North Face coat is warmest coat ever - so worth the money!!

[Tiger926]

Over the past 10 years, I have not spent any money on coats. I have a leather coat, that is about 12 years old, and looks as good as the day I got it, and a cheap ski jacket. I never really spent much time outside, as the cold weather bothers my allergies/asthma, but now, we are outside a lot more with picking kids up at school and outside activities, so I needed a warm coat.

I tried on several other coats, many of which were more expensive than The North Face: Merrell, Columbia (gone down in quality), Helly Hansen (sell at Disney), Woolrich and Under Armour. It wasn't until I got to The North Face, that I truly found the warmest coat ever!

I know that they have a great reputation, so I tried on several, and settled on the Carmel Hoodie in white. It has 700 downfill, and although pricey at $272.00 (tax included), I think it will be well worth it! They didn't have a huge selection (downside to living in Canada), but I am happy with the cut, style and quality of this coat. It is lightweight, machine washable, and has very sturdy stitching, zippers and trim. I will say that they seem to be made small though. I am a petite gal at 5 feet 4 inches, 120 lbs, and I got the XL, as the medium and large seemed snug if I were to wear a hoodie or sweater.

So, for anyone contemplating a purchase in The North Face line, I say go for it! I am always cold, but in this coat, I am warm, warm, warm!!! With a lifetime warranty as well, I think it's a good expenditure in the budget, as I can see this coat lasting a long time. I firmly believe that in many instances, if you spend a little money, you will save money over the years as products will not only last, but won't need repair or replacement.

Hope this review helps someone with their coat buying decision. This is the most I've ever spent on a coat, and I am very happy with my decision! Tiger

 

[kirstenb1]

I don't have one, but this makes me feel better about the $$ we shelled out for our 12 yr old's coat! We got her the 3 in 1 zip out parka. Usually she just wears the fleece part---says the parka is too geeky.

 

[woodkins]

I sooooo agree!! Last month I bought myself the Transit Coat and it is super duper warm. I am always cold and I just wore it through our Blizzard this weekend (NY) and it was so warm. I loved it so much I ended up buying my 8yr old dd the Aconcagua jacket and she loves it too. What is nice is they are super warm, but not tooo puffy and bulky. You can still move around and wear them over sweaters or sweatshirts and be comfortable.

 

[Swimalie]

I bought a Land's End at the end of last winter for $50 (it was 60% off) and it is super warm. Warmest coat I can remember having and I grew up in NY skiing. I love mine and even more so for the price. I just got my husband a new Columbia. He says it's awesome and just as good as the one he bought 9 years ago that he can't wear because he got stains on it.

 

[Laura24]

the warmest I've ever worn....now we know how the duckies and goosies stay warm! TNF will have a tri-climate version next season....Gore-tex shell and down liner.....dry and warm all in one.

 

[ilovejack02]

I got one for Christmas , just one of the fleece ones. I don't have any need for the heavy duty ones. I wore mine several times this weeks as we were in the low 20's with wind blowing. For us that is FREEZING , the jacket was sooo warm, I was astonished at how well it kept the wind out. Well worth the money and I would like to get one in another color now that I know how warm they are.

 

[Tiger926]

Guess everyone loves their North Face coats!

So warm!!!! Tiger

 

[TimeforMe]

We got my DS20 a Summit Series ski coat for Christmas. You're right about them running a little small, but it still looks great on him. He's going skiing on Saturday, so he'll be able to test it out. So far he loves it though.

 

[scrappingizlife]

I went on a North Face buying frenzy 2 years ago. I have 3 Denali jackets, I got my husband one, and my oldest son one. We have no need for huge winter coats. If it's horribly cold outside, a hoodie under it works perfectly.

 

[rubato]

I bought myself a North Face Aconcagua down coat for an early Christmas present this year. I never thought something so small and lightweight could be so warm. It's the best coat I've ever owned. When I go walking with my friends and it's 10-20 degrees, they are so layers up they can't put their arms next to them. My coat is so different. It isn't really any bigger than a light jacket, but it's got a 550 rating, which is great for the midwest. When my son outgrows his coat that he has now, he's going to get a North Face also.

 

[pigletto]

Couldn't agree more!

Just bought my North Face at a boxing day sale. Ended up a little over 300 with tax, and that was with 70 dollars off. However.. worth every penny in my opinion.
I have never had a coat this lighweight and warm and it's my first new coat in about 8 years.
Living where it frequently gets to -20 or lower with the windchill I am more than happy to pay for quality.
I got the Get Down jacket in Black with the 600 fill.

I LOVE it.

