Patrik Orcutt 04.11.23
Beyond Clothing is rooted in the Pacific Northwest and inspired by the beauty of the great outdoors. The company was founded in 1996 in Seattle, WA as a supplier of technical and durable gear for the Military. That venture led them to develop a versatile layering system that uses moisture management to keep you warm and comfortable in any climate. The people at Beyond firmly believe that time spent in the great outdoors vastly improves your health. With that notion, they see the value in protecting our planet and take a sustainable approach to the products we create, using eco-friendly and biodegradable insulations and textiles to minimize our impact on the ecosystem. When I was still working in Europe for the military I had a unique mission where I was in Sweden working with all Air Force Special Forces for about two weeks. Being an Army guy this was a unique circumstance at that time in my career and I noticed all these Airmen rocking a sick-looking Multicam jacket so I had to learn what it was. That Jacket was the Beyond Clothing A3 – ALPHA LOCHI JACKET (REVERSIBLE).
I tested the A3 – ALPHA LOCHI JACKET over the course of the past 2 years both in and out of uniform. Most of my time wearing this jacket was on missions to Sweden and Germany in the late fall/winter. I also wore it a lot this past hunting season.
The Beyond Clothing A3 – ALPHA LOCHI JACKET (REVERSIBLE) was independently purchased and reviewed by myself and Beyond Clothing has not been allowed to preview this review.
Specs – Beyond Clothing A3 – ALPHA LOCHI JACKET (REVERSIBLE)
- Weight: 20 oz (Size L)
- Materials: 40D Nylon Ripstop with DWR, Polartec Alpha
- Reversible
- Berry Compliant
- Made in the United States
- MSRP: $445
Quality and Comfort – Beyond Clothing A3 – ALPHA LOCHI JACKET (REVERSIBLE)
One of the first things I noticed when I picked up this jacket was just how light it is. Being primarily constructed of 40 D nylon ripstop the outer face of this jacket is tough and resistant to scrapes and scratches but also sturdy enough for everyday use. Something else I noticed when first downing this garment is that it feels like there is no insulation. This jacket is very thin but it still retains a lot of warmth due to the Polartec alpha insulation inside. There’s 80 g of insulation to be exact.
Being that this is a reversible jacket the interior material that interfaces with your body or skin is the same ripstop material found on the exterior. I’ll touch on this more later when we talk about performance. All of the zippers on the jacket are of the YKK variety and work seamlessly to include the double-sided reversible zipper for the main opening. The hand pocket zippers have a corded zipper pull that has heat-treated plastic around it and I think this is a nice feature for when using gloves. All pockets are duplicated on both sides except for the one chest pocket on the exterior when the MultiCam side is showing.
The hood is insulated and provides that extra degree of warmth when needed. This is a medium-sized hood so don’t expect it to cover a helmet. The cuffs of the jacket have elastic around them and so does the waist to help retain warmth. Overall this is a very high-quality jacket and it should be for the price. Aside from one spot underneath the armpit where some of my plate carriers or chest rigs have started to dig into the fabric, there are virtually no signs of wear. While the multi-cam side of the jacket has a flat-faced fabric, the black side has a quilted pattern to provide a little bit of style. Since this is a reversible jacket, that interior is never going to be as comfortable as a standard jacket.
Fit and Sizing – ALPHA LOCHI JACKET (REVERSIBLE)
The overall fit and sizing of the jacket is good. I am 5 foot nine,165 pounds, with an athletic build, and the arms fit me perfectly for the length and cuff. The bottom of the jacket is a bit tight around my waist but maybe that means I need to go to the gym more.
Performance – ALPHA LOCHI JACKET (REVERSIBLE)
Even though this jacket is light, it’s warmer than it looks. I would say it’s not quite as warm as my Patagonia nano puff but close. While wearing this on multiple missions in Sweden and Germany I found that it made for a great external layer if it was below 20° outside. I would layer up with a base and a mid and use the A3 as my external layer and had no problems overheating or being too cold while I was working. The most unique feature of the jacket is definitely that it’s reversible and this can work great in a few different applications. Sometimes it’s nice to travel with only one jacket that can be worn for military work and then when you want to go out to the town you can reverse it to the black Side and you’re all set. While this feature sounds great on paper, I found myself barely ever using it in the real world. Whenever I would travel for military work, I would always bring an additional set of civilian clothes including a civilian jacket. With that being said, many of the Air Force guys loved rocking this jacket off-base with the black side facing out.
Wrap Up – ALPHA LOCHI JACKET (REVERSIBLE)
Now we have to talk about the elephant in the room which is the price of this garment. On the civilian market beyond sells this jacket for $445, making it the most expensive jacket I own. now like many products that are sold to government agencies, the manufacturer will inflate the price for the civilian market. Beyond does offer a 35% discount to all military members for all of their products. This makes it a bit easier to swallow the price of this jacket but in my opinion, it’s still overpriced. Unfortunately, everything Multicam that is sold to civilians is overpriced. And if you were in the market for a reversible Multicam jacket then the market options are pretty thin but in my honest opinion I would just own two separate jackets and considering the price of this one without the discount he would probably spend Wes buying those two separate jackets then on just buying this one jacket, and those two jackets would probably be warmer. If your budget permits it Id recommend going with the Woolclound jacket in Multicam from Duckworth.
