Arc’teryx Gamma MX HoodyThe Gamma MX Hoody by Arc’teryx is far and away my number one piece of clothing for absolutely anything I do involving the mountains. It is my favourite, it has been everywhere and done everything, I have trashed and abused it, worn it for weeks on end and in all honesty I don’t think I could ever part with it, even if I got a new one.
For over a decade, in all my adventures, in all my trips, all around the world, this has been my go-to jacket. From 6000+ metre peaks in Nepal to ice climbing in Utah, from backcountry ski tours and ski mountaineering in the Coastal Mountains, British Columbia to Mt Kinabalu, Borneo, from the cracks, slabs and chimneys of Squamish to the desert nights of Uluru and Kings Canyon, and from the endless powder stashes of Japan to the rice terraces of Sapa and Mt Fansipan, Vietnam. This jacket has seen and done it all, but more importantly, it has never ever let me down. It is warm, comfy, very very wind and water resistant, it breathes like anything, it dries like anything, and it fits so so well.
I seriously think this jacket could last for a lifetime, even after weeks of winter climbing at Mt Arapiles, even after 40+ days a year of school outdoor education camps, even after hiking the wilds of south-west Tasmania, it is still going strong. No thin or worn out areas of material, no loss of warmth and no loss in performance in any way, shape of form.
I will admit I pulled the zip away from the material of my chest pocket trying to get my phone out with gloves (but that was my
stupid doing), and I also smashed a toggle that was attached to the hoody cord (I was jamming up a crack in Squamish and destroyed it, once again my doing).
The only other thing was the waist cord. The seam that holds that came undone, so I pulled the cord out. I guess after years of sliding on my arse down rocks, etc it was bound to happen.