The North Face alternatives?

[anoop]

What are some good alternatives to The North Face? I’ve been using them for years for my casual jacket needs but they seem to have gone downhill in terms of quality and styling/fit.

Edit:
A few that I have heard of -- Patagonia, Outdoor Research, Arcteryx -- but no experience with any of them. How do they rate in terms of quality? Unfortunately, in store choices are very limited where I live. We have an REI but they don't have many of the styles in stock.

 

[Yg420]

I really like patagonia and i have some comforters from feathered friends so i would like to try out their jackets too.

 

[blantyre]

Higher end I like Patagonia and Kuhl - well designed, built and interesting technical fabrics in some cases. Less expensive but certainly used to be very good Columbia - no recent experience. I have a 20 YO Columbia waterproof top that still works great as an outer layer.

 

[MrSpeedy]

Outdoor Research is top-notch. You can often find styles on sale. You could look at the REI brand jackets as well.

 

[spacemonkey42]

Patagonia is excellent, as is Outdoor Research. I'd add Marmot to your list, they make great stuff. I like Mountain Hardwear as well, check them out. Arcteryx is really expensive.

 

[anoop]

Patagonia is excellent, as is Outdoor Research. I'd add Marmot to your list, they make great stuff. I like Mountain Hardwear as well, check them out. Arcteryx is really expensive.

Arcteryx looks kind of in the same range pricewise. The high end brands I think of would be Moncler and Canada Goose, but they don't even offer synthetic fill which is what I want. I’m also looking for a good fleece or soft shell for less cold days.

 

[Esox]

If I was replacing my North Face shell, I'd personally replace it with the Arcteryx SV but likely still use my North Face liner. It's expensive but so was my North Face at just over $1200 with the zip in liner more than 20 years ago. I like having a large hood and, when I last looked at least, the SV was one of a very few that has a hood designed to be used over a helmet. I'm also not sure I could live without the long front zips that give inside access without opening the main zipper.

 

[dojpros]

Based on Scouting for 10 plus years and being gear oriented before and since- Arcteryx is really good stuff.
Outdoor Research as well. If it matters, Arcteryx was acquired a few years again by a China based outfit such that they are a no go for many.

You can order online at REI and have it delivered to you store re gear they do not stock in house so to speak.

REI, Backcountry, Moosejaw and Sierra Trading Post are 4 places I would shop online for quality gear.
Amazon and the companies themselves are selling online.

Finally, there are a number of boutique oriented sellers that have quality merch as well i.e. Kuiu, Beyond and TAD.

Queries- What exactly are looking to buy and what is your budget? What is your typical outerwear size?

 

[anoop]

Queries- What exactly are looking to buy and what is your budget? What is your typical outerwear size?

A soft shell/technical fleece and a light insulated (synthetic only, no down) hooded jacket. Both are for daily use in northern CA, the former for spring and fall and latter for winter. Water resistant is good, no need for waterproof as I mostly avoid being out in the rain.

Budget is flexible since these are not frequent buys. The last ones I bought at North Face were about $150 and $300 respectively. The soft shell I have is no longer available, the insulated jacket is an at least 5 year old version of this:

Men's Winter Coats & Insulated Jackets | The North Face

Get ready for low temps and cold snows with The North Face men's winter jackets. Shop our selection of men's insulated and down jackets to find the best cold-weather gear.

www.thenorthface.com

 

[dojpros]

Anoop: thx for answers. below are some thoughts


Car length Softshell with 2 way zips/lot of pockets Blk or Gray, long enough to go over a sportscoat
I own both colors. I wear a 44L most of the time. I got XL and it is comfortable even with a sportscoat or puffy under. If I wanted a more tailored look and was only going to be wearing it over a t shirt and one other layer i.e. button up shirt/fleece 1/4 zip, I could get away with a Large 75 ish from 150
Cappa Cargo Softshell L5 Jacket - https://beyondclothing.com/products/k5-cappa-coat?variant=31782884540478

Primaloft Gold with Pertex under 200.00 retail is a sold value

Dasche L3 Jacket | Ultrapackable Hybrid Insulator

Mapped insulation and a self-stowing design combine to provide an ultralight, versatile softshell jacket that easily adapts to changing needs.

beyondclothing.com

Outdoor Research
Synthetic Puffy @ 139ish from 199 ish

Men's Helium Insulated Hoodie

The lightweight durability of Helium's Diamond Fuse technology meets the insulative warmth of VerticalX™ ECO SR insulation, complete with eco-conscious materials ready for any adventure.

www.outdoorresearch.com

Fleece/softshell @ 65 ish from 130 ish

Men's Ferrosi Hooded Jacket 2021

Best-selling, award-winning, built-for-anything soft shell jacket.

www.outdoorresearch.com

 

[RobD57]

I like all of my "Mountain Hardware" gear. Shells, vests, down and fleece
good stuff.

