Are north face jackets any good or just a fad?
 

Seems like everyone has one.

they make decent gear. had some nf years ago, i didn't buy it when it came time to get new winter stuff recently though, there's better out there for the same price, less even.

They look comfortable but seem overpriced. imho.

I was once an avid hiker, especially around this time of year. All my equipment was North Face. I can tell you with 100% certainty that if you intend to climb Mt. Washington this week, you want North Face protecting your ass.:2 cents:

I don't expect you'll be climbing Mt. Washington anytime soon, but if you're just looking for a good winter coat, North Face is good stuff.

Yeah the price is very high

That too. North Face is a hiking gear company and the majority of their stuff is designed and built with that in mind. Some of the material they use and the crafting of the equipment itself is overkill for just keeping warm between the front door and the car.

For the money, I'd just go buy another leather jacket.

Chick I know just bought a heated jacket, plug it in and it's got warming packs in it. I need one for tomorrow -11 to -15 forecast currently. :helpme

If you have thrift shops around you, check there. I don't really know the reason, but you can find a new NF jacket for under $5 in most of them :)

I really wanted one for kayaking not white water but i want something light

i went with mont bell, arc'teryx, marmot and enlightened equipment.
my big priority, along with warmth, was ultra light packability. i couldn't find any nf gear that matched these in being uber light and compressable.

Right down the road from you.. They're saying on Tuesday here we're going -9 as the high, -17 as the low, -36 with the expected wind chill. If it goes down like that, it'll be the coldest day on record in this area.

I'm going to have to make sure I've got all the beer I need in here by tomorrow. Fucking winter.:disgust

make sure you go synthetic then. :)

Go dust my car off then and I'll buy ya some beer. :1orglaugh

Some records will be broken for sure.

:1orglaugh I'm seriously debating a Tampa or Orlando move in the summer.

As a climber i will second that notion butt add:

it's way over priced an you can most likely aquire kit thats just as good for half the price. also it's made in some random Indonesian country using under paid labour and questionable materials.

On winter excursions I never worried about the weight of my pack just as long as I could get everything into it and carry it comfortably. Plus when you're climbing certain mountains, you sometimes have the benefit of having a base camps available to you where you can leave the gear that you know you (probably) won't need behind... which I never did. It would have been my luck to cut pack weight and then slip and break my leg on the side of a mountain.

Spring and summer, pack weight cut-o-rama. There's so much shit that you must carry with you in the winter. Spring and Summer are a different story altogether.

i'm familiar. :winkwink:

lol, there just a basic jacket, buy them anywhere, cheap

I would say you want something made with Gore Tex then. Gore Tex is light, mostly waterproof, and has the ability to allow water on your skin to evaporate. If the water you're going to be in is freezing, you want a Gore Tex / Thinsulate mixture.

Also, I can not stress this enough: SOCKS.

If you're an avid outdoor enthusiast, socks. A lot of these companies produce socks specifically designed to protect your feet like no other. Relative to the price of regular socks they're ridiculously expensive, but there's no single piece of equipment you can have with you that will give you more of an edge than simply having warm, dry feet.

Pretty much no matter what you're doing out there, if your feet have a problem, you have a huge problem.

More of a status thing. My sister in law got a North Face jacket for her baby, and that thing was over 100 bucks. Ridiculous.

Just saw these <$20 at the Northface Outlet. :1orglaugh

ugh everyone and their dog wears NF. I prefer Marmot
http://marmot.com/ Wearing this gear out in public signals the adventure seeking ladies (the naturaly beautiful ones who look good without make up) that you want to take them up into the mountains and cuddle by a fire. Douchebags wear rosary necklaces and other ghey things to start conversations. I just wear my outdoor gear and get compliments and start conversations. The rest of the world can have the nasty whores who wear clown makeup, I will take the strong, outdoor loving, kind hearted real women.:thumbsup

Marketing wet dreams in this thread.

marmot does some killer proprietary fabrics and such also, my outer shell is this jacket and this guy's review is fucking hilarious!

That poor fucker. :1orglaugh:1orglaugh:1orglaugh I want to buy one based totally on that video.

i know, right? :1orglaugh:1orglaugh

For me its hard to find good jacket!

They make good quality technical gear.

If you're considering The North Face, take a look at Sherpa and Marmot as well. Similar price range, good quality.

If you're on a budget, check out MEC.ca, I've personally never used them but heard good things from friends about the quality of their gear.

Same experience.


North Face is good if your safety and health are on the line. Jackets, tents, sleeping bags are all top notch.



Just Dave

Maybe my Maine roots are talking, but LL Bean makes some of the nicest stuff, they are a little cheaper, and they'll let you return or exchange with no questions asked even years later.

:1orglaugh:1orglaugh:thumbsup indeed:winkwink:

Fuck that shit... I've been in -14 and it was no picnic

I have North face gear and I love it kept me warm while boarding during a snowstorm in park city utah

No shit never thought to look there... I know where I'm shopping tomorrow for my New York trip.

fact is quality gear has a label on it.

unless you want to make your own gear going with thru-hiker.com or something, but sewing a garment with down is extremely difficult for a regular guy like me.

BINGO. :thumbsup Many times on a climb the thought of dying crossed my mind. Fucking up and falling, being stranded, starving, etc. Never once did I actually fear I was going to die because of my equipment. Not once.


I like your attitude. :upsidedow Welcome to the board.

yup sounds about like here.. 8-12" of snow tonight.

Tomorrow - Bitterly cold. Windy. Snow flurries and a few snow showers throughout the day. Dangerous wind chills as low as -40 °F. High -7 °F. Winds W at 20 to 30 mph

and I bought beer, pop, and frozen pizza's last night before all this crap rolled in :2 cents:

Indy today? It's on it's way.

I'm in NE Ohio under a ton of snow and it just started to rain.... Come Tuesday this town is going to be a dead ball of ice. I'm kind of looking forward to it. I can only recall one day in particular (I was much younger) that it was remotely as cold as they're saying it's going to get.

I think I may have a few and take a streaking trip around the house just so I can say I did. :1orglaugh

northern Indiana about a hour from South Bend..

I'll stay home inside till wed when the temps are going to be back in the 20's

eh. Looking forward to the 20's kinda puts things into perspective. Be safe and enjoy the shut-in.

Hi guys thanks happy to be here :-X

you can also look at mammut :winkwink: http://www.mammut.ch

If they are a fad then it's a long one :)

Sheena is solid good peeps!:thumbsup



Welcome to the boards.


Yes, I'm the same Just Dave. lol



Hope all is well with you and your health.



Just Dave

If you are looking for warmth. Go with a Canada Goose.

Had one, gave it away when colors faded, but very good material.