Badass Alpine Shell With Gimmicky App-Pairing Zipper: Artilect M-Formation 3L Review

Setting out from the parking lot of Meadow Mountain, it was bright, sunny, and in the mid-40s — warm for a February ski tour. But that didn’t last long. About halfway to the summit’s ski shack, clouds rolled in, the temperature dropped sharply, and winds started picking up, biting through my fleece midlayer. I donned my Artilect M-Formation 3L shell and felt instant relief.

I grabbed the zipper tab — one of this jacket’s most high-tech features — and pulled it up to my chin, sealing in my body heat. Up came the hood, and I continued up the mountain. Visibility dropped to 100 yards. Gusts of wind blasted me as I reached the top and all the way down as I skied back to the car. But my trusty M-Formation shell kept the chill at bay.

The Artilect M-Formation 3L Shell was my main backcountry ski shell last season, and it really grew on me. Unlike most of my preferred ski shells, this one sports a surprising amount of four-way stretch.

It offers the weight and weather protection of a hardshell with the freedom of movement of a softshell. On top of that, it’s warm, and its athletic fit looks good on me.

The waterproof main zipper is also one of YKK’s new Touchlink Zippers with “LifeKey,” which can be paired with a smartphone app to link personal emergency information, as well as to learn about the jacket’s recommended care and materials traceability. If the zipper tab ever breaks, it can also be replaced at home without any tools.

This is a high-tech, very technical alpine shell. I fell in love with it, though, for its most basic function as a jacket.

In short: The Artilect M-Formation 3L shell is packed with techy features like its app-pairable zipper tab. The three-layer, PFA-free, four-way stretch nylon is water- and windproof. It allows the wearer to move freely without restriction, and it traps heat well. It is a versatile three-season shell that can be used for multiple sports and travel. I used it primarily as a ski shell, and it did not disappoint — though I never used the app-pairing zipper.

Compare the M-Formation shell to other jackets on GearJunkie’s guide to the Best Ski Jackets

Artilect M-Formation 3L Ski Shell Review

Artilect packed a lot into this shell. Like most of the brand’s products, it’s made to sustainable standards, designed with some of the highest-tech membranes and fabrics, and is thoughtfully designed for high-output activities. The M-Formation shell is part of Artilect’s A/SYS-5 alpine collection, the brand’s most protective line of shells.

This shell uses a PFA-free High & Dry 30k/30k three-layer waterproof/breathable membrane. It is Bluesign- and Oeko-Tex approved and treated with EMPEL, a DWR treatment that the brand claims never washes out. It also has fully taped seams. The shell material itself is 70-denier four-way stretch nylon, and the jersey backer is 20-denier and 100% recycled.

On the inside of the jacket, you’ll notice a patterned membrane. That’s what Artilect calls “Trizar Space Certified heat re-radiating technology.” Basically, it’s designed to reflect and radiate body heat trapped inside the shell.

For ventilation, decent pit zips with water-resistant zippers make dumping heat easy. There are two pockets on the front and a single mesh stretch pocket (perfectly sized for ski skins) on the inside.

Finally, the zipper. It’s a YKK Revive Repairable zipper that can be popped off if it ever breaks and replaced at home. You simply slide the new zipper tab onto the teeth.

It’s also a Touchlink Zipper with LifeKey and smartphone compatibility. It has an NFC chip in the puller that connects to the Internet. By tapping your phone to the zipper, you can pull up a person’s medical information and emergency contacts, among other product information.

ARTILECT’s 3L Formation shell and High AF Down Stretch Parka are the first two garments to incorporate this technology from YKK.

Fit

The M-Formation shell, like most of Artilect’s clothing, has an athletic fit. I am a 5’11” male who weighs 165 pounds — my waist is 32″. This shell fits me better than any other I own. I can easily wear it with a baselayer and microgrid fleece hoodie underneath.

However, if I wanted to fit an insulated midlayer under it, it might be somewhat of a squeeze.

If athletic-fit outerwear doesn’t work with your body type, this jacket might not be your best option. It is sold from XS to XXL, but Artilect does not offer inclusive sizing options beyond that.

