If your looking for a lightweight, waterproof jacket, you've found it. I work outdoors and have wore this jacket in downpours and stayed bone dry. Great jacket for warmer weather storms and with some layering it is an awesome shell for the cold stuff. Bought asphault grey and looks great. I would recommend this jacket to anyone who is looking for a waterproof lifesaver.

What can you say, its a rain jacket, nothing special...passed the 60 second full blast faucet test, all water beaded off and the fabric was not wet at all, very if not completley waterproof...FIT is very true to size with not much room to spare, im 5'9 185 average build and usually am a medium in everything... the medium fits nice everywhere but it considerbly short, lands just below waist, and is slightly longer in the back, and theres just enough room to fit a softshell or a fleece under it but definitly does not have a generous cut, also double storm flap is difficult to work with. Nice jacket with a few gripes

This jacket is a NECESSITY if you live in a temperate wet climate. I wear mine on bike commutes to work, hikes & concerts at the Gorge alike. It stows small and light so I've always got it on hand. I love this jacket and you will too!

I used this jacket for nearly two years before someone stole it. It always kept me dry, inside and out, while hiking in both 90 degree + humidity days and serious downpours. I never thought it was very comfortable though. That being said, when it was stolen I chose to replace it with an Arc'teryx Alpha SL. The venture just didn't fit me well, but I have small shoulders, scrawny arms etc. I would still recommend the venture, especially for the price

So far I've found this jacket to be nearly perfect for my needs.
I've worn it on several day hikes in wet weather as well as around town and it's great. It's definitely waterproof and the water beads off of the fabric.
The fabric is also breathable and light so I never felt hot and clammy underneath.
Around the city, when you don't need it, it folds away into an internal pocket and my girlfriend found that it was small and light enough to stash it away in her handbag.
My only minor complaint was that in the beginning I found it difficult to adjust the hood, it takes a bit of practice but once you know how its not too bad. Basically, when you're wearing the jacket and flip the hood on, it invariably is too big. There is a small zip-pull to tighten the cord at the back of the hood, and I found myself fumbling around back there for ages.
Eventually I had to take the jacket off and see what I was doing wrong. But once I figured it out it wasn't too bad. And once it's adjusted the way you like it doesn't really matter anyway.

Waterproofness
I did the usual hose-me-down-in-the-yard test, and my shirt stayed dry. The real test came in this year's torrential rains in South Jersey where it rained bullets for almost 2 hours. Although my shoes and pants were completely soaked, my torso underneath was still dry.

Breathability
For prolonged wear in wet heat with a cotton t-shirt underneath, my t-shirt got relatively damp from sweat so might have to do with breathability. However, I wore a Marmot rain jacket on the Inca Trail, which had little breathability and I always felt soaked underneath from sweat.

The Fit
I bought a medium, which fit just right. I'm 5'8" at 185 lbs and usually wear a 16" 32/33" shirt, leaving enough room underneath for a thick sweater and 2" from the wrist.

I had a 4 year old Marmot Precip Jacket that breathed great on 5 mile runs in the rain, but it finally began to delaminate along the seams, so I first tried to buy the new version of the Precip. What a mistake! The new version has a different coating inside and shorter pit zips. I was wet inside badly from perspiration. They don't breathe well enough for me running, so, I tried this jacket based upon the good reviews here.

The price is great. The jacket breathes better than the new version Precip, almost as well as the old version Precip. It has long pit zips and mesh lined vertical pockets in front that give added ventilation. When I have the zipper in front all the way up, it is still not breathable enough, but I keep the zipper near throat level and it breathes pretty well. I do wish the hood was removable, because I use a wide brimmed hat. Tuck the hood under, if you don't wear it, because it will fill with rain. The fabric appears durable, something that the reviews of the new Gortex Paclite does not appear to have.

All in all, for the money, lightweight, durable, reasonably breathable. I'm very happy with this purchase; and, as usual, Backcountry's prices are great, and they get the gear right out to you.

This jacket is incredible! I absolutly love it. It is lightweight and easy to roll and store when backpacking but does a great job of keeping you dry when those unexpected thunderstorms hit! Not to mention it looks rad!

Unless downhill skiing in very cold conditions, this is my main foul weather jacket year round, on land or water, and I live on the coast in New England! I've also found them to be broadly useful, with layering, when traveling.

