise bibs and Gore-Tex fabric began to prove invaluable.
Once on route, the steeper rock was cold, but clean and we dispatched the 5.10 crux pitches with relative ease. The bibs are cut very well and suited for climbing. Above the crux the climbing eased to 5.6, but with the gentler angle, there was even more snow. we found ourselves swimming through waist deep snow on technical 5.6 terrain! I kept digging through snow just to find cam placements. Then, the weather turned for the worse with winds, clouds, and snow. Rime ice began forming on everything including our clothing! We made the devastating decision to retreat just a few pitches from the summit. On the way down while standing at one of our rappel stations, I vividly remember looking at the extraordinary elements that surrounded me. I gazed through the wind, snow, and fog at Torre Central to the South, then at the deep snow at my feet, and finally at the rime ice on my Alpha Bibs. Really the only thing that allowed me to be perched high in the mountains of Patagonia was my clothing. Thankfully it was enough to keep me going (aka alive) well into the night until we reached our bivy.
We we’re recently running a course here in Alberta during the flood seasons. Pretty much every area in the province got smashed by rain, and flooded out, including Calgary. Anyways, we were teaching on the range, and the down pour was unbearable. Like amazon rain fall, which is quite rare for Alberta.
I was wearing my department gear, which is just your “cheapest goretex coat that can still legally be called gore tex.” The rain soaked through the fabric, and into my clothes and right down to the bone. Being soaked that bad even in June, will chill you out pretty bad. After the day I had to spend 2 hours ringing out and attempting to dry my kit in a hotel room. From about the 3rd day of this, one of the other instructors with a tactical response team, knocked on my door. Low and behold he was my salvation. He had a spare alpha suit, an old set that he recently replaced. He loaned it to me for the rest of the course.
The next day it was literally suit of armor. The rain just bead it literally shot off my shoulders. I wish the rain storm had a face, so I could laugh in it- fists clenched shouting that I was impervious to its weakness.
Ultimately I had to give it back. I’ve managed to stay dry so far, but I know that it’ll before Im up against that cloud again, and wish I had a set of my own for the next time.
Long story short: An alpha suit kept me dry, in torrential down pour, and I don’t have a set, so I can do it again! I hear they are better when you don’t have to give them back!
I bought one of the ALPHA jackets ahead of a trip to Spain last year…
Having planned to propose to my girlfriend at the end of the trip, and not trusting any hotels with the valuables, I trusted the Alpha jacket with carrying the ring for two weeks across Spain, in a small pouch…with me at all times.
Ultimately, the last thing the ring saw before going on her finger was the absolutely trustworthy, high quality, flawlessly manufactured arm pocket of my Alpha Jacket…no box, no bag, just the pocket. Thank you for making such great gear – I would never have trusted another brand with that immense responsibility.
Never mind keeping me comfortably warm the entire trip (the Alpha jacket, Atom LT, beanie, and Naga hoodie were all key)…your gear is forever a part of one of my best memories. If you’d like to see photos, I’ve got plenty – I had a photographer capture the whole event.
Stuck at Manas in ’09. In February. 30°. My penance for for being “stuck” there in May of ’03.
Danner Boots, Bridgedale socks, Kuhl pants, OR gloves. Rho LT base layer (purchased at REI–top was a perfect complement to the Army’s Foliage Green). Alpha jacket. PERFECT E&E ensemble.
Taxi into Bishkek for team-building and face-to-face diplomacy. My attire served me well. Allowed me to “work” without concern for prevailing conditions, and just as importantly, to look good doing it.
Three nights and two days. No better preparation for a year of privation. Now retold (little embellishment needed) in hushed tones over whiskey and cigars.
My story goes like this. I’ve only had the privelige of trying my friends Arc’teryx LEAF products, but haven’t had the money to buy a product myself. But i envy them every time.
– So IF i should win this, I would more than anything else in this world, let you know how it performs, after I’ve dragged it through hell.
I bought one of the ALPHA jackets ahead of a trip to Spain last year…
Having planned to propose to my girlfriend at the end of the trip, and not trusting any hotels with the valuables, I trusted the Alpha jacket with carrying the ring for two weeks across Spain, in a small pouch…with me at all times.
Ultimately, the last thing the ring saw before going on her finger was the absolutely trustworthy, high quality, flawlessly manufactured arm pocket of my Alpha Jacket…no box, no bag, just the pocket. Thank you for making such great gear – I would never have trusted another brand with that immense responsibility.
Never mind keeping me comfortably warm the entire trip (the Alpha jacket, Atom LT, beanie, and Naga hoodie were all key)…your gear is forever a part of one of my best memories. If you’d like to see photos, I’ve got plenty – I had a photographer capture the whole event. Photos: http://on.fb.me/1mD1kTV
sorry for the double post – had to add the photos!
