REVIEW: Arc'teryx LEAF Wraith Jacket and Pants

Who doesn't know the problem - You're traveling light and don't have any rain/wind protection with you. Why would you, the weather is great and you'll be back soon anyway. But the devil is in the details and suddenly the weather changes or you're out longer than planned. That's why the Wraith Set from Arc’teryx LEAF was designed. Martin tested it for you.

Many manufacturers offer wind jackets as emergency shells, but few have both a jacket AND pants. Not Arc’teryx. The Wraith Set consists, as the title suggests, of a jacket and pants. It was designed as emergency clothing and is NOT a replacement for rain clothing made from Goretex or similar materials. Both pieces are made from an extremely lightweight and thin Ripstop material called Gossamera™ - the same material used in the Atom AF jacket. It has very good water and wind resistant properties with minimal pack size and weight.

The Wraith Jacket is slightly larger to comfortably wear it over normal clothing and/or over a flat chest rig/plate carrier. Apart from a Napoleon chest pocket, there are no other pockets on the jacket, which also functions as the packing bag when rolled into the pocket. Inside, there is a loop for securing equipment or - if packed (then the loop is on the outside) - for hanging the jacket.

Additional details include adjustable cuffs, a hood with a small visor (made with a lightweight, water-absorbing material laminated) and a full-length zipper for opening the jacket.

The zipper is covered with a soft pad at the chin.

The hood and waist can be adjusted with an elastic band. There is also a tab at the neck to roll up and secure the hood. All zippers are covered with shrink tubing for a perfect grip. The weight is 180g.

The pants are also slightly wider to be worn over normal pants. The leg ends are adjustable with elastic bands and provide enough space to get in with heavy hiking boots.

The knee area is pre-formed similar to the Talos Pants and offers enough room for a knee pad.

Again, there are no pockets except for the packing bag with loop, which is located inside the buttocks on the right side.

The waist of the pants can be secured with an elastic band. Where the pockets would normally be, there is a long zipper on each side to access the pockets underneath. Due to the length, it is also possible to easily reach the thigh pockets. The pants weigh 150g.

Both pieces were offered by Arc’teryx in the color Crocodile and White (for snow camouflage), but both are discontinued. Currently, you can officially only get them in Multicam. Some retailers still have them in the mentioned colors (white for example TACWRK).

CONCLUSION: If your equipment is designed for quick and light use, the Wraith Jacket and Pants are just right. Even though they don't provide 100% rain protection, the set (or even just one piece) offers very good rain protection and excellent wind protection.

The Arc’teryx LEAF Wraith Jacket (from 165 Euro) and Pants (from 165 Euro) are available in Multicam, and limited in Crocodile and White at Lindnerhof HQG or TACWRK.