The North Face Review 2026: Best Jackets to Buy

Each model, priced and called

01Smart buyBest for: Rainy commutes and day hikes

Men’s Antora Jacket

$130 Same list price in every color we read, from TNF Black to Cumulus Cloud.

A seam-sealed, waterproof rain shell at a price that undercuts most of the brand’s own fleece.

The Antora is a two-layer DryVent shell: recycled nylon ripstop on the outside, a hanging polyester mesh lining inside, seams taped, with a non-PFC water-repellent finish. It has an adjustable three-piece hood, zippered hand pockets, a hook-and-loop storm flap over the zip and a hem cinch. The product page shows 1,030 reviews averaging 4.8.

The catch is in what the feature list leaves out. There are no underarm vents, so on a steep climb or a muggy day a two-layer shell like this can feel clammy, and the mesh liner makes it a little bulkier to stuff in a pack than a three-layer jacket. We could not load the lowest-rated reviews for this jacket. That makes it a commuter and casual-hiker shell, not a mountain one, which is exactly why it is cheap.

Worth it for

• Fully waterproof and seam-sealed for $130
• Adjustable hood and hem, zippered hand pockets
• Sizes run to 3XL

Watch out for

• No underarm vents listed, so it can run clammy on hard climbs

From the product page

• Shell DryVent 2L, 70D recycled nylon ripstop
• Lining recycled polyester mesh
• Center back length 29 inches
• Sizes S to 3XL

Check price at The North Face

02Good buyBest for: Damp, cool weather layering

Men’s THERMOBALL Jacket

$220 New Taupe Green was marked down to $154 in late October’s extra-30%-off sale.

A packable synthetic puffer that keeps insulating when wet, and a strong buy at its sale price.

ThermoBall is The North Face’s synthetic answer to down: clusters of recycled polyester fill that, the brand says, keep you warm even when wet. This version wraps it in wind-resistant WindWall fabric with a water-repellent finish, stows into its own hand pocket and weighs about a pound in an average size. The North Face also describes it as built to be taken apart and recycled at the end of its life.

It is a mid-weight jacket, not a deep-winter one. Eleven grams of fill per square foot is light insulation, and the shell is wind-resistant rather than waterproof, so on a raw day you will want a shell over it. This new version has only 36 reviews on the page so far, averaging 4.6, and we could not read the low-rated ones, so long-term durability is still unproven. At $220 we would wait; at the $154 sale price, buy it.

Worth it for

• Insulates when damp, unlike most down
• Packs into its own pocket, about 1 lb

Watch out for

• Not waterproof and only moderately warm
• New version with few reviews so far

From the product page

• Insulation 11 g/ft² ThermoBall recycled polyester
• Average weight 1 lb (454 g)
• Shell 30D WindWall recycled polyester
• Center back length 26.5 inches

Check price at The North Face

03Wait for a saleBest for: City winters and style

Men’s 1996 Retro Nuptse Jacket

$380 Full price in Pacific Teal and the other colors we read in October.

The famous boxy puffer, with 700-fill down and a price set by its status as much as its warmth.

This is the jacket people mean when they say ‘a North Face’. Oversized baffles hold 700-fill recycled down under a shiny recycled nylon ripstop with a fluorine-free water-repellent finish. The hood stows in the collar, the whole jacket packs into its right hand pocket, and it zips into the brand’s GORE-TEX Mountain Jacket if you own one. The page shows 2,675 reviews averaging 4.8.

The weakness is the price per degree. At $380 it costs $70 less than the McMurdo Parka but leaves your hips exposed, and the cut is deliberately boxy, so it will not layer neatly under a shell. Like any down jacket with only a DWR finish, it is not built for sustained rain. Buy it because you want the Nuptse, and buy it marked down: it was full price in every color we read.

Worth it for

• 700-fill down, warm for its weight
• Packs into its own pocket and zips into the Mountain Jacket

Watch out for

• Boxy, hip-length cut leaves the lower body exposed
• Water-repellent, not waterproof

From the product page

• Insulation 700-fill recycled waterfowl down
• Average weight 775 g (1 lb 11 oz)
• Center back length 26 inches
• Sizes XXS to 3XL

Check price at The North Face

04Good buyBest for: Long, wet, cold commutes

Men’s McMurdo Parka

$450 List price in Copper Silt and the other three colors in October.

