If you have ever gone on a hike and came back drenched because you didn’t have a layer to keep you dry than you know how important having a rain jacket is. The Arc’teryx Beta AR jacket was the essential piece of gear for this trip. Staying dry is super important especially when camping. I absolutely love this jacket. I have been wearing my dads old arc’teryx jacket just like this one for years and decided maybe I should just buy my own. The only complaint I have with this jacket is not the jackets fault by any means. I should have bought a medium instead of a small. When I was at REI testing out the jacket, I put on some other puff jackets on under it to see if it would work for layering during the winter months. I put it on with my Patagonia nano puff and a Patagonia down hoodie under the Beta AR and it all fit well. This winter I have been wearing a REI put plus a