I discovered the brand Arc’Téryx 8 years ago, during my first Outdoor show, in Friedrichshafen in Germany. The biggest brands were there (The North Face, Columbia, Jack Wolfskin, Norrona, etc…) and Arc’Téryx didn’t differ from them in the size of its stand (« look at who’s got the largest one » …) but rather in its products. It’s difficult to be a cut above among all these brands though… For, even if, in spite of everything, each season, the designers manage to find the accessories, the charters of colours, and the technologies which are distinguishable, I would find it very difficult for example to perceive the difference between a Gore-Tex The North Face and a GT Black Diamond : this would seem impossible to me without the logotype. However, some brands may be differentiated (like the prehistoric bird one). By their price, first. But especially by their minimalist style and their finishing touches. And, as you already know, the quality of the finishing touches counts for a great deal to me : I know that obtaining such a high standard is enough to tear one’s hair out in despair and push all the manufacturing techniques to the limit.
Recently, Arc’Téryx has launched Veilance : a new range of everyday needs products. It’s no more a question of climbing a mountain but of catching one’s bus. In a very interesting interview directed by Haven Shop, the designer Conroy Nachtigal, in charge of the development of the branch Veilance, explains the objective of Arc’Téryx is to make every effort to help the user to forget about what he’s wearing. In the end, his job consists in making us ignore clothes enwrap us, and that each zip, each seam or joint shouldn’t impede our explorations, even the simplest ones. The idea is then to make everyday life fully benefit from technique, which, I find, is a very beautiful project. Well… wearing an Arc’Téryx jacket… I can imagine myself wearing a more than 600 $ jacket, having to be careful not to tear it with branches, but this is another story !
In this new Veilance branch, they have also developed a backpack : the Nomin Pack. One can notice that they have used the same technology as for their waterproof & breathable jackets : to assemble the pieces of material, they sewed them, then they fixed a waterproof stripe inside. It’s a technique which works quite well : the bag is totally waterproof and the seam more durable than a high frequency joint (when very light materials are used like in this case). By the way, you can see the machine which is used to apply this stripe, on the photo opposite.
This is what I like in this range of products : I believe they are among the first ones to make this technological ”transfer”. I doubt whether the cloth used allows ventilation (it would be worthless except if the bag was designed for carrying human beings 😉 ) but, this bag seems to be coming from a roll used for making one of their jackets.
AND, the shoulder straps are what remains the most incredible. Here again, they have mixed their varied technical knowledge and have conceived their shoulder straps as they conceive their… harness. Their objective was certainly to get the best compromise (for it’s always to do with compromise) between suppleness, comfort, lightness and functionality. A shoulder strap is an addition of functionalities ! Achieving to create a shoulder strap which is both functional and so minimalist was a real bet… that they have, once more, managed to take up.
Their zip, is a ”home” conception, since it’s to do with their Water Tight™ technology (created in 1999, completely developed internally). Therefore a gilt-edged security.
Inside the bag, I don’t think there is a truly technical exploit, but everyone might not share my view, so if you want to know more to have your own idea about it, you can find the complete test made by one contributor of the team of Carryology. Here again a gilt-edged security 😉
One must know that 20 % of the production of Arc’Téryx come from Vancoucer, which may partly explain the price of their articles. This time, the bag Nomin 2.0 is well and truly made in Canada and its cloth is made in the USA ; it helps to understand its price (a bit less than 700 $).
I particularly think this bag, in fact, illustrates a sum of little details, which convert the aesthetic of the rucksack to its simplest representation, and which, thanks to the conjunction of different savoir-faire in the firm, enable a distinct improvement of its different functionalities. So, that sum of micro-details places this bag among the highest grading standards and justifies its price. It isn’t sold in our boutique yet, but if you want to buy it, you can use the brand site.
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