A waterproof down parka that covers the hips, and the better cold-weather buy than the Nuptse for most people.

The McMurdo puts 600-fill recycled down inside a waterproof, seam-sealed DryVent 2L shell, which the Nuptse does not have. It runs to a 31.75-inch back length, so it covers your seat, and it is loaded with pockets: dual-entry hand pockets, two concealed zip chest pockets and an inside zip pocket. The hood has a removable faux-fur ruff. The page lists 1,110 reviews at 4.6.

What you give up is fill power and packability. The down is 600-fill rather than the Nuptse’s 700, and the relaxed, long cut is a city coat, not something to stuff in a daypack. The North Face does not list a weight for it. We could not read its lowest-rated reviews, so we cannot say how the faux fur or zips hold up over several winters.

Worth it for

• Waterproof, seam-sealed shell over down
• Long cut and plenty of zip pockets

Watch out for

• 600-fill down is a step down from the Nuptse
• Bulky; no listed weight

From the product page

• Shell DryVent 2L waterproof, seam-sealed
• Insulation 600-fill recycled waterfowl down
• Center back length 31.75 inches
• Fit relaxed

Check price at The North Face

05Wait for a saleBest for: One coat for three seasons

Men’s Antora Triclimate Jacket

$290 Summit Navy and the other two colors listed at $290 in October.

The Antora shell paired with a zip-in fleece, convenient but priced $160 above the shell alone.

Triclimate is The North Face’s three-in-one system: wear the waterproof DryVent 2L outer alone, the recycled polyester fleece inner alone, or snap and zip them together for cold, wet days. The outer shares the regular Antora’s recipe, with a three-piece adjustable hood and zippered hand pockets, and the fleece has its own side-entry zip pockets. Reviews average 4.5 across 332.

The problem is arithmetic. The plain Antora is $130, so the fleece costs you $160, and a 300 g/m² fleece is a mid-weight layer that will not match a proper insulated jacket on a freezing day. Zipped together, two-in-one jackets also tend to feel bulkier than a shell over your own layer. We could not read the low-rated reviews. Buy it if you want one coat and no decisions, and only once it is discounted.

Worth it for

• Three ways to wear one purchase
• Waterproof shell and fleece both usable alone

Watch out for

• $160 more than the Antora for a mid-weight fleece

From the product page

• Outer DryVent 2L recycled nylon ripstop
• Inner 300 g/m² recycled polyester fleece
• Center back outer 29 in, inner 26.75 in
• Sizes S to 3XL

Check price at The North Face

06Good buyBest for: Road trips and gear hauling

Base Camp Duffel—M

$160 Active Blue/Bold Blue was $112 in late October’s sale.

The 71-liter version of the brand’s indestructible-looking duffel, and the size most people should buy.

The Base Camp Duffel is the other North Face icon, and the medium is the sweet spot: 71 liters, 25 by 14 by 14 inches, with a D-shaped zip opening, a zippered weather flap, four compression straps and removable shoulder straps so it carries like a backpack. The body is 1000D recycled polyester with a PVC coating and the base is 840D ballistic nylon. Reviews average 4.8 across 603.

It is heavy for a soft bag at 3 lb 9 oz empty, and The North Face calls it water-resistant, not waterproof: the coated fabric sheds rain, but the zip is a weak point in a downpour. The interior is one big cave with a mesh zip pocket and an end mesh sleeve, so packing cubes help. We could not read its lowest-rated reviews.

Worth it for

• Tough coated fabric and ballistic nylon base
• Carries as a duffel or a backpack

Watch out for

• Heavy for its size at over 3.5 lb
• Water-resistant only, little internal organization

From the product page

• Volume 71 liters
• Dimensions 25 x 14 x 14 inches
• Weight 3 lb 9.1 oz (1,620 g)
• Body 1000D recycled polyester, PVC coated

Check price at The North Face

07PassBest for: Expedition climbers only

Men’s Summit Himalayan Down Parka

$780 Offered in one color, Summit Gold/TNF Black, in October.