I know it said to share our Leaf stories, But I hadn’t have the chance to own any gen 1 execpt maybe the kneepads. I did always want one. I’ve seen many people use them in the CF, only heard great things about it. I’d see thoses guys all dry when I was wet with my standard issue “goretex” rain suit (emphasis on the ” “). Just the fact that it also weights a fraction of our equipement and performs 3 times better is a huge factor when it comes to operability. All I can say is, keep it up, proud to see a canadian manufacturer having such a great succes with armed forces around the world and always find a way to make it better.
As for the story, well, as a grunt, knees and back are our weakness and the arcteryx kneepads were the only ones who didn’t fall down as I walk or take a knee. Great product. Thanks again.
Yes, Arcteryx is not cheap but it’s well worth its price. Quality, research and dedication doesn’t come cheap. My favorite items are the Alpha Jacket that has endured 4 seasons in a week during one of my courses in the military. My other favorite item is the discontinued Fission jacket. Many brands claim to be able to keep you warm and dry but Arcteryx is the ONLY one that showed and proved.
I only have the Drac LEAF. I usually compliment with a heavy hoody sweater (no Naga yet) when temp get below 20. Nonetheless, with just inner layer thermal, the Drac kept the warmth contained, kept me dry during the Chicago blizzard.
I really wish my Arc’teryx fairy godmother gave me LEAF Alpha Gen 2 instead. Would go great when I’m clearing the snow off the fire hydrant in my neighborhood. Took me 1.5hrs trying to remove the ice and snow off of it.
Please Arc’teryx Fairy-godmother. Grant me this wish.
I only have the Arcteryx Combat Jacket, I use it for pretty much everything! From everyday activities to ESU training, it’s awesome!!!! Would love a sweet Alpha set!!
All the ones about the camo improvement effort. Give them to someone else. I don’t need em.
Arc’teryx Alpha…it’s coming with me. Your level 6 clothing is environmental protection must have. Alpha isn’t snivel gear. It’s the difference between suffering through the stuff mother nature throws at you and getting the job done.
As a highly mobile federal law enforcement professional i need solid kit. Stuff i can depend on when the going gets tough. The Alpha pants and parka are just that. Always in my kit I couldn’t imagine leaving aircraft, home or office without it. Foreign or domestic travel I need the dependability of LEAF Alpha.
Combined with LEAF Rho or Talos…even better protection and comfort. I tried others Level 6 goretex and it just doesn’t stand up to the harsh and gritty tasks.
The best environments I’ve used the Alpha parka and pants met the challenge for were extreme cold weather with precipitation, parka alone is best layer to grab straight out of the ruck to add a final layer anywhere, and pants alone for disasters with floods.
Those environments have obstacles that shred mom-and-pop granola type goretex and wet weather gear. Packed in my three day ruck, I deploy with Alpha along side a gunshot wound kit, weapons, compass, hydration, level 7 and 3 clothing, evidence collection bag, and camera. Worn it’s held up the best against abrasive urban grit and arid deserts. Woodlands snagging and tearing at clothing hasn’t even come close to taking my Alpha out of action. Worn with armor and helmet it’s far superior than other hostile environment clothing.
It’s hard to one up my Arc’teryx Alpha (Gen 1) set, but it sounds like with Gen 2 y’all are taking it to the next level.
Arc’teryx…keep being the best at what you do so we can do our jobs.
Plenty of Arc gear but only one piece of LEAF gear: the H-150 riggers belt. Excellent gun belt platform. Zero bulk, low-profile, comfy all-day fit, and absolutely brilliant for hanging a pair of FastMags off one side and a pistol off the other. Oh and don’t forget your dump pouch and an IFAK, just incase shit gets real.
I will tell the tale of my Alpha Jacket and Pants. But first let me provide some background on my choice of Arc’teryx equipment. I used mine during a research expedition on Mt. Kilimanjaro in January of 2013. The trip was a flag carrying expedition for the Explorers Club in Manhattan and its main focus was conducting research with wounded veterans willing to push the limits in order to provide assistance to not just the medical community but to follow three simple guidelines…Challenge, Research and Inspire. As a medically retired and combat wounded veteran with Multiple Traumatic Brain Injuries, my role was more than just the participant but the actual researcher conducting the first ever case study of The effect of atmospheric pressure and elevation on a patient with TBI, which became a published research paper
http://www.combatwounded.org/custom-1/May Presentation.pdf
which in turn led to my recent induction to the Explorers Club as a Researcher Fellow. The study’s focus was not just to help those suffering with TBI’s but to provide command guidance on how elevation can affect soldiers affected by TBI and their abilities post-injury. All medical guidance provided by the UIAA in reference to climbers with Neurological Deficits was well…. not supportive due to the risks involved and strongly advised against. Tell that to a Special Forces Green Beret and it turns into a challenge.
