Construction & Features

The Arc’teryx Norvan Shell Jacket is a truly minimalist rain garment. By design, there are very few major features. No pockets. No pit zips. No cuff adjusters. No hem adjuster. There’s not even a hang loop, which can range from meaningless to super annoying, depending on how you store it at home.

Most of what we found would be considered minor features, including one crown adjuster on the hood, a RECCO Reflector, a chin-guard, elasticized hem/cuffs, a front zipper with teeth instead of coil, and reflective trim for increased visibility at night.

But we’re not complaining. What it lacks in bells and whistles, it makes up for in an exceptionally light weight package. At 6.7 oz for a men’s medium, it is the lightest weight, true GTX shell we’ve covered, and we’ve written about a lot of rain jackets. Finding a rain jacket at that weight class is  quite rare, and the sub-seven-ounce genre is an elite niche.

From the seam-taping to every last stitch, this garment is truly high quality and lives up to the Arc’teryx name. We commend the bird on another excellent build.

But it takes more than minimalist features to make an ultralight jacket; you also need lightweight fabrics. Norvan’s 13d nylon face fabric over its GTX membrane, with C-KNIT backer are the perfect textile for the job. The end result is waterproof, soft, movement accommodating, lightly stretchy, and breathable. C-KNIT is a knit backer technology that increases GTX’s breathability by 15% and weight reduction by 10% (compared to standard 3L backers), according to GORE-TEX. It also feels less stiff than your typical rain shell.

Arc’Teryx describes Norvan’s fit as “fitted,” AKA “trim” AKA “slim.” There is room enough to layer a fleece underneath, but it won’t fit overtop a fleece AND a puffy jacket. This is to be expected in an ultralight trail running shell. We would describe it as true to size. Just know that it’s not meant for winter or storm layering.