 Poster: A snowHead
|
|
Hi i am looking to buy the mens north face free thinker jacket and was wondering what you thought about the jacket as well as the north face brand
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
I've got a Freethinker from a couple of seasons back and would recommend. (My model is from before they made the hood big enough for helmets and offset the main zipper).
Good points: Completely wind and waterproof and very robust - have hit / snagged on quite a few tree branches that would rip holes in other jackets. Fully taped seams, good powder skirt, excellent vents, lots of useful pockets and a goggle wipe thing on a string. Fine to use in non-ski situations as well.
Negatives: The material is quite tough / inflexible compared to some jackets, although this has never been an issue for me. No zip garages (again, has not caused any issues).
IMHO North Face is very much a 'get what you pay for brand'. The lower end stuff is not particularly great, but my Freethinker appears very similar in construction to my brother's Haglofs Couloir jacket. (RRP c. £400). (I think I paid about $350 for my Freethinker from an outlet in California.)
I've noticed quite a few guides / ski schools using top end North Face stuff, so I guess that's a decent recommendation as well.
Finally, there's a video review of the Freethinker here; http://tinyurl.com/yhs5l7d
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
|
I've got three versions of the Freethinker (one of the older style with Goretex XCR, one with Goretex Proshell and the current Freethinker II, which is also made of Proshell). It's a good jacket and has kept me dry and out of the wind in some grim weather, including today in Zermatt in heavy snow and high wind and a day of torrential rain a couple of seasons ago. It's comfortable to wear, especially the Proshell versions, and as a shell jacket is fairly versatile as you can wear as many layers as you need underneath it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
PS, welcome to snowHeads.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
FernieBen, there is an abundance of both TNF Summit Series, and Berghaus Extrem kit, which is robust & reliable and well worth a look.
Personally I prefer Rab, Haglofs, and Arc'teryx out of the bigger brands - but this is no more than brand loyalty as I've used their kit and trust it.
As JT London said, you get what you pay for; and if you buy a TNF or Berghaus which isn't from these 'higher-spec' ranges, you might come unstuck.
This is an old Snowheads thread about TNF jackets.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
|
|
|
|
PS Mine is also the XCR version.
I'd second the point about layering / versatiliy. Have used mine for hiking in damp 15C conditions and layered up in -22C in Colorado.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| rob@rar wrote: |
| I've got three versions of the Freethinker... |
Listen to rob@rar - he single-handedly keeps North Face in business...
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
|
|
|
|
|
|
FlyingStantoni, Spyderman, 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
Love my Free Thinker, but its also a previous seasons one, about 3 or 4 I think. Still bombproof and as mentioned above a great jacket. 
If I needed a new jacket I would deffinately consider another or look at an Arc'teryx.