Had to wait several weeks for a significant rain. Finally, got it and jacket works great. Velcro sleeve tightners are a nice feature. One note on size. I am 5'11" and 180 pounds and the large fits but is close to being tight. If you knew that you were always going to layer underneath this jack I would consider a size up as well as if you are between sizes - order up. Pit zips are also a great feature

Very light and surprisingly comfortable even in this south Georgia humidity.

great jacket! I used it almost each day at the baltic sea in Germany because of the rainy weather there.It kept me absolutely dry.The hood is completely adjustable and fits perfectly.A good bargain!

greets from germany

I am very happy with this jacket, it's really waterproof, lightweight and comfort fit. I would recommend it for 3 season backpacking or hiking but suitable for everyday use too. Mind that I am 5'11" , 145 lbs and large fits me just perfect(if you wonder between sizes go with the bigger one!).

This is about as simple as you can get for a lightweight jacket that is waterproof yet breathable and still has the TNF name backing it up. The pitzips are convenient and it is definitely lightweight enough to not be a nuisance. Overall, a great jacket, especially if you get one of the discounted colors for a much cheaper price.

well is not a pretty war ms jacket, actually it's a shell but the rain protection it gives you is incredible, i've worn it in freakin' hard downpours and it kept me totally dry, if you want it to be little warmer put a fleece or two and that's everything you nedd to hike in pouring and cold rain i recommend it to all my friends and family!!

Great quality, kept me dry from the snow and rain on Mt Kosciuszko - Australia
You can use this jacket in the warm or cold

Bought it for the Korean rainy season, met every expectation that I had and more. I've had it in torrential down pours and not a drop inside. Perfect for hiking, folds up nice and small, easy to stow in your pack. All around great jacket.

TNF website repeatedly refers to this garment as waterproof. That is a blatant lie. This garment is not even remotely water-resistant. A one-hour rain storm left me completely soaked:literally not a dry spot to be found.

Sent the jacket back to TNF. They promptly sent it back to me saying "After inspection & lab test, jacket is repeled moisture. Hyvent fabric which is different than gore-tex fabrictions & in terms of water-proofness.TNF" Uh, yeah, evidently with the incorrect spelling and "new" words (wtf is "fabrictions"?), the TNF has hired 2nd-graders to write responses to their customers.

Silly me, to think all this time I actually thought "Waterproof" actually meant that: waterproof. Not kinda waterproof, not sometimes waterproof, not waterproof only when it's not raining, not waterproof only in a light drizzle, not waterproof because we say it is waterproof. Just WaterProof: plain and simple.

This is my second TNF Hyvent product and they both have sucked.

I've had my The North Face Venture for around 5 years. I take it practically every with me. If I'm not wearing it to block the wind or rain, I keep it in my pack just in case. I normally wear a medium, but got a large to fit as an outer shell over multiple layers. It has elastic drawstrings in all the right places, especially around the hood which has a terrific fit. I just recently washed it for the first time per the directions on the tag and it developed a small tear in the inner fabric. I'll tape it up and continue to use it as long as it sheds the elements. It has been a great shell that has served me well in all my travels. Rain, snow, wind - this will stop it. When it dies, I think I'll try out Patagonia's Rain Shadow shell.

After I bought my first one, I did it again. Water-proof and wind-proof, though I wear a soft windstopper underneath for spring skiing at Vail, it is my year-round rain jacket here in SoFLA. Well taped and a great hood, even fits my helmet.
I'm 6'2" and 200 lbs., the XL is a good fit and length, plenty of room for layering.

I received/wore the first one. Water-proof and wind-proof, though I wear a soft, windstopper underneath for skiing in the spring at Vail. I use it as my raincoat here in SoFLA year round, usually with the pit zips open or partially open. Well taped and a great hood. Ultra lightweight!!!

I chose this jacket because it fits well, is waterproof, stows small into it's own pocket, is relatively light, and has pit zips for cooling down during a warm downpour. Many light rain shells don't have pit zips, and are SO light and cheapie feeling, that they can't bridge the gap to an evening campside wind/warmth jacket which this does very well with layering. That is to say if you're hesitant to go for one of the ultralight, ultrathin rain shells, and you want something that bridges the gap towards the full-blown shell direction, then this is a great comprimise right between the two. Very light, but still substantial enough to be considered a "jacket".
I'm 6'1" and weigh 175 -the medium fits perfectly, and allows me to wear this over a tee, or with a thermal top, thick fleece and the shell over it all with adequate movement for hiking and climbing. Great jacket.

