ProView – Outdoor Research Archangel Bibs and Jacket

Outdoor Research describes their Archangel kit of jacket and bibs as “…speed and efficiency with elemental protection, no matter the storms that come your way.” After wearing the Archangel jacket and bibs in a tumultuous Colorado month that included surprise storms on exposed alpine routes, wet and sunny ice climbs, and everything between I agree. The Archangel kit offered the peace of mind that comes with serious protection from the elements without hindering movement or slowing me down. 

Features

The Archangel jacket and bibs both use 3-layer, fully seam-taped GORE-TEX Pro fabric with hybrid mapped construction. Unlike a lot of hard-shell materials, the GORE-TEX Pro has a stretch to it for a freer range of motion and this sets the Archangel kit apart.  The Archangel jacket offers a helmet-compatible hood that only minimally restricted my vision and did not restrict head movement at all thanks to the OR Hoodlock technology, pockets that were placed above the hip belt of my pack and harness, and nicely adjustable wrist cuffs that fit over a wide variety of gloves. The Archangel bibs have cross-back suspenders and full top-to-bottom side zips that allow for an easy on and off even with boots and crampons on and venting on sunny days. The bibs also have a pocket on the right thigh and on the chest as well as adjustable ankle cuffs that would size to fit my mountaineering and ski touring boots. 

Durability

Despite a month of thrashing the kit on ice, rock, and snow while guiding in Colorado it still looks brand new. Time will tell how it holds up in the long run but I have no doubt of its durability given the level of materials used. 

Weight

Jacket (L): 19.4oz
Bibs (L): 25.3oz

If the Archangel kit has one downfall it is the weight of the system. Heavy duty storm protection comes with a weight penalty. If you want one kit that will be able to do everything you ask of it and keep you going in terrible weather this is it. I will likely reach for other lighter options for short day trips with excellent weather forecasts. 

Comfort/Fit

At 5’9” and 185-190lbs I’m a bit stockier than a lot of other guides and climbers — especially thanks to large thighs from years of cycling. I wore a size Large in this kit and it fit well. The jacket wasn’t restrictive, and the wrist cuffs stayed put when climbing and coiling rope. I really appreciated the belt loops on the bibs because they helped keep them right where I wanted them and kept any snow that may fall down the front out of the pants portion. I found the thighs to be a touch tight if I had a beacon or similar in the thigh pocket. The stretch of the fabric helped mitigate this and I doubt it would be a problem for most people with normal-sized legs. The length of the pants was perfect, and the ankle cuffs stayed put on my boots with or without the integrated (and removable) gators. 

Performance

This is where the Archangel kit shines and outpaces its competitors. No matter what conditions I was climbing in I was comfortable. The long and easy-to-use zippers meant that during a sunny but windy day on the north side of Pikes peak I was able to stay cool when the wind died and quickly zip up and hunker down in 30mph winds. The kit kept me bone dry on warm sunny spring days ice climbing through dripping climbs and skiing windy powder days. I’m looking forward to using this kit as my go to on big mountains. 

Room for Improvement

The OR Archangel jacket and pants is unapologetically built for harsh conditions on big mountains. While a lighter kit would be nice, I doubt it would offer the same piece of mind when watching a storm roll in from high up. I would like to see a slightly bigger pocket on the thigh of the bibs but compared to the excellent performance elsewhere this is a small complaint. 

Photo credit: David Cudd @light_expressions

Shop the Outdoor Research Archangel Bibs and Jacket on Outdoor Prolink. Not a member? Apply today!