 

[PrincessBelle09]

I love my North Face coat (not sure which kind it is, one of the big super winter ones) and the fleece zip in that I got a few months ago! I've had the coat for three years and it's as good as new. Definitely well worth the price.

 

[Tiger926]

Couldn't agree more!

Just bought my North Face at a boxing day sale. Ended up a little over 300 with tax, and that was with 70 dollars off. However.. worth every penny in my opinion.
I have never had a coat this lighweight and warm and it's my first new coat in about 8 years.
Living where it frequently gets to -20 or lower with the windchill I am more than happy to pay for quality.
I got the Get Down jacket in Black with the 600 fill.

I LOVE it.

Sounds like me - us Canadians do know a thing or two about cold weather!

My coat was 20% off, so I got $60.00 off as well. I don't think they go down much more here in Canada? My hubby now wants one, and so does my DD7. It's quite the popular item around here - LOL!

Enjoy your coat, Tiger

 

[grafxgirl]

We bought our DD7 a NorthFace Aconcagua coat and a fleece Danali hoodie.

 

[holycow]

Sorry I have to disagree about the Columbia brand going down in quality.

We've bought my family all of Columbia since moving to the cold and we all agree they are the best we've ever had. My DH and I have been married for 30 yrs.

We've gotten coats, ski pants, gloves, the boots they carry and love it all.
It also holds up so well since they were purchased last season and still look wonderful.

Glad you like the North Face but I wouldn't dis the Columbia!

 

[Tiger926]

Sorry I have to disagree about the Columbia brand going down in quality.

We've bought my family all of Columbia since moving to the cold and we all agree they are the best we've ever had. My DH and I have been married for 30 yrs.

We've gotten coats, ski pants, gloves, the boots they carry and love it all.
It also holds up so well since they were purchased last season and still look wonderful.

Glad you like the North Face but I wouldn't dis the Columbia!

You are lucky. We have a house full of Columbia coats, been buying them for years, and so we have compared to previous versions, and we see a difference. We have an outlet store in our city, which does have seconds, so I checked out brand new Columbia coats at the sport store, when I bought my North Face, and none of the Columbia coats I tried on were even close to TNF Coat. Some of them were over $100.00 more, and they didn't compare! Hubby has been wearing Columbia since a teen, and he has noticed a huge difference in their coats, most especially for adults. Hubby just bought a coat the other day for playing outside with kids - nothing major as it cost $100.00, but it isn't warm at all. He says it's the worst Columbia coat he has ever had. Tons of cold spots and not warm - this from a man who wears shorts in the winter. He is going to give some of the more expensive down versions a few tries, before he busy a new coat, but based on what he has tried on as of late, he is not impressed with the product line of polyster filled coats. This is all he has ever purchased, as he's never purchased down before, so this is where he has seen the difference. Based on your response, perhaps we need to give down a try?

That being said, both the kids have Columbia coats and haven't complained. Not impressed with the new Omni Shield technology at all. Was just talking to a friend who has been wearing Columbia for years, like we have, and she totally agreed with us, that the quality has gone down in the many different coats we've purchased or tried on. The kids' coats are holding up well so far, so hopefully we'll be ok. We'll more than likely purchase Columbia for them next year as well, as they are the warmest kids' coats we can find around here - can't find North Face for kids in my city. That being said, based on the styles we have available to us in our Canadian city, we have noticed a slight decline in quality over the years.

Tiger

 

[cats mom]

My DD's have TNF jackets and they love them too.
But I have to wonder how much that has to do with the qualities of the jackets, and how much it has to do with the fact that TNF is an "in" brand right now.

I wouldn't hesitate to shop ArcTeryx, Patagonia, Marmot, or possibly Mountain Hardware for nice jackets too.

 

[PatMcDuck]

Funny you say the North Face coats run small! I seem to always see teens SQUEEZED into these coats in the mall. Usually the black ones. They are so tight, I wonder how they can move their arms. I guess they do not want to "size up" even if they should.

 

[LOVETHATMOUSE]

I bit the bullet and got TNF Metropolis 3 years ago..BEST DECISION EVER! It is the lightest, warmest coat I have ever had, and it still looks like the day I bought it (got the brown). I was hesitant to get the longer style, but man has that come in handy when the wind is blowing! I like how it has a zipper that can close and open from the top as well as the bottom - great for when I have to drive, I open the zipper on the bottom up to my knees. I also have a Denali (about 5 years old) which I love. My dd has a Denali and Destiny, and she loves them as well. Best money I have every spent.

 

[gymboqueenkaylee]

My daughter has one and she swears it's warmer than any of her other coats too! Soooo worth the money!