Clima Customer Spotlight: Arc’teryx LEAF

Founded by a couple of climbing buddies in 1991, Arc’teryx has enjoyed a meteoric rise to the forefront of the outdoor industry and beyond. The brand’s unique logo and name are inspired by the archaeopteryx, long thought to be the first dinosaur to develop feathers and “free itself from the constraints of the horizontal world.” Today, much like its namesake, Arc’teryx is not only excelling within its niche, but also successfully transcending it.

The technical apparel brand is widely recognized as a leading producer of mountaineering gear, including specialist products such as high-altitude climbing boots. Leading the gorpcore streetwear revolution, Arc’teryx is also a cultural and industry phenomenon in its own right. Still, the limelight and mainstream press coverage does not distract Arc’teryx from its original mission: creating the most reliable gear for the harshest of outdoor environments. 

The company’s headquarters and design studios remain where its roots are: in the wild Canadian Coast Mountains. Not far from the offices, Arc’teryx also owns and operates its own factory, instrumental in developing diligent production and quality control processes. With further manufacturing centers located all over the world, every Arc’teryx product is individually tested to the same exacting standards.

LEAF is the Law Enforcement and Armed Forces division of Arc’teryx and the pinnacle of the brand’s ethos of merging radically innovative designs with the best quality, highest performing materials. Building on the experiences among the world’s tallest mountains where the user’s life depends on the reliability of their gear, LEAF was created to ensure the safety of military and law enforcement officers operating in similarly challenging environments. 

To ensure continuous innovation, all LEAF prototypes are tested and assessed by military personnel in real-life situations during their deployment. Based on their feedback, Arc’teryx produces highly specialized gear that cannot fail.

Searching for the world’s most advanced fabrics led Arc’teryx LEAF designers to tClimashield®’s synthetic continuous filament insulation. It is used across the range of LEAF cold weather jackets and trousers, delivering unparalleled warmth-to-weight ratio, as well as durability against the elements and handling. Unlike natural down, Climashield® offers users excellent cold protection even when wet.

The COLD WX SV GEN 1.2 MULTICAM jacket (available through government sales only) is designed to be worn when conducting Special Reconnaissance tasks in extreme cold weather conditions. With a ragged GORE INFINIUM™ outer, the inside of the jacket features two types of Climashield® insulation: 92gsm/2.7osy Combat, as well as 102gsm/3.0osy Prism, both bolstered with DWR treatment for ultimate performance in wet conditions.

Climashield® insulation can be found across the whole Arc’Teryx LEAF cold weather insulation range.