It really depends dude. You shouldn't succumb to just one single brand of clothing for the outdoors. I see people in full Arc'teryx and want to slap them for silly brand loyalty. I use almost exclusively petzl gear for ropework, but I have compared their locking carabiners to black diamond lockers and I prefer the BD's. Arc'teryx makes good shit, but a lot of it is overpriced and sometimes even worse than their competitors. A good example is their upper shells. They are very nice, but way too pricy for what they are. A Patagonia shell does just as well for a lot less money. Patagonia down jackets are decently priced, but inferior to almost any good outdoors brand (OR, BD, Arc'teryx, Marmot) just in build quality. There is not a single outdoors brand that makes the best of everything. You have to physically inspect the gear and the technology put into it to know what is better suited for yourself. It also helps if you have basic tailoring skills, so you have a knowledge of what it takes to make good quality gear. A simple answer to your question is that Arc'teryx is, in my opinion, only sometimes worth the cash.