I've only had this jacket for a couple of months, so my review is rather limited. With that being said, I would like to echo several of the positive reviews given here. I bought this to serve as a packable option for hiking in Hawaii (home), and for wherever else it rains and I'm outside. The first time I went hiking with it in my backpack, I got caught in a 30-minute downpour, and it kept the water out completely. My pack got soaked and the front of my legs got wet, but my core was rain-free. It does breathe reasonably well. It was about 80-81° when I was using it, and I never felt "hot", but my arms did get a little clammy. On the other hand I've worn it to work as a windbreaker and it really doesn't insulate very well, as it shouldn't. It should really excel in more temperate climates. The jacket is lightweight, fits well on my 6'1"-185 lb frame (size large), and the construction seems solid. Bottom line, take our advise and get this jacket! You won't be disappointed unless you deserve it for some reason.

Works great, when you remember to bring it. I got caught in a 30 minute downpour and my upper body stayed nice and dry but my lower and pack (turned out to not be waterproof) were soaked. I was so happy with the jacket I bought the pants but have yet to test them.

This was a Fathers Day gift for my husband. His Columbia jacket was almost 20 years old. He needed a new rain coat badly! He loves it! Especially how light weight it is. I did good. Great price, will be back to shop here again!

My husband picked this out. I have the same one in the women's. This jacket is perfect for rolling up and carrying in a backpack as it rolls up small and is very light weight. Great rain protection. He loves it!

by the way, the yam orange is much more orange than yam. the picture doesn't show how truly bright it is...i guess i'll just have to get it dirty, for now it'll work as a signal if i get lost. guess the color's not the issue and the jacket is definately waterproof, can't complain about that!

Very happy with the Venture. Has much better features than my old Northface that it replaced. Haven't taken it anywhere rough yet, but its great at the hot springs after you've had a few.

I got my first Venture jacket for my 21st birthday and it lasted until a few weeks before my 25th. It is still waterproof and I still use it for outdoor work, but the inner lining cracked some over time and I simply gave it hell before it started to do so. Had I not been so hard on it, I believe it would still be in factory condition to this day.

I did not hesitate to buy the second one or even stop to look at other brands because I wore the original what would amount to two straight years and it's still kicking.

This jacket is invaluable, light, watertight and the pit-zips make it perfect year round. i wear it as a rain-stopper in the spring and fall and wear it with a sweater or hoodie all winter as a wind-stop.

I can honestly say I couldn't ask for more in a jacket or a brand.

This is my all around jacket ,
you can use it for a shell or on its own
or just hanging with your crew
its that cool!

I have had my TNF Venture jacket for about 2 months now, and it is finally becoming very handy since the rainy season has just begin here in Korea. I played 18 holes of golf wearing the jacket this past weekend. With a light to moderate rain, I stayed completely dry while all my friends were soaked! Even when swinging a golf club, the jacket doesn't get in the way, which was a nice bonus. All in all, I have no gripes about the jacket. It does a great job keeping you dry!

The venture is exactly what it is - a lightwieght, portable rain jacket! I havent had a chance to use it yet, but after trying it on, it seems to fit well. I bought a medium and I am 5'10'' with about a 42 inch chest and it fits about right even with a t-shirt and base layer on underneath. I ordered the basin blue which is a bright blue color and nice, but I think now I would have prefered just black so it can be worn with anything. nonetheless, its only a color!!

I looked at the pictured jacket and thought it would be perfect for me. I am long-waisted, and needed something that would be long enough to cover my butt! In the actual jacket I received, the jacket bottom was 4" (or more) ABOVE the ends of the sleeves rather than 2" or so below the sleeve-ends as pictured. The quality lives up to North Face standards, but the functionality (for me) left me cold -- literally!

got it to replace worn precip. nice and light. seems waterproof so far in light and moderate rain. nice looking. seems less baggy than the precip so you can't get it over a bag as easily but, on the other hand, offers a nicer looking fit. love the orange color on the yam too.

Very good jacket! i love the fact that has a ziper on the side, it's very breathable and light weight. Great rain protection!

