Great jacket! Have been wearing it for both Teton/Rockies/Northwoods camping and local Winters for four years and no problems. For a shell the jacket is warm, however, can be vented below arms for cooler results. I have since purchased the Denali liner which makes this jacket toasty warm on the coldest mountain days. I also recommend the Mountain Guide jacket as well. Same features, however, has a longer parka cut with a reinforced seat. Great jacket for hiking in wet conditions due to length. A+ for the Mountain series jackets.

Customer Service

no issues yet....

Similar Products Used:

Mountain Hardware FTX

I purchased a Mountain Jacket in 1994 and am still wearing it. I may look like I just jumped on the band wagon but hell, I paid out of the nose for it back then. I still love it! I wear it for climbing, skiing and backpacking and keeps me dry and warm. It has plenty of room for a fleece underneath as well. Great Jacket! Looks like the price has gone down on them so I would totally recommend it.

I've owned a Mt Jacket for nearly 5 years and over this time it hasn't let me down. I won't compare it to different styles of jackets like the other reviewers have done but instead tell you what it is. Its bomber-length, 2ply G-tex jacket w/Coolmax-lining. So, obviously its not trying to be a 3ply (no-lining), 3/4 length shell - OK guys!
Having said this, the strong points of the jacket are the hood (very adjustable and effective, the number of pockets allow one to store stuff in different parts of the jacket so they don't collect all in one area, also the main front pockets are designed such that you can keep your hands dry in them yet they are high enough to access with a pack belted on you. This jacket has been a widely copied design and continues to serve me well. The low-points are the weight of this jacket and the fact that water tends to drain onto your pants when it rains (as with all bomber-length shells).

Customer Service

I sent this shell back to TNF after I ripped the lining in the washing machine and they replaced it with the updated version. Also, when I realized I couldn't zip in the new fleece zipper, I sent it back and they replaced the zipper at no-charge to me. Simply, put, their customer service couldn't have been better.

I agree with most people, this jacket along with many many other North Face gear I have had over the years, that they just lack the quality that high enthuseist need and want from a peice of clothing that will need to provide maximum perfomance, wind breaking, manuvrability, and WATER-PROOFNESS!
This jacket, to start, needs a little longer cut, a bigger hood to provide face protection, and last but definetly not least-NEEDS BETTER TAPED SEEMS.
I have been doing a lot of outdoor guiding, and I have never been able to find the right jacket.

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The Denali Jacket

My experience has been for the money I could have done better. The bottom of the zipper,where they get started, frayed so bad that it was very hard to get the zipper started. I fixed it once by myself. It happened again so I sent it in to The North Face and they charged me $40. I've had the coat back for less than a month and it is already starting to happen again.
Over the last 3 months I have been working at an outdoor store that sells The North Face products and I get this comment alot from custumers.

A medicore jacket at best. Fist of all the jacket has two-ply goretex which is more likly to leak than the three-ply goretex. It is also heavy, and it doesn't pack down very small. One plus is the waist cut which makes putting on a harness really easy to do. If you really want to make your money worth while go with the mountain light jacket or a marmot jacket.

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None

I live in a small village in Derbyshire in England which is not to far from the Peak District. I bought this jacket with the hope of using it to go backpacking in the area for a week or so. This area is renowned for it rain so decided to buy a top quality gore-tex jacket, which I had saved up for, for months. I shopped around and asked supposed experts for their opinion and they all recommended it. In the end I bought a brilliant yellow/black version of the jacket for £280, about $350.
I tell you know this was the biggest waste of money I have ever spent for a number of reason. For a start the jacket is to big and bulky. You can never get comfortable with the pack on your back. With prolonged rain the water soaks in and makes the jacket weigh even more than it already does. As for the supposed gore-tex which lets water vapour out, I was sweating like I was in a sauna. One good thing about the jacket is that it has some nice features such as the number of inside pockets and the way in which you can hook your fleece sleeves into the jacket sleeves. The best thing about the jacket is how it looks, which is not all that important when walking into gusts of sleet and snow on a hillside in the middle of winter. I honestly can't understand why everyone rates this jacket so highly, are they made differently in America?
I think that all of the The North Face Gear is over rated due to the fancy brochures and image that goes with them, these days. I agree that in the early days they were a top brand but now are behind the times and try to compete with other brands when they are not in the same league. For example the tents are overpriced and overrated. Give we a terra-nova tent any day (made in Derbyshire, check out the website at www.terra-nova.co.uk)they are the best tents in the world along with Mountain Hardwear which are underrated also.

Customer Service

No experience, but if its mlike the jacket than don't bother.

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Berghaus Extrem jacket (bought after the north face one let me down), worth every penny of the £325.

Rugged cordura shell material in wear spots, soft vaporator lining for wicking, the newest core vents, pockets your can get to even with a waistbelt on, a fully adjustable hood-this was very well concieved. Alpine routes, rainy rock routes, skiing, winter backpacking, this jacket layers well and performs superbly. Dana Design makes the Bomb Pack, named for indestructibility. TNF should rename the Mtn Jacket the Bomb Jacket for bombproofness.

Customer Service

I bought my Mtn Jacket in 1990 (paying out the nose) as a long term investment. In February 2000, the vaporator lining was starting to shred by my chin (rough beard). TNF replaced my 10yr old jacket without question, and then turned around and replaced my Denali Jacket to fit the new zipper. The "new" TNF is a company worth going the distance with.

Similar Products Used:

EMS Gore-tex Shell, LL Bean Gore-tex Guide Shell

I received this jacket as a Christmas gift in 1999 and was initally abhored at wearing something so expensive. That said, I think it meets my value requirements and is very functional in differing weather.
As a shell, I have no problems with the waterproofness (probably because I ran it through a wash cycle with a bottle of waterproofer). When a liner (I bought a used Nuptse jacket) it retains warmth well.
My only complaints are the crappy hood and the waist cut. ALL North Face products are cut for large waists, screwing those of use who are still in shape.

Customer Service

Dealt with customer service about a bent tent pole. They were fine.

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Carharts, baby!

Mark's review confuses me because unless it was a recent design change, the Mountain Jacket and Bibs have always been 2-ply Gore-Tex.

I received this jacket as a gift in 1993. Since then, I have noticed a lot of wear between the soulder reinvorcements on the back. This happened after a half day of snowboarding with a camelbak. The velcro is detaching from the cuffs and I will have to send the jacket back to TNF in the spring.

Overall, the jacket has served its purpose, but my next jacket will be from Mountain Hardwear, Marmot, or Patagonia.

Similar Products Used:

Mountain Hardwear, Marmot, Patagonia