Arc'teryx Beta AR Jacket vs The North Face Summit FUTURELIGHT Papsura Jacket Men's
Weight and specs compared for 2026 — and which one to choose.
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These are two different kinds of rain jacket.
The North Face Summit FUTURELIGHT Papsura Jacket Men's is a minimalist fast-and-light shell; the Arc'teryx Beta AR Jacket is an alpine hardshell. The lighter one saves 236 g, but the two are built for different jobs, so the lightest is not automatically the better buy.
What the extra 236 g of the Arc'teryx Beta AR Jacket buys you
- A thicker face fabric (40-denier nylon, 80-denier reinforcements against 7D × 15D recycled nylon), which stands up better to pack straps, rock and brush.
- Pit zips, so you can dump heat on a climb without taking the jacket off.
- A hood that is listed as helmet compatible.
What the North Face Summit FUTURELIGHT Papsura Jacket Men's offers besides the lower weight
- It stuffs into its own pocket.
Weights are the makers' listed weights. The other specs were checked on 13 October 2026 against evo.com (Arc'teryx Beta AR Jacket), store.miyaradventures.com (The North Face Summit FUTURELIGHT Papsura Jacket Men's) and adventurealan.com (The North Face Summit FUTURELIGHT Papsura Jacket Men's). "Not stated" means the source does not mention it, not that the jacket lacks it. List prices are the full price shown by that source, not a sale price; where sources disagree we show none.
Choose the Arc'teryx Beta AR Jacket if…
…you expect sustained bad weather, climbing or winter use, or carry a heavy pack that would wear through a thin shell.
Choose the North Face Summit FUTURELIGHT Papsura Jacket Men's if…
…your rain jacket mostly lives in your pack: summer trips, trail running and thru-hikes where every gram counts.
Building a pack? Add either one to your HikeLoad list, or drop its weight into the base weight calculator, and see what it does to your total weight.
See where both rank against everything else in this category on the lightest clothing - outer layer page, or browse the full gear weight database.