The North Face Himalayan Parka - Men's - 2006

The jacket is incredibly warm, but I have noticed a small tendency of down bleeding. Every time I lean against a wall or wear a back pack, one or two downs escape from the inside of the jacket. This is annoying, and I hope it stops...

The North Face Himalayan Parka is simply the WARMEST and relatively lightest expedition parka available. Neither Mountain Hardware nor Feathered Friends Down Parks rivals the quality of the Himalayan Parka. Granted, all North Face products are no longer top quality, and many notoriously have sizing issues; but the H. parka stands above and beyond all The North Face jackets. If you were to be air dropped into Antarctica or the Artic Circle, this is the parka to own. Simply, the best of the best.

Snow, sleet, rain, wind, and freezing cold temperature explains it all. Its LIGHT weight and when wet dries quickly. This is a HOT jacket for anyone who wants to be outdoors in frigid temperature. Don't think twice about this jacket because this is a getter. So get it !

Living 190 miles north of the Artic Circle I wanted a warm parka for work during the winter months. This TNF parka is warm and a quality workmansship product. The nylon ripstop shell withstands wind, snow and my dog's paws. A very good investment..

I travel alot and some of the places are really really cold (edmonton was -60 this winter and high of -32, Dawsons Creek, Bc was almost as cold) and this jacket is hot, no matter what the conditions you will be force to open it up after you have initially warmed up. Also if you put it in a sleeping bag stuff sac it compresses phenomenally and regains full size and shape almost instantly!!! One word of warning is that i have had two stolen on my travels, so keep an eye on them as they aren't cheap - although they are worth every penny - when you need to have clothing to depend on this is the jacket (it is a wearable version of the dark star sleeping bag i use, but more compressible!

I bought this jacket because I was going to Alaska to train sled dogs. I put it on in -35 degree weather and within minutes I was ON FIRE.. I had to unzip it halfway and vent. The jacket will not fail at keeping you warm, I just wish there was some way of regulating its warmth.. like the armpit vents on some of the other jackets.

I have never tried on a warmer jacket. But, two issues. First, while the size chart suggested to go bigger, and I ordered the XXL, the XL I normally wear would have been fine.
The real problem is the hood. It is a very large hood, designed to accommodate a climbing helmet. If you are wearing one, it will fit correctly and you wil be fine. Absent that helmet, such as when it is -10 in the street, the wind will freeze your head. While there are adjusting bands at both right and left front, and also in the back, they only approximate a correct, snug fit. Perhaps they should simply offer this coat with two hoods? The hood IS removable, so it could be swapped. It costs enough to make it possible. Worst case, bump up the price a bit. Else, offer a choice of hoods with order. One would be for a helmet, the other a regular fit. Buyers would choose the one that matches their intended use.

I got a call from a morning news outfit in London (UK).
"Can we have live news reports on the blizzard that is hitting London?" This was a test for my brand new Summit series 850 Parka as we were to be stuck on the top of a thirty story high building for four hours during a snow blizzard.
My Parka did the trick but I found that the pockets were too shallow to keep my hands warm (I cannot wear gloves in operation mode). The front zip was also prone to get caught up with the actual Parka fabric. The zip itself has a slight kink which I hope will rectify itself.
That said, the hood is really great for film crews as you can slip a set of headphones in quite easily and keep your head and phones dry. Sort the zip and pockets out and the film units will declare their undying love for you.

I am 5'10" and in reasonable shape and I got a Large. I did not need a larger size for the water bottles. Shell is durable, and has many pockets. I wore it a couple of times: At Longs Peak under high winds it is really warm and you do not feel the wind chill. I had some problem with the hood at first but after you figure it out it adds a lot to your comfort. I had a -40 degree bag. As a light weight alternative you can probably go with this parka and a 15 degree bag in a bivy. The only downside is that it lacks the ventilation zippers under armpits - unzipping is not sufficient when you have a pack.
I also wore it at Ouray during baileying for ice climbs. Minimum movement+cold=great comfort. This is my first down jacket and it is money well spent.