Armed with this challenge I put on my 18D hat and came up with a collection plan using a control group (Guide from Alaska Mountaineering School) and myself. My next thought was that I did not want to have to worry about my gear and clothing during the Expedition. I had enough to worry about with the elevated risk of developing Altitude Sickness’ particularly High Altitude Cerebral Edema, which we all know is not so bueno. That is the reason I chose Arc gear, and during the climb never once was there an issue or distraction with my Alpha top or bottom, as a matter of fact, it was completely apparent to the others on the expedition that I definitely made the right choice, especially when we hit some weather at around 17K and pushed forward during summit day. When we reached the crater rim of Kili, others were doing their best to adjust their gear and I did not have to worry once about mine. The performance of my Arc top and bottom allowed me to perform my data gathering at Gilmans Pt. (18,650 ft/5685m) while other researchers fell short of their data collection goals I did not. This was in no short part due to the performance of my gear, I cannot stress that enough.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=507554779295375&set=a.163528307031359.43399.143775722339951&type=1&theater
That was the first of my 7 summits research climbs, next in my sights is Denali this May 2014 then Aconcagua in February of 2015. I will be wearing Arc gear to the top of all of my future climbs, with any luck those at SSD and LEAF will pick me to use the new Alpha GEN 2 set.
De Oppresso Liber
I’ve been in the USAF (not the Chair Force) for almost 15 years now. I’m heading back to Afghanistan, hopefully for the last time this fall. Every time I go to Afghanistan for some reason it’s the crappy weather. It’s normally hotter than chicken grease, then when I ready to rotate out its colder than Antarctica especially in the mountains. I’ve worn everything from the issued GEN III ECWCS to Wild Things and nothing works effectively nor is rugged enough to withstand a deployment. All I hear about from PJ and CCT friends the system is great. I’d love to finish up my last tour to A-Land with a clothing system that works. If I’m lucky enough to win this contest, I will pay it forward and share my thoughts and influences with my leadership to add the system to our equipment inventory.
Additionally, my last trip to Afghanistan we had a helicopter crash, thank God no one was hurt bad, but we trucked out to pick up the team and needless to say it was a SHITTY snowy day and I froze my ass off. I know Arc’teryx is not an instant cloak of warmth, but it’s got to be better than this stuff they’re giving us now. Please choose me.
Year before last I spend an 8hrs day of JTAC’ing in Otterburn TA (GBR).
As per UK standards(?) rain was horizontal, winds were off the charts and temperature was freezing.
Being the only one sporting a Gen 1 Alpha Jacket, I was the only one still warm and dry at the end of the day.
My favorite SSD article was titled “Author Tom Kratman Talks Military Training” and was posted on 11/19/2013. I’ve been serving since 2004 and I had yet to hear military training broken down the way LTC (RET) Kratman does. Specifically we train to improve “Skill Training, Conditioning, Development, Selection, and Testing of Doctrine and Equipment.” Some people forget that sometimes training has to suck in order to be valid. Take cold weather training for example. You can’t exactly test the effectiveness of cold weather gear unless you’ve actually gone out and used it in the conditions it was designed for. Sure, it might be uncomfortable but it’s the only way to test the equipment and has the added benefit of conditioning the soldiers taking part in the training to perform in adverse conditions. Another example could be a timed ruck march. Sure, the time limit may seem arbitrary but considering LTC (RET) Kratman’s criteria it provides conditioning and selection of the most physically fit soldiers.
I’ve been using my Gen 1 Alpha since 2007, back before they had the velcro on the arm for unit patches, when it arrived from Amron the morning I deployed to Afghanistan with a government agency. It’s been with me ever since, and I think I must have sold over a dozen to my mates on it who were always asking me what jacket I had on. For the work we were doing, couldn’t be beat as it worked great with full kit on or going completely low pro as the situation warranted. Two stories that bring home how valuable it’s been to me, one about substance, the other about style.
After Afghanistan, we were doing some small boat maritime exercises in the gulf of Mexico in November. We were in an open top power boat doing maneuvers near the coast when Hurricane Ida came through. It was too warm for a mustang suit so I threw on the Alpha and a pair of waterproof pants and spent the next 4 hours getting hit from the side by sea spray and from the top by the weather. Held up flawlessly and I think I sold yet another guy on it from the demo.