A serious 800-fill expedition parka that almost nobody buying it for a city winter will use properly.

The Summit Series Himalayan is a real mountaineering piece: 800-fill ProDown treated to dry faster, Pertex Y Fuse fabric on the body, FutureLight waterproof panels on the hood, shoulders and sleeves, a climbing-helmet-compatible hood and a two-way zip with an insulated draft tube. It weighs 760 g and ships with a stuff sack.

We pass for most readers because the warmth is overkill below a glacier, and the page has only four reviews, averaging 4.0. The single one-star review is about sizing: the buyer found the medium very large and could not get help finding a small. With one color and sizes stopping at XXL, that is a real risk on a $780 order, even with free returns. A McMurdo covers a city winter for $330 less.

Worth it for

• 800-fill hydrophobic down and FutureLight panels
• Helmet-compatible hood, light for its warmth

Watch out for

• Too much jacket, and money, for everyday cold
• Only four reviews; one reports a fit that runs large

From the product page

• Insulation 800-fill ProDown, RDS certified
• Average weight 760 g (1 lb 10.8 oz)
• Shell Pertex Y Fuse body, FutureLight panels
• Sizes S to XXL

Check price at The North Face

Quick comparison

Which one should you get?

1. If you need one rain jacket for everyday useGet the Men’s Antora JacketWaterproof and seam-sealed at $130, the lowest-cost real shell in the range.
2. If your winters are cold, wet and spent walkingGet the Men’s McMurdo ParkaWaterproof shell, hip-covering length and down fill, all for $70 more than a Nuptse.
3. If you want a light layer under a shellGet the Men’s THERMOBALL JacketSynthetic fill keeps working when damp; buy it at the $154 sale price.
4. If you travel by car with bulky gearGet the Base Camp Duffel—MSeventy-one liters, tough fabric and backpack straps, and it goes on sale.

What happens after you pay

Trial

Not stated; returns of unused, unwashed items within 30 days

Returns

Free mail or in-store returns within 30 days of purchase; no online exchanges

Warranty

Limited lifetime on apparel and gear against defects; one year on footwear and Renewed items

Shipping

Free standard shipping for XPLR Pass members, 3 to 6 business days after dispatch

Support

Chat and phone, weekdays 7am to 6pm Central; chat also Saturdays

Financing

Klarna, four interest-free installments

Read on The North Face's US site in October 2026.

The review pile, summarized

The product pages glow: the Nuptse shows 4.8 stars from 2,675 reviews and the Antora 4.8 from 1,030. The site’s review feed would not load for us sorted lowest first, so we leaned on the page’s one small-sample product and on Trustpilot.

Trustpilot rates thenorthface.com 1.4 out of 5, “Bad”, and its October reviews are almost all about service, not jackets. Refunds that took weeks after a return was delivered, a store pickup order marked collected by someone else, chat sessions that time out, and a coat exchange that turned into a new order are typical. Several reviewers write in British terms, so some of the anger is aimed at the UK store rather than the US one. Quality complaints exist too: tees that did not survive a dryer, and a tent whose seam tape failed and came back from warranty unfixed. One October reviewer did praise a quick replacement and then a refund for a defective rain jacket.

Where the 3.7 comes from

If The North Face is not it

• Patagonia. Choose it instead if you would pay more for a brand that builds its pitch around repairing and reselling its own gear.
• Columbia. Choose it instead if you want a waterproof jacket or parka for less and do not care about the logo.
• Arc’teryx. Choose it instead if you need a technical three-layer shell for real mountain weather and can pay double.

Questions, answered

Where this comes from

• The North Face US product pages for the Antora, Antora Triclimate, ThermoBall, 1996 Retro Nuptse, McMurdo, Summit Himalayan and Base Camp Duffel, read October 2026.
• The North Face returns, warranty, shipping, contact and XPLR Pass pages, read October 2026.
• The North Face Renewed FAQ on resale, returns and trade-in credits, read October 2026.
• Trustpilot reviews of thenorthface.com, most recent first, October 2026.
• On-page review counts and averages for each pick, plus the visible reviews of the Summit Himalayan parka, October 2026.