 

[Rudy Vey]

I am quite conservative when it comes to outdoor coats...a variety of Barbour coats in different lengths (Border, Beaufort, Beadale) with with liners when it is cold. Also have a few of their quilted coats in different styles and "thickness"...
For snowblowing duty in the winter I have a Northface coat with fleece liner. It did not hold up too well, so it is only used for winter cleanups.

 

[Phoenixkh]

One of the joys of living in Florida is needing one style of clothing, for the most part. I did keep some of my winter gear I had in Pennsylvania.. a Carhartt hooded work coat, a 3/4 lined leather jacket.. heavy shirts and a couple vests. I get to use them 4 or 5 days a winter.

I am a wuss now... We drove to PA two weekends ago and it was 34 degrees F when we got there... It was sunny and 85F when we left. I brought my jackets, of course, so I was comfortable... but it was a shock to the system.

 

[SharpieB]

Patagonia and Moose Knuckles are pretty much all I wear in the winter. Moose Knuckles is similar quality as Canada Goose but in the Spring/Summer there are huge discounts.

I have an Arc’teryx windbreaker/rain jacket and it is nice, but not any better than Patagonia IME.

 

[BSawhill]

Patagonia has a factory supported 2nd hand website, wornwear.patagonia.com. I've ordered a couple of items from there in both great and excellent condition and couldn't find anything wrong with them. Might be worth a look.

 

[ChefJohnBoy-ardee]

I have a Mountain Hardware fleece from 2008 seen way too much use. I'm talking three season for 14 years. I wear it and a Lowe Alpine soft shell. Pair them together it is is great. If it is colder than that I have a Land's End Down Parka from 2001 or 2000. I can't kill it. All three have been in numerous states, backpacking, rock climbing, fly-fishing, deer and duck hunting and even mountain biking. Ok the down coat hasn't been mountain biking but you get my point.

 

[Ravenonrock]

Helly Hansen is a favourite.

 

[Berwick12]

Tldr. I bought norrona lofoten last week 1/2 off.

Rain jacket or three season jacket or winter insulated? I tend to destroy my gear from use. I wear a backpack 5 days out of the week. I have gone through the following rain jackets. North face, LL bean, no name Red Lodge all of those have wetted out. I spent the last 2 weeks researching a new rain jacket. I have settled and bought the following. Norona lofoten that runs super large on me. I originally bought an XL switched out for a large switched out for a medium. My North face and LL Bean are both xl.Their jacket lineup is confusing because they will use the same jacket name for about four or five different models, I got the non-insulated three season but not Gore-Tex pro. If I didn't get the norrona I would have gone with the klattermusen for the North face torrent shell 3l. I care about waterproofness. They have all sorts of things that they try to sell now lightness, stretch, breathability, I don't care about any of that. Rain jackets need to repel rain, I care about nothing else. I thought about a slicker. As with all rain jackets time will tell. The second picture is the shoulder of the jacket after 15 minutes of use. That is to be expected the rain to get "bulled in" due to the shoulder straps on my backpack. The shoulders inside were dry.

Insulated winter jackets I have North face and Patagonia.

 

[anoop]

More than a year later and I'm still having trouble finding something. I was going to settle and go with The North Face, but man they have cheapened the zippers to another level. Literally needed two hands to open the zipper of the one of the side pockets. That said, I came across a couple of other jacket companies.

Save the Duck - 100% animal free, but unfortunately they seem to specialize in jackets that are super warm and don't have much with light insulation. I ordered one and quality was very good, but sent it back. The jacket didn't feel breathable and it was the type I'd have to take off whenever I am indoors (even in a public place).
Cotopaxi - Too many negative reviews on the jackets I would like to buy.

Quality has really gone downhill. Every manufacturer seems to have nice collection of 1- and 2-star reviews due to poor quality.

 

[Multum in parvo]

More than a year later and I'm still having trouble finding something. I was going to settle and go with The North Face, but man they have cheapened the zippers to another level. Literally needed two hands to open the zipper of the one of the side pockets. That said, I came across a couple of other jacket companies.

Save the Duck - 100% animal free, but unfortunately they seem to specialize in jackets that are super warm and don't have much with light insulation. I ordered one and quality was very good, but sent it back. The jacket didn't feel breathable and it was the type I'd have to take off whenever I am indoors (even in a public place).
Cotopaxi - Too many negative reviews on the jackets I would like to buy.

Quality has really gone downhill. Every manufacturer seems to have nice collection of 1- and 2-star reviews due to poor quality.

Perhaps not outdoorsy enough for you but I have a winter jacket from them going now into the 7th-8th season with no issues.

Peuterey® outdoor clothing for women and men | Official Store

Peuterey - Excellence in outerwear. Discover our new collection of jackets, clothing and accessories for women and man!

www.peuterey.com