I've had mine over 2 years now,and while wearing it, have guided five ascents of Mexico's Pico de Orizaba, two expeditions climbing Iliniza Norte and Cotopaxi in Ecuador, a trip up Mt Hood and MT Adams, and many ascents in the Colorado Rockies in all four seasons and this jacket, working as an ultralight shell over my fleece and midweight tops has performed flawlessly. Yes, it breathes well enough to keep me dry, and is a welcome ounce saver for higher altitude trips while providing a wind layer in a vareity of climates from Orizaba's 18,403ft dry and mildly cold climate to Ecuador's more humid, colder air with wetter snow at 19,000'+ altitude. It's simple design takes up very little space in my pack and the pockets are large enough to stow my gloves when not in use. They allow me to stow my x-small bottle of sunscreen and a bit of food and still leave me enough room to slip my hands inside without worrying of pulling stuff out when I remove them. The jackets cut is not too constricting so climbing technical terrain hasn't been a problem and I like the short length as it gives me access to the gear racked on my harness.the pit zips are great but id recommend putting on a longer cord to make them easier to operate. It's nice to know you don't have to spend several hundred dollars to get a very adequately performing jacket for a variety of climates, altitudes and conditions. I've already decided that when I replace this jacket it will be with another Venture as I'm sold its the right jacket for all my alpine needs. If I were to redesign anything it would be to make the hood slightly larger to more easliy fit my helmet underneath.

Great jacket. The only reason I that I am not giving it a 5 star rating is that I wish it was a little bit lighter and that I could pack it down a little bit smaller. But that is only because I am slowly becoming more and more conscious about weight and space in my pack. However, the construction, materials, quality, etc. are superior on this item. For an everyday rain jacket this item is excellent.

Arms are short - .. very common with north face equipment. Besides that the quality of the coat looks decent but the cost is rather high.

I got this for my teenage son who rows crew. He's been using the same Patagonia one for a while and it's got a hole in it. I didn't want to spend that much this time. We love this jacket! It's waterproof and fits him well, and has enough room for him to row in it. Yet it's not baggy at the bottom (critical for crew). A great find!

Spent many days and nghts packing in this jacket. Cant say enough good things about it. It remained very dry inside even during heavy uphill back packing. the breathability is ecelent and it packs well. Kept me dry and warm durring some pretty hard wet days on the trail.

This is an awesome light weight wind breaker/rain cover. Fits nicely, great quality, I will probably purchase another in a different color.

it is very good that wear it in the rainy days.

A nice fit, lightweight and packable. Great outer shell for backpacking

It's been a drought here in TX. But if you sleep on the shore of a lake with High winds------sleep with the N. Face Venture to keep the chill out. I just Love it! I like the fit, since I have long arms. 2 thumbs up!!!!

I have always liked these jackets but have not got one, now that i have it is even better than i thought. very lite, very well fitting and very water proof for the price point

The rain beads up and rolls off. It breathes well too. The zipper could slide a little better. But I can live with it. Good rain coat.

Jacket does exactly what it claims - it keeps you dry (I've had it in some pretty decent rain, and not a drop comes through), it's light enough that you can wear it on a wet summer day and stay cool, but is still able to take some of the chill out of the air on a cooler day. Definitely recommended.

I bought this jacket for 50 bucks about 4 months ago and I LOVE it. It is waterproof, it breathes reasonably well and it looks good too. I use it as a rain jacket, a windbreaker and it does the job wonderfully. My only gripe is that mine stains easily (it's white so its to be expected) but all you have to do is throw it in the washing machine and its good as new. Overall it is a great piece of kit, its light, breathable, functional (the hood is awesome, its very adjustable) and stylish. I would still buy it even at full price, the fact that I got it for 50 bucks just made this jacket even better. I highly recommend it. As for sizing, I am 6'2" and weigh about 170 and the XL fits me perfectly.

Love the jacket! I ordered several items from the on-line store Back Country. Had to exchange an item and they notified me within a few days that they'd received it and an adjustment to my account was forthcoming. No waiting and wondering. I would buy Northface again and definitely through BackCountry.

Great little jacket for the purpose. Light and packs down really small. For a light jacket it doesnt feel like a cheapo thin jacket either. Havent been in a real heavy down pour with it yet but in the moderate rain it did great, and dryed very quickly. Pit zips are very nice to have.