Arcteryx Squid Ink Fission SL Jacket

I've had this jacket for a while, a bit over a year now, and this is definitely not a rain jacket. The jacket is waterproof only for very short periods of time. If I wear it in heavy rain walking from my car into my office building, by the time I get to my desk, a less than 2 minute trip total, water is already starting so soak through and the inside of the back of the jacket is starting to get damp. Unfortunately I discovered this well after the return window, but its basically been like this since the first time I wore it in rain, about 2 months after purchase.

Now, it never gets particularly soaked, but some water definitely permeates the jacket, and does so pretty quickly. Just to make sure it wasn't sweat and body humidity accumulating inside the jacket, I hung it on a chair, sprayed it down with a hose in the middle of the back, where there are no seams. After spraying I checked the inside was still dry, and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Coming back, it was damp inside. Putting the jacket on, it was damp enough I could feel the wetness on my back through the wicking polo shirt I had on almost immediately, but not so wet that my shirt looked wet when I took it off.

Despite being somewhat water permeable, it isn't very breathable.Wearing this jacket in pre-storm weather on a warm summer day will very quickly result in a lot of sweat accumulating inside the jacket.

This jacket is really more of a "water resistant, non breathable windbreaker" than anything else. Not impressed. I prefer my windbreakers to be much more breathable than this. I prefer my raincoats to be waterproof enough to stand in the rain for a half hour without getting wet. This jacket doesn't fit either.

Perhaps I got a bad one, as there are some reviews like mine, and others claiming it is waterproof. Maybe some waterproof coating gets sprayed on at the factory and they forgot mine. Whatever the case, this isn't really a raincoat.