My wife's favorite jacket from Arc'teryx
I bought this jacket for my wife, she loves it. when we go camping and hiking, she always take this jacket with her. she has at least 20 outdoor jackets, so you know how much she likes this one. I recommend to anyone who is into outdoor activities.

Love this jacket!
I ordered this jacket as a replacement for a Northface Summit Series Gortex shell that I'd had for 10 years and loved. Couldn't find a Northface women's Gortex Pro replacement shell, so I decided to branch out and found this jacket. It is incredibly light but very durable and a perfect shell for keeping out wind and rain. Because it is so lightweight, I wear layers underneath for warmth. I am 5'4'' and 105 pounds, and a size small allows me to wear a sweater and a down jacket underneath and still have freedom of movement. (I ordered the XS too just to compare and ended up returning it because I didn't feel I had enough room to layer adequately underneath.) On top of its performance features, this jacket looks great -- very sporty and stylish. I wholeheartedly recommend it!

Worth the $$$
I have the Theta AR already from Arc'teryx so I already know how great their products are. I wanted a lighter shorter and more fitted version for use in warmer weather and the Beta AR seemed perfect. However, the sleeves in previous year's version seemed just a tad too short and I like my sleeves to hit about mid-hand so they don't rise up too much when I move my arms. For 2010, they've redesigned the jacket and the sleeves are longer! I ordered the size small (I'm 5'5", 115 lbs) and it fits exactly how I want - I can layer a light fleece with it or wear just a T-shirt and it feels fine both ways. The other thing they've done for 2010 is manufacture the jacket in Canada which I love (last year was Made in China).

love this jacket
GORETEX!!! I already own the beta sl but needed something more for the mountains in the winter. I chose this jacket since it performs and packs light at the same time. I also love the full size hood protection. I ordered size medium since I prefer to layer with fleece or another jacket underneath. I am 5'4- 115lb and this size is perfect! I chose the black since my other jacket by arcteryx is purpola. I also like the length of this jacket since New Mexico winters at 9000' can very. I always have waterproof pants packed. The pockets are where you need them to be. You can not go wrong with this jacket. It's the BOMB!!

Excellent quality jacket!!!
I had a hard time deciding between the Alpha SL and the Beta AR. I ended up trying both, and I think this one is a better overall jacket, although a little shorter. The Alpha SL was still quality, but the hood/collar design didn't work for me. The Alpha collar stands up very high and stiff, and without the chinguard it was really uncomfortable for me. This one has a chinguard and the collar/hood design works better to give better coverage and is much more comfortable. Ultimately, the fit and design for the Beta won me over. LOVE IT!!! Oh, I'm 5'7" and 125 lbs and the x-small fit was perfect for me, but I'm not using it with heavy/thick layers. I'd have gone with a small if I wanted to wear a thick fleece under it.