Beta Tested: 25 Years of Arc’teryx’s Iconic Jacket
The latest jacket was designed with durability and sustainability in mind.
Over the last few years, Arc’teryx has pulled off an unlikely double act: staying true to its outdoor performance roots while becoming an unlikely darling of the fashion world. The North Vancouver-based gear company—founded in 1989 with climbers and alpine guides in mind—has recently found itself cropping up in unexpected places: in a Jil Sander collaboration, on runways and red carpets, and even in the orbit of the late Virgil Abloh, who regularly wore the brand’s sleek shell jackets.
Along with the rise of gorpcore (that’s “Good Ol’ Raisins and Peanuts,” a nod to trail mix favoured by outdoorsy types) as a fashion and cultural trend, Arc’teryx hit a strange viral peak in 2022, when TikTokers began filming themselves showering in the brand’s outerwear shells to prove its waterproof claims. As reported by The Wall Street Journal, the trend started when a 20-something stepped fully clothed into the shower in his Beta AR, sent the video to friends, and posted it online. Soon, Arc’teryx was everywhere—not just on trails and peaks, but on feeds, sidewalks, and style blogs.
And while the brand never set out to chase clout, it couldn’t have picked a better garment to go viral. The Beta AR (“AR” stands for “All-Round”) is one of Arc’teryx’s most recognizable products—up there with its Bird Head toques—and one of its most trusted. Introduced in 2000, the jacket quickly earned its place as a Swiss Army knife of outerwear: durable, versatile, and dependable. t’s become a favourite of outdoor enthusiasts, discerning gear heads, and rescue teams, who appreciate the bright colours and reflective materials that make it easier to find someone in an emergency situation.
Now, for its 25th anniversary, the Beta AR gets its most meaningful update yet. For fall-winter 2025, it becomes the first Arc’teryx jacket to incorporate the brand’s newly developed Gore-Tex Pro with a lighter, thinner, PFAS-free (a chemical that can harm ecosystems) membrane with a dramatically lower environmental footprint. You get the same trusted performance, just with less impact—on the planet and the wearer.
Naturally, Arc’teryx didn’t stop there. The newest Beta AR features enhanced lamination for durability, redesigned cordlocks that function in gloved hands, pack-friendly pocketing, and an integrated Recco reflector in the hood brim for enhanced searchability. Arc’teryx has also improved upon what you don’t see as the end wearer: smarter manufacturing. The updated patterning process saves the equivalent of 400 jackets’ worth of fabric waste per production run.
Through it all, Arc’teryx continues to refine the Beta AR, not reinvent it, outlasting trends. And whether you’re weathering a downpour or need to look sharp on the streets, it still does what it was always meant to do: keep you dry, prepared, and quietly confident. Which, in an age of algorithm-fuelled hype and never-ending trends, might be the most stylish thing of all.
Photographs courtesy of Arc’teryx.
