Arc’teryx Veilance Spere Jacket Review
Hi-level
Sleek, comfortable and very well designed
Performance fabric blends high durability with water and wind resistance
Roomy cut and elastane content make the jacket wear like nothing
Storage options could be improved
Introduction
The Arc’teryx Veilance Spere Jacket was introduced for Fall-Winter 2022 as a lightly insulated work jacket by the Canadian Arc'teryx off-shoot, Veilance.
It shares its silhouette with the previously offered Spere LT Jacket, but with a significant material update: instead of the light and breezy nylon-stretch Terratex, this heavier iteration envelops the wearer in a fleece-backed hard-wearing Fortius 2.0. Here's our experience with it.
History
Arc'teryx Veilance introduced the Spere LT Jacket - with LT standing for "lightweight" - for its Spring-Summer season 2021.
A lightweight stretchy work jacket, it was a departure from Veilance's previous slimmer silhouettes as it had a boxier, more relaxed fit block. A sharp collar and frontal pockets created a distinctive look, giving it the if-you-know-you-know Veilance flair. Come Fall-Winter '22, followers of the brand were happy to see the jacket return in a more cold-weather appropriate version. While the overall features and look remained, the Spere Jacket borrowed its shell material from the lauded Arc'teryx Gamma MX: a heavier polyester/nylon/elastane blend, praised for its resilience and breathability, with the added comfort of a thin yet effective fleece backer.
Design & construction
The Spere Jacket, like most Veilance designs, presents itself as understated yet clean.
The collar is sharp and neither small nor too large. A smooth black YKK-zipper, with a wind flap behind it, offers quick and adjustable closure. At the wearer's abdomen, four stacked pockets offer decent storage.
Visually, there are only two pockets on either side of the jacket.
The front pockets are accessed from the top and covered by an angular shaped flap. Behind these pockets are two side pockets, secured by a zipper. Whereas work jackets often have patch-on pockets, these are sewn in. The pocket outlines and flaps are sharply integrated into the front panel, creating a very clean, architectural look.
Overall, the jacket's lines are sharp, concise, and angular in a way that Veilance has mastered over the years. It goes unnoticed at first sight but is wonderful to behold once you get up close.
The back of the jacket is characterized by angled shoulder panels reminiscent of reinforcements found on outdoor gear, a nod to the brand's heritage and a staple in their design language.
A small locker loop underneath the collar contains the only outer branding with a heat-applied Veilance-logo. Inside the jacket, there's low-loft fleece lining laminated throughout, no internal pockets and - this being Arc'teryx Veilance - beautifully taped seams.
The next image shows an inside-out view of the Spere Jacket.
Below the articulated sleeves are integrated gussets - instead of simply having the tubes that form the sleeves stitched to the shoulder and armpit area, the lower part of the fabric running underneath the arms continues to the sides of the jacket. This is a common Arc'Teryx Veilance feature and allows more freedom of movement as clothing lacking this tend to ride up when raising one's arms. This, combined with the natural stretchiness of the Fortius 2.0 fabric, makes for a very comfortable and free-moving wearing experience.
Finishing off the sleeves are two sets of Cobrax snap buttons, which can be used to adjust the wrist opening.
Material
The Fortius 2.0 material is part of what Arc'teryx refers to as a larger "Fortius" softshell cloth-catalogue, with different weights, deniers, and compositions.
There's Fortius 1.0, Fortius 2.0 DW (double-weave), Fortius Air 20, Fortius Air 50, and more. None of the Fortius materials are considered waterproof, but they all offer some level of elasticity, air permeability, and durability. The Fortius 2.0 used in the Spere Jacket is most known from the Gamma MX-line of (hooded) jackets and pants.
Fortius 2.0 is composed of 49% polyester, 35% nylon, and 16% elastane and is laminated to a mid-weight 4-way stretch fleece. This makes for a very durable, lightweight, soft, stretchy and comfortable material that has proven itself during low-intensity cold weather outdoor activities.
