Artilect M-Formation 3L Jacket | Tested and reviewed

Hailing out of Boulder, Colorado, Artilect is a brand with a forward-thinking, cutting-edge approach and the M-Formation 3L is a waterproof jacket that hits this modus operandi perfectly.

We've actually reviewed this jacket before as part of our test of the best winter waterproof jackets, but in this review we'll be judging it on its performance as a three-season option – so spring, summer and autumn.

The M-Formation 3L is a high-tech, cleverly-engineered jacket with some innovative materials and features – and, best of all, it performs solidly out in the rainy mountains. But there are some drawbacks. It’s very expensive and, at 632g for a men’s small, rather heavy and lacking in minimalist agility.

Arguably it’s more a ski-centric jacket too, with some features – such as the RECCO reflector – proving overkill for the average hillwalker. The softshell-like stretchiness may polarise opinion, too.

But there are tons of impressive aspects to the M-Formation 3L. You get a top-tier 30k-30k rating for both the hydrostatic head waterproofing and breathability, which is genuinely premium standard performance.

The 3-layer construction, featuring Empel’s permanent DWR treatment (which allegedly never needs re-proofing), has 4-way stretch and high comfort levels, and the Trizar lining is thermo-regulating.

There are loads of good features – Velcro wrist cuffs, a well-designed adjustable hood, cinchable waist hem, pit vents and a good orientation of pockets – and the most futuristic addition is a YKK Touchlink with LifeKey zipper pull, which enables you to store your emergency contact details within the in-built NFC chip.

Waterproofing and construction

The Artilect M-Formation 3L jacket has a 3-layer construction, with fully taped seams and a quoted 30,000mm hydrostatic head rating. This is a premium, high-quality, official grade of waterproofing, which should keep you dry in very wet conditions.

Indeed, 30,000mm is 10,000mm higher than some other solid-performing hard shells, such as the Patagonia Granite Crest and Highlander Munro V2. It’s also a slight upgrade to the quoted “minimum 28,000mm” rating of all Gore-Tex products.

It is made from 3-layer, 70-denier nylon shell with 4-way stretch, combined with a waterproof-breathable membrane and a 20-denier 100% recycled polyester jersey backer.

This construction technique is PFC-free and features the innovative Empel DWR treatment, which Artilect describes as a “permanent DWR treatment that never washes out” and a “permanent super-hydrophobic exterior surface treatment”. The theory is that you never need to re-proof this DWR, meaning that you never have to go through the hassle of washing the jacket with Nikwax re-proofing solutions.

Does it work? I need more time to really test this out. Some online reviewers suggest that, over time, rain stops beading on the jacket (a sign, in theory, that the DWR is 'wetting out'), but this doesn’t cause any problems or lead to performance drop-off in terms of waterproofing.

I guess the jury is still out on this front. A permanent DWR sounds a little too good to be true – and maybe it is. Time will tell.

Certainly, however, during initial test hikes in low to medium intensity downpours, the Artilect M-Formation 3L has been adequately protective.

It’s also worth noting that the M-Formation 3L has a “heat re-radiating internal print” known as Trizar, which is designed “for extra comfort and thermal management”. It’s a hexagonal, grid-like structure apparently used by NASA in spaceships.

This is great on very cold days, and works well for skiing activities in snowy conditions, but there’s a potential risk for hillwalkers that it will be too warm for milder three-season hikes. As such the Artilect M-Formation 3L is probably better suited to the colder, wetter ends of the three-season spectrum.

Breathability and ventilation

Artilect states this jacket has achieved an official breathability rating of 30,000g/m²/24hr. This is a very high, top-performing grade – it doesn’t get much higher than this. Indeed, it’s 10,000 g/m²/24hr higher than the lightweight Patagonia Granite Crest, for example, and 15,000 g/m²/24hr higher than the Highlander Munro V2.

Consequently breathability is definitely a strong point of this fabric. To aid air-flow and ventilation, you also get a 27cm-long pit vent under each arm. These work well enough, although the zippers are not two-way, which isn’t ideal, and I’d prefer longer vents up to 40cm.

Despite the sky-high breathability rating, this jacket is still quite chunky and heavy, and I still found it possible to over-heat and get sweaty inside it. I find breathability stats from brands a little misleading, and – for me at least – there never seems to be a magic wand to prevent clamminess.

Will you be the same? Perhaps not, but as a matter of course it’s always wise to take brands’ claims about breathability with a healthy pinch of salt.

Weight and packability

This is a metric where the M-Formation 3L doesn’t perform particularly positively. On my scales, it clocks in at 632g in a men’s small size. That’s pretty heavy, possibly too heavy, and for many hillwalkers this may be a deal-breaker.

If you’re looking for a light, fast and agile jacket for high-intensity mountain missions, this isn’t the jacket for you. Instead it may feel too hefty and weighty, and lack the energy and dynamism you crave.

I’m a little undecided on the weight issue. Personally, I usually prefer a much lighter hard shell, and I like to feel streamlined and athletic in the mountains. For me, therefore, the M-Formation 3L probably does feel a tad too heavy.

However, arguably, the extra weight adds to a sense of protection, and for true three-season use – in wetter weather and when I’m taking my time in the mountains – it works well.

I’d also add that I was a little surprised at the result when I weighed the jacket on my scales. It doesn’t quite feel that heavy when you’re wearing it.

