An ex employee has been saying how the kyanite line is the biggest offender of the lululemon execs taking over the brand and focusing on low quality and high markups. Wondering everyone’s experience with the fleeces, I was interested because I wanted a form fitting comfortable light jacket to wear at work and in the city everyday. I’m more interested in the athletic look and high quality aspect since I can’t walk around OCT-NOV with a sleeveless shirt and I heard the kyanite Lt feels like wearing nothing. Is the Arenite as form fitting and comfortable as the kyanite LT? The Arenite was around before the quality drop happened. Which one should I go for if the kyanite line is decent?
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Edit: So I didn't flair this because I'm not strictly discussing the Kyanite LT in either a technical or casual context, perhaps a 'Discussion' tag would be appropriate in the future?
I think Arc nailed this one.
The regular Kyanite is like being hugged by a burly teddy bear. It's one of the most comfortable fleece I've ever worn and not to mention easily one of the warmest. I was unsure how the Kyanite LT would play out in person, but I'm grateful I decided to give it a go.
If the Kyanite is this thick, plush blanket of a fleece, the Kyanite LT is more of a thin, stretchy, matte almost sort of track jacket. It has a hint of that same plushness on the interior, but is significantly less warm and, IMO, significantly better looking as outerwear.
Due to the stretchiness, this is a great one to size down if your usual Arc size runs slightly big (as XL does on me, where L is normally slightly too small).
I picked up the XL jacket in black for work, and a L Cryptochrome hoody for layering / outdoor use.
Can't recommend this fleece enough, I really feel they knocked it out of the park. Again, don't expect warmth - it's less warm than a Delta LT from the limited time I've had to wear mine. But it's perfect for warmer temperatures and will be fantastic as a light layering piece under a shell.
Anyone else grab one of these yet? What do you guys think?
I molested one in REI a couple weeks ago and loved it. Perfect weight fleece for me, as I tend to run quite warm.
I find it very comfortable as well, but it's the most fragile Arc piece in my collection. I took it backpacking on a 14mi 3 day trip when I first got it, and by the end I had a significant amount of pilling from the backpack straps. To Arc's credit, they did warranty it. After that happened I bought a Fortrez for outdoor use and have retired the new Kyanite strictly for casual use. Even still, I've got a bit of pilling just from wearing the seatbelt in my car.. I've accepted the Kyanite won't remain in like new condition with normal use, unlike the other gear I'm used to. Only other thing that bugs me a bit is it tends to be a lint magnet. Still an overall great piece, but I think they could improve on it.