Arc’teryx Fissile SV Down Jacket review | A down-insulated oven for skiers

The all-new Arc'teryx Fissile SV Down Jacket adds to the brand's growing lineup of men's all-weather insulated ski and snowboard jackets. The goose down-insulated, Gore-Tex-protected Fissile SV Down Jacket is marketed as Arc'teryx's warmest jacket for days churning laps at the resort. It's competition includes the Beta Down Insulated Jacket, the Macai Jacket, the Sabre Insulated Jacket, and the Rush Insulated Jacket. It should be noted that the Andessa Down Jacket is the women's counterpart to the Fissile SV. The jackets share nearly identical specs, save for a couple relatively minor differences we'll share in our review below. 

Before we do our deep dive, here's how Arc'teryx compares the Fissile SV Down Jacket to the aforementioned others: https://arcteryx.com/us/en/compare/X000008481/X000007183/X000007394/X000007447/X000007315

And if you need help narrowing your choices, one of our favorite tools is Arc'teryx's jacket finder: https://arcteryx.com/us/en/shop/jacket-finder

Warmth & Insulation

We'll get to the merits of insulated ski jackets in a moment. But make no mistake, the Fissile SV Down Jacket for men and the women's Andessa Down Jacket have been designed to keep you toasty warm on even the coldest lift-served ski days.

Arc'teryx has packed 195 grams of RDS-certified 750 fill-power European grey goose down into this jacket, and supplemented it with 100gsm PrimaLoft Silver polyester synthetic insulation in strategic areas like the shoulders, neck, cuffs, hood and underarms. Why synthetic insulation? Because for all its amazing insulating properties, natural down is relatively worthless when wet. Which is why Arc'teryx uses synthetic insulation - which doesn't lose its insulating properties when wet - in areas of your jacket prone to moisture build-up. 

(If you really want to understand the insulating properties of down and synthetic insulation, as well as how we determined the relative temperature ratings of jackets in our chart below, check out our in-depth article: https://staging.outdoorcrunch.com/jackets/)

All that nice grey goose down in the Fissile SV and the Andessa comes at a price (and we don't just mean the $1,100 sticker). This thing weighs more than 2 1/2 pounds - great for cold days chasing vert via lifts but not for any sort of touring or backcountry adventures. The Fissile SV is too warm for any medium- or high-output activities anyway, which brings us back to insulated vs non-insulated ski jackets. 

As a general rule, we prefer shells over insulated jackets for skiing and snowboarding. Why? Because we like being able to customize our layers to each day's conditions. A good shell provides a waterproof and windproof outer layer, but what we wear as a baselayer and mid layer is entirely dependent on the day and our planned activities. If, however, you like the idea of easy, reliable warmth on consistently cold resort days, then an insulated jacket may fit your needs just fine. 

Read our review of Best Arc'teryx Ski Jackets: https://staging.outdoorcrunch.com/best-arcteryx-jacket-for-skiing/

Weatherproofing & Breathability

Unless it's a guaranteed bluebird day, you want to know your ski jacket can withstand whatever Mother Nature throws your way. That's particularly true if your ski jacket is insulated with down (remember, down insulation and moisture often don't play nice). 

For the Fissile SV Down Jacket, Arc'teryx has opted for the new 3L Gore-Tex ePe Gen 2 waterproof and windproof membrane. The "3L" means it's a three-layer laminate featuring the waterproof/windproof/breathable Gore-Tex membrane sandwiched between a face fabric and a lining. The second-generation ePe is Gore-Tex's newest iteration of its PFAS-free material. Arc'teryx says all its Gore-Tex garments have a water column rating of 28,000mm, which means they can truly withstand any amount of water (in the form of snow, rain, sleet) and pressure you could conceivably encounter in the real world. 

At 80-denier, the face fabric of the Fissile SV and Andessa down jackets is burly enough to hold up to the abuses of resort skiing - from the rubbing of your ski or snowboard edges against your jacket on the walk to and from the lot or lodge, to the occasional slaps and scrapes of tree branches as you search for untracked. The lining is a 15-denier recycled and downproof nylon, which will keep those pesky feathers from escaping their baffled homes. 

Finally, the Fissile SV Down Jacket's face fabric is coated with a FC0-DWR finish, which is also free of PFAS (aka forever chemicals). DWR (Durable Water Repellent) finishes are what cause water to bead up and roll off your technical outerwear, and they need to be reapplied every so often as your jacket gets dirty or oily from regular use. Scroll to the bottom for care instructions for your Fissile SV Down Jacket (and any other Gore-Tex down insulated jacket in your closet).  

In terms of the breathability of the Fissile SV Down Jacket - i.e., how well it allows moisture and sweat to escape the inside of the jacket - don't expect much. First, consider the high-loft down insulation throughout the jacket and remember that moisture doesn't play nicely with down. It doesn't matter whether that moisture is in the form of precipitation or perspiration.

