Japper88

This jacket is excellent as a stand alone during the Spring and Fall. The wind resistance is great, I use it a lot when I am biking. The jacket itself isn't that warm, it is kind of thin. Think of it as something warmer than a shell but less than a fleece but completely windproof. It's pretty good in the summer too if it gets cold at night where you are. For the winter it stays in my closet, as I use the warmer Denali with a shell.

This jacket has that classic style that closely resembles The North Face Parkas from 10 years ago. But the similarities end there. This jacket has a very thick shell, if you're looking for a thin and light jacket do not get this, but if you want a durable jacket that can scrap against branches without ripping, this is your jacket. I love how this has a powder skirt. The pit zips are excellent, the water proofness and breathability seem comparable to other gore-tex parks I have.

Pros: durable material, roomy fit (great for layering and movement).

Cons: pretty bulky and heavy compared to other jackets, wish it had even more pockets.

Other thoughts: probably only a 3 season coat, too thick to really use in the summer (except if it gets cold at night where you are). But because it is rather thick very good wind protection.

This is a great fleece. I zip it into my north face mountain light jacket to form a great winter combo. The pit-zips are nice for when I am outside working up a sweat, not that many fleeces have that. It is very warm, although a bit bulky. The sizing is a little big, which is good when using it as a zip-in or layering underneath, but not that ideal for stand alone. But I find that all North Face fleece seem to have a looser fit on my (5'9" 185, size medium) compared to other brands like Mountain Hardware, Marmot or Arcteryx. If you have a zip in north face shell this is a must buy for cold weather areas.

It's a great windproof fleece. It keeps warm, even when it's really windy. I wear it when I go mountain biking, and it completely blocks the wind. It is pretty warm, but not as warm as say a Denali fleece. I have the 2006 version, which oddly doesn't have loops on the sleeves to put into a TNF shell. Other than that, no complaints!