Bottom Line:

A very light, minimalist jacket that’s perfect as a midlayer through the colder months and an outer layer through the warmer, drier months.

Our review of this product
8.2 / 10
The pros are:

Lightweight

Stowable

Warm in wet weather

The cons are:

No interior chest pocket

Not as warm as down

First Impressions and Observations:

For a jacket that uses synthetic Primaloft insulation my first thought when I picked it up was “huh, this is really light!”. It weighs a mere 350g’s. My second thought was “Is this enough to keep me warm?”.

I tested it out on a trip up a mountain in the Canadian Rockies. It performed really well. While it isn’t a standalone Winter jacket (the insulation has a down equivalency of 600 fill), it performed well as a midlayer and kept me warm as an outer layer while I was moving.

The thermoball stitching stops the insulation from moving around which would cause cold spots to form. Being that it’s Primaloft also I didn’t have to worry that any precipitation or my sweat would quickly stop the insulation from working, which is always a concern when wearing down.

The elasticated cuffs and the drawstring hem kept the wind out and it was nice to be able to pack it into it’s own pocket when I was finished wearing it, as this limited the amount of space it took up in my backpack.

Overall, a great minimalist piece from The North Face. There are no frills with this jackets, but then they just add extra weight and bulk. Simple design, light, packable, awesome!

Pros:

Lightweight: Weighs only 350g’s
Stowable: Packs into one of the hand pocket
Warm in wet weather: Retains its warmth even when wet
Stays Warm: Insulation doesn’t move around thanks to Thermoball stitching

Cons:

No interior chest pocket
Not as warm as down

Buy it if:

You want a light and simple midlayer jacket that keeps you warm like down but doesn’t make you cold like down when it gets wet.