Good, but not great

By Aaron Ziomek Ranked #1791 - Men's Softshell Jackets December 23, 2008

Picked this one up early November for my climb later that week @ Longs Peak, CO. Was planning on putting this jacket as my outer layer while in the tree line assuming there was no snow. Then throwing my shell over it once we got above the tree line.

Lets start with the two bad things: First, even if you get the right size on this jacket (a medium for me 6ft 155lbs) it still is a pain to put on. If you are wearing any long sleeve shirt other then say Lycra (So anything with cotton or poly in it), the arms on the jacket always catch your under layer and pull it up. Now I understand they want to have a nice fuzzy layer on the inside, but it is not necessary on the arms. Either that or line it with some poly so that you can slide your arms in somewhat easy. Second, The North Face name, now I understand some of their products have gone to crap and you're paying for the name. Some are outstanding yet still you're paying for the name. With this one the product is great, but the price is high. Pick it up on sale if you can wait.

Pros:

Cat and Dog hair can't touch this jacket. Not related to any technical stuff on the jacket but having that soft-shell fabric with fleece inside and not getting hair clumps is great. Keeps the wind rain and snow away. Decent to about 20 degrees with winds 20 mph and below. Anything over that and you start to feel it, even with a decent base layer. Once you start getting into the more harsh conditions it would be beneficial to have a good layer system either utilizing this jacket or having it off and packed away.

Overall I am pleased with this jacket. I got it on sale so the price didn't hurt as much. I can wear it around town or in the snow and back country. Great buy.

View Details: The North Face Valkyrie Softshell Jacket - Men's

Helpful Votes: 1 Yes