Originally Posted by
Seattle Forrest
Can I ask why the pack weight matters? Is it about the jacket's durability, with all that weight pressing against it? Or is it that with more than 25 lbs in your pack, it'll be big enough and pressed firmly enough against your back that you'll be sweating regardless? (I think my pack generally weighs twice that.)
From what I can tell, all of the above. The stuff is noticeably less resilient than the Pro Shell and I wouldn't want to take Active Shell snowboarding or in conditions where I felt hard crashes were likely -- I'm pretty sure I'd tear it up. I've totally destroyed a lightweight jacket or two via abuse, but my Pro Shell gear takes anything I throw at it.
With a 50 lb pack, I'd stick with your Beta AR. If you're burning up and it's not quite warm enough to take off entirely, pack a lightweight windbreaker like you'd use for cycling. I've had pretty good experience with that.