Gregpphoto - but you're killing the dream - a dream wherein we need a Land Rover to make those off road trips to the mall and our Arcteryx to brave the wilds of Central Park.
Why just this morning, I had a lonely, desolate trek down the NJ Turnpike with no water supplies and tons of NY drivers. Once I got to the office, who knew what wildlife was lurking at the edges of the parking lot, ready to strike. I had to bushwhack through the wilds of my office parking lot a full 200' from my car to the door in moderate rain. I felt unprepared for the journey, for I was wearing my OR Helium II as my only outer layer, but somehow I made it safely without an Arcteryx. (But I'm heading over to REI tonight, as I can't handle conditions like that again.)
Anecdotal as it is, I'll throw my experience in to counter. I left home January 2015 via bus to Austin Texas, then via thumb to Joshua Tree California. I thumbed back to Austin in April, and bused back to NJ. So I rode a bus, hitchhiked, explored cities, backpacked, and rock climbed, all with one pack.
thanks for the story - I am hoping they help me because right now I am not really thrilled with their customer service - I just ordered an Arc'teryx Alpha FL jacket- had planned on making it my winter shell jacket as well as raingear. I have NEVER spent $400 on a jacket or any single piece of clothing in my life before. The package arrived yesterday and I opened it with my hands (it was a soft bag package) and put it on to check the fit and we noticed that there appeared an odd line in the fabric by the wrist and so I took it off and looked and it looks like some sort of snag going up the fabric a few inches. I do not wear jewelry and there was nothing I did to put any kind of mark and it was only out of the bag for maybe 2 minutes. For some it might not be such a huge deal but for a $400 jacket I would hope to get it without any marks or scratches on it. I contacted customer service and asked how I can return the jacket and have them send me an undamaged one and sent them a picture of the snag and I was not really thrilled when their reply email asked me what I had opened my package with and perhaps I had damaged it.