The low-loft fleece backer provides light insulation, while the shell offers a certain level of air permeability, regulating your temperature when exerting yourself for short bursts.
The softshell material doesn't really break like a heavier weight cotton would, it rather drapes which creates interesting silhouettes. Being quite elastic and thin, the fabric has a tendency to show the outlines of anything that it covers tightly. Think clothing seams, keys, wallets: if the jacket hugs anything closely, it does a poor job of concealing what's below. Take this into account when sizing for the jacket.
The fabric is coated with a durable water repellent (DWR) which helps light rain bead off, but the jacket will soak up when exposed to rain for a longer time.
As time passes and friction occurs, this coating will wear off but can easily be revitalized using technical detergent and machine-drying the jacket using medium heat. Applying a spray-on DWR will restore the beading properties should one notice the original coating no longer performs.
During the same season that brought the Spere Jacket, Arc'teryx Veilance also introduced a track pant called the Secant Heavyweight Trackpant, essentially offering a fleece-lined softshell pair of sporty trousers.
Features
Essentially, the Spere Jacket is a durable softshell made for the outdoors, stealthily guised in a city-oriented package.
This means it dries quickly, is quite wind-resistant (but not windproof), and moves with your body unnoticeably. It has kept us comfortable between 10-16°C and has room for light layering should the temperatures drop more. However, the fleece lining tends to catch on piled clothing, so expect long-sleeved shirts or sweaters to bunch up when putting on the jacket. A smooth liner would have been a great addition to the sleeves, at the expense of breathability (and it would make the jacket less versatile during in milder conditions).
There is no internal security pocket, which is a miss in our opinion, as it offers a much safer way to store valuables.
Storage comes courtesy of the four (two, stacked) pockets. The drop-in pockets are a quick way to store small items, but note those items can fall out easily as the flap covering them is very pliable. Be warned when throwing the jacket over your arm.
The side pockets are more secure as they are zippered, which is perfect for keys or a wallet.
Interestingly, only the drop-in pockets are fleece lined. This comes across as a construction and material quirk as it would have been much more comfortable to have the side pockets offer the added warmth. Should there ever be a revision, we'd like to see fleece in those pockets as well.
The stacked nature of the pockets makes for a less clean way of putting things in, as they tend to bulge when contained items are next to each other.
This is another reason why omitting internal storage seems like a missed opportunity. The weight of stored items does influence how the jacket drapes as well. Due to the elastic nature of the fabric, items inside the pockets tend to disrupt the jacket's silhouette.
How it wears & usage
The Spere Jacket makes for an effortless piece to throw on during chilly hours or on windy days.
Knowing that the softshell material was originally designed for all-round mountain activities, the jacket provides a certain piece of mind as it's not meant to be babied. Only the harshest of winds cut through and light rain beads on top of the outer shell. After wearing different backpacks, playing with toddlers, scraping against walls and other not so gentle activities the jacket still looks new after a quick wash.
The only indication that it's not brand-new is minor creasing on the flap pockets.
The Spere Jacket easily dresses up or down and almost disappears when worn over other layers because it's so flexible and well-cut. We've come to appreciate the comfort so much it's become a favourite jacket for fall and mild winter days. For those that have multiple pieces of clothing from the Veilance line: it is one of the more silent jackets around, being noticeable less prone to swishing than your average Gore-Tex, Burly or Infinium.
The laminated fleece, as mentioned, does a decent job of keeping one comfortable during crisp days, but it shouldn't be relied upon for freezing temperatures.
Verdict
9/10
A silently technical homage to the classic work jacket, with impeccable cut and mountain-ready materials, the Arc'teryx Veilance Spere Jacket is an exciting fall-winter outer layer. Some of the design choices come across as quirky or even cost-cutting, but the overall package more than makes up for it.
The Spere Jacket was available for €600 on Veilance.com at the time of writing.
Curious for more? Find other Veilance & related reviews here.
Disclaimer: we acknowledge the lack of pictures of a model wearing the items reviewed here. We're exploring our options here.