I live in Hawaii, and I bought this because I was going on 3 backpacking trips that were back to back in the winter up north USA and northern Italy. It was a bit of a gamble on which one to buy. I wasn't sure if it made sense to buy more layers instead of this one big weatherproof parka but I tell you what I stayed warm and dry the entire time and loved every bit of this jacket! The only thing I have to say that isn’t 100% positive is the pack size. I jam mine into a compression sack and it’s still bigger than my tent. For the Ultralite backpacker I would suggest doing a base layer, then an extremely lightweight down layer, and then adding a cheap disposable clear plastic emergency rain poncho (The kind you buy from Wal Mart) as this will be a much lighter alternative. If you are not an extreme ultralite backpacker then just buy this jacket for any really cold weather conditions.

This parka is top of the line and worth every penny, very warm ,very light, and very compressable. If you are planning to carry water bottles inside the parka order a size bigger. The measurments given by Backcountry make for a great fit but don't allow for the water bottles inside.

I ordered a large and discovered that to fit the water bottles in one needs a size up—so I exchanged (these guys are great on exchanges). I used my XL Parka on a New Year's week climb up Colorado’s Mt. Elbert—14,000+ in high winds and snow—it is wonderful! Steep price but worth every penny for 900 fill down. Lightest-warmest parka available. Everything they describe is true—a million pockets with high quality craftsmanship. It will be the "last Parka I need to buy".

Super warm and comfortable. Fairly lightweight.

If you look for a really warm Parka, this is it! It is soft and very well made with lots of pockets for all things one wants to carry.

When I bought this jacket I was a little concerned about dumping the jack to make this deal happen. Not a huge fan of The North Face since most of it is made in China and because of its popularity on the trail among first time outdoor types. That having been said this jacket(made in China) performed well beyond any expectation. I have for years believed that sythentic insulating materials were best especially when hiking or climbing towards the goal. Recently on a trip I got cold at the top and realized I had to get back to the basics, down. The synthetics worked very well on the ascent but in the down time while not moving I realized the need for something more. I purchased the HP a size larger than I needed to be able to pull it out, put it on over my clothing and get toasty quickly. The only requirement I had was that it be waterproof, although reason dictates that if its cold enough to need this jacket there probably isn't going to be rain. This jacket worked very well with temperatures hovering near 0 F. with winds nearing 40 MPH. Its wind resistance was exceptional. It is fairly lightweight but does take up some valuable room in your pack. If you're going where you think its really cold buy this parka. You'll thank yourself later.

Great parka, it's really nice to be warm, and this parka does it! Fast shipping. Good transaction. Good people. Thanks.

I wanted the best, warmest parka on the planet, and in my first use, it did the job. Had a mountain emergency and, while it wasn't that cold (20's), it kept me plenty warm standing around for 7 hours waiting for help. Packs well for something this voluminous.

This Northface coat is the warmest, lightest, strongest coat I ever had.

This jacket is the best ever. In 20 degrees Celsius i just need a short sleeved shirt underneath!!! Fantastic. Highly recomended.

This jacket is awesome. Warm as nothing else i have had.

I bought this parka having upgraded from the 600 fill summit series. The Himalayan Parka is second to none. The conditions in Norfolk England are extreme often the temperature reaches 10 degrees!!! Just put in Kings Lynn in Google and you will see just how far above sea level we are!. What more can i say this coat has certainly saved my life. When walking from my car to the UEA often the wind chill is down to 9.5 degrees. This coat has laughed at everything that i could throw at it. To conclude you may ask what made me buy one.... I just wanted a warm coat!

Your customer service is EXCELLENT and the products are of the same quality. I ordered The North Face Himalayan Parka and was astounded by its quality and warmth. I would highly recommend this jacket!