Second story: In Afghanistan, in 2007 I was working with an assault team on a CONOP for a DA hit. I had never met these dudes before, many of whom had a decade on me spent in SOCOM or an SMU. Hanging out in the TOC prior to briefing them on the objective, one of the team leaders, a bit of a geardo raised on Patagucci, mentioned he couldn’t figure out what kind of jacket it was and would I tell him because he dug it. After breaking the ice and shooting the bull, we got down to business. In the process, the easy manner between the guys and I caught the eye of their tech lead, a very fine young lady, who later on let me know in the most pleasant terms how impressed she was with my ability to put the guys at ease with a newcomer. She still talks about it to this day, mostly when folks ask about how she met her husband.
Greatest jacket ever made by man.
I was operating in southern Afghanistan with 1st Battalion 6th Marines. We were helo inserted into Marjah Afghanistan in Helmand province. We had to pack extremely light and only carry the absolute essentials which mainly consisted of food, ammo and water. It was February and it is freezing, we didn’t have room for the large bulky warming layers issued to us. I packed my arcteryx gear. It preformed like a champ, the long cold nights were kept at bay. I was extremely impressed by how rugged the gear was. It held up, even under fire.
All of them baby!!
Worst thing about owning an Alpha jacket is that you have to guard it like your little sisters virginity. Can’t tell you how many times over in Afghanistan I was more concerned over my jacket than myself. Love that Alpha.
My story is simple. I have an arc’treyx belt that would go great with the jacket and pants. Thanks for the great products and keeping us al up to date.
I wear my Arcteryx LEAF products for work- nothing too high speed, but I have used them to climb everything from cell phone towers to industrial smoke stacks. Last week I had to climb a 500ft industrial smoke stack in the middle of winter in the Kootenays of BC- after climbing up halfway, I got a call on the radio that due to the snow and mist, I had effectively disappeared to the cameraman.
The dead bird’s gear lasts and their warranty is second to none- that’s why I continue to spend my hard earned cash with them.
Being an Army vet, I can’t buy outdoor gear without it not having some kind of operational slant to it. No flashy red and blue – I need neutral tactical colors and velcro on my sleeves to remind me that I was at one time a former action guy. That’s why I looked to the LEAF line for my outdoor gear. Sure, people look at me funny from time to time on the trails, unless I’m at a match with the local shooting club. I recently packed all of my kit on a 20km hike across the Tongariro Crossing in New Zealand – I started with my Sphinx half-shell and pants and left the rest in my Khard 45. As the temperature dropped, I swapped out the top for a Minotaur half-shell. That fleece kept my trunk warm as the temperature dropped further, but then the rain came and while I was able to truck through in light rain, I opted to break out the Alpha jacket and pants when the rain got heavier. I was a Crocodile colored tramper who stayed warm and dry the whole way!
Not much of a cool story, but I received a Gen 1 Alpha as a gift from a group of friends who pooled together to buy me one. I wore it almost everyday as a my regular wear. It was a perfect jacket when I went out to volunteer in bad weather, but on one specific night I met a kindhearted elderly gentleman sitting out in the pouring rain with no shelter, no protection, and just sitting on the sidewalk. He asked for no handouts and just stood there enduring the storm. I gave up my Alpha and a Warbonnet Quilt for him to use. Knowing how well it served me, I know he is still getting some good mileage out of it somewhere out there.
I have taken part in a lot of cold weather training over the years, both in the states and abroad. Life is tough, but it can get down right unbearable when you are cold. I’m talking about the kind of prolonged exposure to the elements that leaves the skin on your hands split to the bone, and locks your muscles in an involuntary spasm while your body attempts to prevent hypothermia. Nothing saps my spirit faster then being wet and cold, clenching my teeth so tight it feels like my jaw is wired shut. That is why I picked up a set of the ATOM LT Jacket and Fusion Pants as well as the Alpha Jacket before my last deployment. Great equipment, and I could not have been happier to have it when my unit would help our ANA and AUP counter parts babysit OPs along the AfPak border. During my time in Afghanistan we had our share of rain, cold and even a few hailstorms… but I was always able to man my post, and stay warm and alert while doing so. I would always pack my Arc’teryx gear over our issued stuff, simply because it was light, took up much less room in my ruck and always did a better job of keeping me warm. I even ended up loaning it out on more then a few occasions to keep my buddies warm. All in all after six months of hard use the jackets only had minor wear and tear from use… In fact they came home in such good condition I still use them today, both recreationally and when the job takes me somewhere cold.
I use Arcteryx to keep me warm & dry while keeping inmates in their place. It’s the jury’s job to judge them, not mine; they just have to stay where I put them. My LEAF gear is what I use on a daily basis (especially this terrible winter in Chicagoland) to keep me warm & dry and on the job. It keeps me safe and the bad guys behind bars.
I could really use an update for what comes next, both with the LEAF program and my career.
I guess my story for the Alpha gen 1 is I’ve always wanted one but just can’t afford one.