Second, and perhaps more important, you shouldn't need the Fissile SV Down Jacket to be very breathable. It's intended use is for very cold days riding the chairlift at your favorite resorts. Lift-served skiing and riding is a fairly low-output activity and therefore it should be difficult to wet out the inside of your Fissile SV from perspiration. But if you do need to dump some heat, we appreciate that Arc'teryx included pit zips on the Fissile SV for exactly that purpose. As a bonus, the pits are mesh backed to prevent snow from getting inside your jacket when they're open. 

Fit & Finish

The "regular" fit of the Fissile SV Down Jacket is supposed to means it's roomy enough for the requisite underlayers but not so bulky that it restricts your movement on the slopes. However, I found the size medium (my go-to size for all Arc'teryx items) to be surprisingly snug. I could comfortably wear a fitted, next-to-skin baselayer under the Fissile SV, but there's no way any additional (or thicker) layers could be accommodated. One could make the argument that multiple layers aren't typically needed with a super warm down jacket like the Fissile SV or Andessa. In my case, it wouldn't be an option regardless.  

We'll also note that Arc'teryx has incorporated a snowsport-specific articulated pattern in the Fissile SV and Andessa jackets in an attempt to achieve an appropriate balance of mobility and comfort. Just know that you will sacrifice mobility when wearing a high-loft down jacket like this.   

Hood

The Fissile SV's hood is insulated, adjustable with a single pullcord, and helmet compatible. We also appreciate that it's removable, because there are some days you just don't want or need the added bulk of an insulated hood hanging off the back of your jacket. 

Pockets

From energy bars to apres-ski beanies to car keys and a phone, there's always a need to stash goodies close to your body for a day at the resort. The Fissile SV Down Jacket's pockets are more than capable of doing the job. 

The jacket has two zippered handwarmer pockets - and we love their placement. These roomy pockets are higher up than traditional waist-level handwarmers, offering convenient access when sitting on the chairlift. 

The Fissile's other external pocket is a small zippered pocket on the lower left forearm. This is where you keep your RFID season ski pass for easy, no-hands lift access. 

On the inside of the jacket is an internal chest pocket and two large internal dump pockets - great for stashing bulkier extras like a balaclava or beanie for apres-ski adventures. The Andessa Down Jacket for women has only one internal dump pocket. 

Powder skirt

Proving its snowsport-specific nature, the Fissile SV Down Jacket and the Andessa Down Jacket come equipped with the requisite powder skirt. We like that it's removable, because as much as we wish every day were a powder day, that's just not the case. 

Don't know what a powder skirt is or why you might need/want one? We go into detail here: https://staging.outdoorcrunch.com/powder-skirts

Zippers

We mentioned it above, but the Fissile SV Down Jacket includes mesh-backed pit zips for ventilation without snow entry. 

The jacket's two-way front zipper is also protected by a button-down storm flap to keep any wind or snow from sneaking through. It's an appropriate detail given the stated objective of the Fissile SV and Andessa down jackets being the warmest resort jackets offered by Arc'teryx. 

Collar

Whether or not you remove the Fissile SV's hood, the down-insulated collar sits high and comfortably around your neck to keep the warmth in and the weather (mostly) out. 

How to care for your Fissile SV Down Jacket

Down is such an incredible insulator because of the tiny pockets of air within it that trap your body's heat and thus keep you warm. But when down becomes wet it loses its insulating power and is essentially worthless. It also takes a long time to dry. All of this is to say that caring for your down garment is essential to keeping you warm and to making sure that expensive jacket performs for years and years. 

There's no need to wash your Fissile SV Down Jacket or other down garments until you know or see that it's dirty, and that's because things like dirt and sweat compromise the ability of your jacket's high-end fabrics to repel moisture. 

When it is time to wash your down jacket, here's what Arc'teryx recommens:

1. Close the main zippers but leave open pocket zippers (and make sure all those pockets are empty
2. Release the tension on any drawcords, like the one for your hood
3. Loosen and secure any Velcro cuffs 
4. If you have a top-loading washing machine with an agitator, toss your garment in a mesh bag to help protect it
5. Use a mild detergent without scents, dyes or fabric softener, and wash on medium heat with a permanent press or gentle setting. Add an extra rinse cycle to ensure all the detergent is washed out. This down detergent from Nu is recommended and sold by Arc'teryx.
6. If you need to refresh your jacket's DWR (durable water repellent) finish, this is the time to do it. Close all zipper, hang up your damp garment, and spray the DWR evenly and thoroughly across the outside of the coat. Arc'terx recommends this Nu Durable Water Repellent spray.
7. When finished washing, turn the jacket inside out and put it in the dryer on a low heat setting. Add two clean tennis balls or other dryer balls to help the down regain its loft. Note you may want to turn the jacket inside out again to ensure all areas of the down get completely dry.

Voilà! Your Fissile SV Down Jacket is hopefully as good as new.