Weight and Packability

According to my kitchen scale, the Artilect M-Formation shell weighs ~680 g. Compared with GearJunkie’s guide to the Best Ski Jackets, this lands pretty squarely in the middle-weight class (although it should be noted that some of the heavier jackets on that list are insulated).

Packability-wise, this isn’t the most compressible jacket you could find, either. The material only compresses so much due to its weight.

Neither the heavier weight nor poor packability really bothered me. The M-Formation shell rolls into its own hood to about the size of a Nerf football, which I can stuff pretty much anywhere. I’ve also never been one to count grams. So, for the level of warmth and protection this shell offers, the extra weight is worth it to me.

In the Field

I test a lot of shells in the course of a season. Last year, I found myself gravitating toward the M-Formation over and over again until it became the mainstay outer layer of my backcountry kit.

When I would wear it skinning uphill, I usually got too hot. The weight and heat-radiating technology kept my body heat trapped so efficiently, I almost always hiked with the front zipper and pit zips down because it was so warm.

The four-way stretch makes movement feel really unconstrained, as well. It’s stretchy enough, and I’d go so far to even say this would be a good climbing shell. You can really reach, stretch, and move your body freely. I don’t usually prefer shells with stretch in them. But the warmth and protection this shell offers is more akin to a standard hardshell. So, really, it’s the best of both worlds.

As far as weather protection goes, I actually wore this jacket on a cold day out dirt biking. I didn’t have another shell handy, so I threw this one on and was blown away by how effectively it cut the cold wind at 60-70 mph on frontage roads.

The M-Formation is also fully waterproof. Following that dirt bike excursion, I was covered in mud — I hosed the shell off in my backyard and watched the water bead off the impervious outer membrane. None of it seeped through.

When I’ve worn this jacket while in the snow, flakes slough off easily. I am confident of the wind and water protection this jacket offers. That’s a big part of what endeared it to me so much last season. I trust it.

The Touchlink/Revive Zipper

Now for the two-part elephant in the room: the high-tech YKK zipper tab.

First, let’s talk about the “Revive” repairable element of this zipper. The top of the teeth has a small flap. If you pull that up, you can remove the zipper tab if it breaks and replace it with another.

However, I’ve never broken a zipper tab in my life. I’ve screwed up zipper teeth before. And if you do that with the M-Formation, you’re still out of luck. This Revive feature only allows users to replace the pull tab itself.

Part two: The app pairing functions. If you download an NFC reader app like “NFC Tools,” you can tap your phone on the zipper, and it will direct you to the LifeKey app. Download that, and then set up your account.

Through the LikeKey app, you can add personal information like medical conditions, allergies, and so forth. You can also add an emergency contact. It also has links to Artilect’s website with information about the A/SYS systems, product care, traceability, and more.

To me, this feels gimmicky. I just can’t picture anyone scanning my zipper on the lift because they’re curious about the jacket or the brand. I also can’t imagine an emergency where someone will A) know they can tap a phone to my zipper and pull up my safety info and emergency contact, and B) have both necessary apps downloaded to do so.

I’ll also admit I’m not a big app guy. So, maybe for someone who is really technologically savvy and app-oriented, this would be a great selling point. But from where I’m standing, it seems like an unnecessary marketing hook. And I hope it doesn’t play too much into the shell’s hefty $670 price tag.

Artilect M-Formation 3L Jacket: Who Is It For?

If you are a ski tourer, backcountry skier, resort skier, or even ice or winter rock climber, I think you would like this shell as much as I have. Artilect clearly has a dialed vision for how it approaches technical apparel. Experimental features like the high-tech YKK zipper might be extraneous. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that this is a versatile and well-engineered piece of winter equipment.

I fell in love with this jacket for four basic reasons: It effectively blocks wind and weather; it stretches, allowing for easy movement in the backcountry; it traps body heat efficiently; and it looks damn good on me.

Some elements of this jacket make me scratch my head, but overall, if you just focus on its most basic functions, this is one of the best ski-touring shells I have come across. I love wearing it.