 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all, just a quicky!
Just wonder about 'The North Face Gear'. I've been to the shop in Covent Garden and checked out the stuff pretty thoroughly and it certainly priced at a premium but are just wondering how good their stuff actually is. If anyone has any comments on experience etc that would be great. I am looking at their Vortex Tri-climate jacket for snowboarding as all the features suit me nicely.
However I bought a snowboarding mag on the weekend and there never seems to be any mention of 'The North Face' stuff in it. Is it not considered good gear in the eyes of snowboarders?
Cheers.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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NF gear covers quite a spectrum of price points and I don't know the specific jacket that you mention but in general yes it's good. May be not the best price/performance trade-off available but I doubt that you'll be disappointed.
NF gear comes from a mountaineering heritage rather than a surf/skate one which may be why it doesn't feature in the boarding mags. That said, NF gear has at times been quite fashionable with serious boarders (e.g., the classic Mountain Jacket was popoular for a while).
I think it's probably a very solid choice.
J
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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benthomas, I'd echo jedsters, comments about the fact that it probably just isn't hip with the boarder community - but it probably is solid mountain gear even though I am not fmiliar with that specific jacket.
Two comments I will make about TNF gear. Firtly is that it has often seemed quite 'warm' to me compared to some other makes - which maybe you want - but it can be a pain when you are trying to layer up to be able to control your temperature and you have warmer than expected layers. Secondly, a comment made to me by an assistant in one of the better outdoor shops in London, was that TNF gear can be variable quality because of the fact that it is mass-produced and positioned to appeal to the 'urban moutaineer' as well when compared to some other more technical brands and that you should always check the stitching of whatever TNF garment you are buying quite carefully. He said it - not me!
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benthomas, the baggy panted bling & camo fraternity snowboarders may not think North Face stuff is fashionable but I wouldn't worry what they think - that sort of fashion changes every season anyway. What you want is something that does the job, lasts well, and can be used for skiing, snowboarding, climbing, walking, mountain biking and going down the shops when it's p1ssing down.
For that a goretex shell is a pretty good solution, and NF stuff is fine. There are other brands which are more fashionable because NF (like Berghaus for example) are very common and make stuff at a range of prices. I had a NF mountain jacket for 10 seasons and it was great, I only retired it a couple of years ago.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Be aware there will be a lot of snide gear knocked out in street markets with the 'North Face' logo on it.
I am not saying reputable retailers will stock counterfeit stuff, but if you get offered North Face stuff on the cheap...
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ARAIK North Face used to be like Berghaus which was a small niche type company. The startup owners having established a working and respected
name sold out and the accountants maybe moved in and shipped all ops to the Far East where altho' the build might not have suffered
they became a much bigger name. They are now a global company with all the marketing issues. Not at all a bad thing probably but they are
more a high st brand type now. Thats not to say that some of their top stuff isn't very good, or any of it, for that matter..
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just what JT said, I seem to remember that in the early 90s TNF was one of the leading outdoor clothing brands for serious adventurers/professionals. Over the years they seem to have used their brand and heritage to move from a niche to the mass market (imho they are a bit like Timberland now). I also seem to remember that a few of their designers left and set up Mountain Hardware in the late 90s. I would not rate them the same as MH, Patagonia, Arcteryx....but then I am a skier.
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my NF mountain jacket has just been retired after 11 years of solid mountaineering, snowboarding and general outdoor use. Actually, when I say "retired" I mean that I lent it to a mate to use last week as he hasn't skied for years and didn't have the kit, whereas I bought myself a more modern jacket. The NF jacket still does the job, but it is looking a bit grubby and worn in places, hence my decision to get a new jacket. But 11 years is pretty good in my view.
As stated above, they are no longer a specialist brand and so some of their stuff may be of average quality. The top opf the range jackets still look well designed and constructed though.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I think that they have extended their range downwards rather than moved all the quality downhill.
I use Peak Performance which is another pretty good technical brand. It's not going to win prizes for being a fashion statement, but it does it's job pretty well.
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I think that they have extended their range downwards rather than moved all the quality downhill.
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That's what I'd say. There top of the range stuff looks just as good as the Lhotse Mountain Jacket I bought in '91 and the Mountain Guide jacket I bought in '97 (retired the Lhotse after 6 summers and winters including a season when I skied 120 days, still use the Guide a bit but bought an Arc'teryx Sidewinder cos it was really nice). In 90-95 the NF mountain Jackets were the best things on the market and standard issue in Cham. What I would say is that NF have lost a little focus and are now followers rather than leaders at the top end.
I personally think that Mountain Hardware and Mountain Equipment have the edge and are probably a little less expensive. I like Arc'teryx even better but you pay for it.
J
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Kramer, I love Peak stuff but always found it rather 'snug'. My mate has some stock of it left in his shop, people just don't tend to buy brands they don't know - he'll do you a good deal if there's anything suitable!.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Nick Dawes, Peak gets good exposure on channel 4 every week. I have a North Face jacket for this year (and the next 2). It's everything I want - but it was top of the range. Very expensive but worth it. 
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TNF gear is good, varying prices depending what materials you go for, and you can buy shells if you prefer to layer. The only thing I would say is that the zips are b***** useless! I've used my current TNF jacket approx 30 weeks+ and it's fine in every way except the zip pulley thing fatigued and snapped off after only 15 weeks or so. I now have a very fiddly job when doing up my jacket, but prefer to spend money on new skis! The two way zip also constantly causes problems, and I know other people with TNF jackets who have the same problem.
Othere than that, no complaints!
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You know it makes sense.
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The NF gear is very good. The quality is great. Currently they are rather trendy as well.
However, their gear is often very expensive. It is not hard to find gear with the same if not better quality.
I would recommend jackets from Helly Hansen, Marmot, or Red Ledge. I camp a lot (when I am not skiing) and the gear from these companies have never let me down. They are very practical and do not cost as much as NF.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Poster: A snowHead
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I have a NF Alpine Gore-Tex jacket. It's been pretty good for spring skiing, but I tend to use my Killy gear in colder conditions.
Just be aware that the zip is the wrong way round. By this I mean that your normal inners/fleeces will not usually zip into the jacket to provide another layer. I discovered this the hard way, which meant I had to buy a NF fleece to zip in, as my existing fleece was not compatible.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I have a NF jacket from last season and it is fabulous. Great technical jacket even has a loop for the headphones to fit into my giro 9 earpieces if I could source any!! AND I am am a boarder - someone said it wasn't boarding kit!!
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