Size, fit, freedom of movement and comfort

The men’s version – the M-Formation 3L – is available in sizes from XS to XXL. The women’s version, which is called the W-Formation 3L, comes in fives sizes from XS to XL. I tested the men’s small version.

I’m 178cm tall and weigh 66.5kg, with a slim, athletic build. The small size fits me absolutely fine. I’d describe the fit as true-to-size, with a regular cut rather than a slim-fitting, athletic one. I get a touch of room for layering underneath, but it certainly doesn’t feel too baggy or spacious – it’s a nice balance.

The volume of the jacket works well for my body shape, offering good coverage over my backside, and the fit is nice across the chest, shoulders and arms, without fabric bunching-up.

The fabrics used in the jacket are quite innovative. They are not as crinkly, loud, stiff or rigid as classic Gore-Tex style hard shells, and instead there’s quite a bit of stretch with a slight feel and sensation akin to a robust softshell jacket.

To a certain extent, this enhances all-day comfort and improves freedom of movement. But, sadly, the hefty weight of the jacket negates some of these benefits, in my eyes.

Features: Hood, pockets, wrist cuffs, zippers and waistband

I’m pretty sold on this jacket’s feature set. It’s great, with all the usual stuff you’d expect, plus a few extra little touches that really add up to create a first-rate, well-executed, highly-functional jacket.

The features I really like? You get an in-built RECCO reflector for safety considerations. It is sewn in at the base of the hood, towards the top of your spine, at the rear of the jacket. The chin collar has a soft lining, which I find comfy and smooth against my skin.

The Velcro wrist cuffs are very well made, with a minimalist, streamlined cut, and they seal wonderfully around my wrists.

The helmet-compatible hood has a good shape, protecting the face comprehensively while moving nicely with the body and providing an adequate field of vision. The hood’s peak visor works well and appears to maintain its shape fine.

Other features include an adjustable waist hem, which can be cinched-in via two drawcord toggles. Under each arm you get a 27cm-long pit vent and, in terms of pockets, there are five options: two handwarmer pockets, one Napoleon pocket on the left-hand breast, one horizontal small pocket below the Napoleon, and one internal stash pocket (located at the right hip) made from very stretchy mesh.

In terms of zippers, the jacket only features premium components from YKK. These have a smooth flow, good design and water-resistant qualities. The handwarmer pockets are protected by a rather minimalist stormflap (I’d prefer it to be a bit more substantial and protective), while the main central zipper has a chunky internal stormflap.

The pit zip vents are well concealed and protected, and the Napoleon pocket also has a chunky external stormflap. None of the zippers work in two ways, which is a slight omission for an expensive jacket.

The biggest tech innovation, however, is the pull-tag on the central zipper. This features YKK’s Touchlink technology, with an in-built NFC chip that connects to the internet and syncs with LifeKey. This enables you to add emergency contact details to your zipper pull (yes, really!) for someone to access (simply by tapping their phone on the puller) in the event of an emergency.

For many this might seem like an over-engineered, excessively tech-y thing that won’t be that useful; for gear geeks and tech fans, it’ll be a great new toy to play with.

Interestingly, the central zipper is also a special component known as a YKK Revive Repairable zipper, which can easily be replaced if and when required. This helps to future-proof the jacket, so that a zipper failure wouldn’t render the jacket useless – instead the component can be repaired, thus extending the life-span of your garment.

I do have a few small niggles, however, in relation to the Artilect M-Formation 3L’s feature set. The inclusion of a RECCO reflector (a safety device used in rescue situations) is a very ski-centric feature. This adds to the cost of the jacket, but will probably be irrelevant to most regular hillwalkers.

It’s also worth noting that the RECCO system isn’t commonly used by UK rescue teams, so again it might be somewhat redundant, unless you’re hiking in North America or the Alps, where the technology is more commonplace.

Similarly, the replaceable nature of the central zipper initially sounds intriguing and useful, but will it actually be relevant to you? The answer may well be no. I also have a few other minor gripes. When I tighten the hood, the drawcord toggle at the rear of the hood becomes very long, with an excessively dangly loop of cord, which is a tad annoying.

The horizontal pocket, at the left-hand base of the jacket, is a weird size and shape too – it’s not big enough for my phone – so I haven’t really found a use for it. Although you may find it handy for car keys or a small wallet.

Sustainability

The Artilect M-Formation 3L has pretty good eco credentials. It’s not quite as sustainable as the Patagonia Granite Crest, but it out-performs many other three-season jackets across the sustainability metric.

It's PFC-free, courtesy of the Empel DWR, which doesn’t use any harmful “forever chemicals”. On top of this, the jersey backer in the 3-layer construction is made from a 20-denier, 100% recycled polyester.

The membrane of the jacket is also PFC-free and has achieved bluesign Oeko-Tex accreditation – an industry standard guaranteeing a fabric is free from harmful substances.

Verdict

The Artilect M-Formation 3L is a premium-quality, hard-wearing waterproof shell with 3-layer construction and a top-tier 30k-30k waterproofing and breathability grade – but it’s very expensive and heavy.

Looking for something lighter? Take a look at our list of the best lightweight waterproof jackets.

About the author

James Forrest writes regular features and route guides for Trail and has been one of our main gear testers for the last few years. James is based on the edge of the Lake District so when he isn’t off on his latest crazy adventure or challenge, he’s walking in his local fells.