Arc’teryx Veilance Monad Pouch Review

Introduction

Constructed from “excess raw materials”, the Veilance Monad Pouch is essentially a waterproof zippered bag. In all its simplicity it is an accessory that makes sense within the Veilance system, hopping on the sustainability train while still carrying the original performance-driven ethos.

As part of Arc’teryx’s ReBird program, the Monad Pouch highlights its use of excess materials. Raw fabric for clothing is supplied on large rolls (or “bolts”), from which the different components of a piece are cut out. As one can imagine, this process leads to parts of the fabric being unused and usually discarded.

The company’s ReBird program includes various efforts to reduce its footprint, including using these scraps to create new items.

The Monad Pouch is one of the outcomes of this. In a bout of curiosity, we ordered one, and we found our pouch to be constructed from a high denier (probably 70 or 80d) 3L Gore-Tex Pro, guessing from the feel, heft and backing material – it’s very similar to our Beta SV. Not that it actually matters for the use case, but it does slightly impact the weight and overall stiffness.

Measuring roughly 31 by 24 centimeters, the Monad Pouch is a sleek rectangular bag featuring a 21-centimeter WaterTight zipper on one side and a small, partly detachable nylon loop on the upper right corner. The zipper is laminated on the upper “front” rather than on top of the bag. This creates a very flat profile but also limits the opening size.

There is a single seam on the opposite side of the zippered part, running down the middle, while the other seams are neatly sewn, almost invisibly, running along the edges. The middle seam is completely taped on the inside for a fully waterproof finish while the folded edges seem to be sewn then laminated for a waterproof seal.

Overall, the pouch is crafted like any other Veilance item: simple, efficient, but to a very high standard. There are some glue marks visible on the zippered part, but that doesn’t bother us—it’s just part of how WaterTight zippers look, in our opinion.

We found ourselves stuffing it inside our pockets when the weather was unpredictable, to use it as a more stylish Ziploc bag should the skies break open for protecting our wallet and phone. While traveling, we’ve tossed in our charging cables and small tidbits. The loop provided a bit of security as it can be attached to other loops or keyholders inside bags. We feel the only thing that misses is an inside zippered pocket for things like coins.

You could also style it as a sleek clutch or sacoche with technical flair, which is also how Veilance promotes it in their marketing photography.

Overall, it is basically a slim synthetic bag that can be zipped shut, offering storage for small items. The question is: why does this exist? Here’s our take.

If you’ve been following Veilance for a while, the Monad Pouch makes sense. They have been providing similar pouches for a while with their older Gore-Tex shell jackets, meant for stuffing a jacket in when not wearing it. The Gore-Tex Monitor Coat for instance included a Gore-Tex bag made from the same material. It seems they omitted including the bags after 2018.

The original idea behind Arc’teryx Veilance was to create everyday clothing with the technical and functional properties of their mountaineering offerings. Think Gore-Tex field jackets, wind-resistant and quick-drying overshirts that were patterned like climbing shirts and backpacks constructed from climbing harness materials. All the features one would appreciate when hiking or scaling a mountain, made to look inconspicuous in the city or in a boardroom. Often overkill, but that’s part of the appeal. Knowing that your blazer and matching trousers are technically able to protect you from a storm is, for lack of a better description, giddying.

As such, crafting a carry-on pouch from their bread-and-butter material – Gore-Tex – is a logical choice. You can easily score a cheap non-waterproof, zippered plastic or cotton bag in any convenience store, but with the Monad Pouch, you get a version that is constructed like a high-performance waterproof shell jacket. The zipper is highly water resistant and can also be found in Arc’teryx’s acclaimed Alpha SV shell jacket, as are the fully taped seams. The fabric is the actual stuff only used in their high-end shells, the care label on the inside is attached to the same kind of rugged material that they use to reinforce their hanging loops.

It’s like having a mountaineering jacket for your small belongings.

Your items don’t need breathable, waterproof, and highly abrasion resistant protection, nor does having lamination improve the functionality save for waterproofing and shaving down bulk. It’s the idea behind it that makes the story. The scrap Gore-Tex being repurposed instead of discarded fits in nicely with the sustainable narrative the company is trying to create.

We feel like the Monad Pouch makes sense as the Veilance pouch. It does exactly what any other similar pouch would do, but could perform like a top-of-the-line mountaineering shell jacket should the circumstances require so. An essential necessity? Absolutely not. But if you’re into what Veilance stands for, you could consider bagging it.

9/10

If you’re looking for an outdoor apparel specialist’s take on how to execute a sleek carrying pouch, look no further.

The Monad Pouch was available for €70 on Veilance.com at the time of writing.