The Stowaway was designed to be as light weight as possible with a very minimalistic design. The shirt snugly fits into a little pouch located at the back of the neck and is secured with a drawstring & toggle. This can be removed if being worn with chest rigs & packs.
Similar to the level 4 PCU here in the states, it's small & lightweight enough to be thrown in a daypack, vehicle glove compartment or jacket pocket. You'll hardly notice it's there, until the weather gets rough and you need that extra layer.
The textile used is a light minirip nylon with a DWR finish, which is showerproof and highly breathable. The whole garment weighs under 200g (Based on size M).
Sizing
Sizing information can be found here.
Specs
Good deal on a rain jacket that you can stow in the glove box. Packs up to about a quarter of what my old poncho I kept stashed under the seat did and looks a lot better. Good deal.
I purchased the Optiview Stowaway, and received additional Stowaways in the end-of-the-year Arktis gumball rotation.
There's a good reason the KS staff speak so highly of these. I've used the stowaway for recreational, professional, and volunteer purposes. These work great on their own, but also nest wonderfully as a base-layer.
As an advanced user note, Arktis suggests using DWR to improve water resistance. This works pretty well! But keep in mind this will remove some of the intended breathability. This may affect seasonal performance.
That said, my DWR treated stowaway came in handy during one particular adventure in the White Mountains of NH. An unexpected storm arrived, dropping literal buckets, the type of storm that removes visibility; a miserable situation. The stowaway kept me going and kept my core dry! I was the driest person at lunch.
I've compared these to an alternative item on the market, by Helikon-Tex, the "tramontane." The competitor item is about half the weight, a 100grams less, than the stowaway. Thing is, in my experiences, this proved too light. The extra weight in the Arktis achieves a far better balance between weight and performance.
These rule - there's no excuse to not have one in your kit. It'll fit anywhere!
I bought one in M90 to stow in my fishing sling for emergency, rain and breaking wind. Fits true to size according to the chart. I use it way more than expected and moved it to my EDC bag.
Good quality. Nice shit.
It can stow good. No need for change. Shirt is good.