Excellent Jacket!!

By Erik Ranked #229 - Men's Softshell Jackets January 7, 2009

I managed to get my hands on both the Sentinel Thermal and the Bionic Thermal and here are the differences:

The Bionic Thermal is the heavier of the two yet stiffer (the shell)...your range of motion is not as free as the Sentinel Thermal. The Bionic Thermal is also the warmer of the two. The High Loft Fleece backer is a little bit thicker on the Bionic Thermal plus the shell is harder and thicker as well.

Both Jackets are windproof to 0 CFM (based on what MPH, I have no idea) so that is a wash and they both are water resistant however I believe the Sentinel water-resistance is better because I dont believe it is a laminate like the Bionic...the bionic laminate is good thru 60-80 washes...ok that is a lot but still the sentinel wins because the gore windstopper material is in my book better.

I like the cut and feel of the Sentinal Thermal Better it also looks better but this is subjective and it is so marginal it isnt even funny. The sentinel Thermal will breath better...once again because of the gore windstopper material which is thinner and lighter weight while achieving the same wind stopping ability as the Bionic Thermals heavier weight.

Durability goes to the Bionic Thermal...the shell is a tank!!! TOUGH!!! However the Sentinel Thermal isnt a wimp either but not as beefy as the Bionic...I dont think it was designed to be.

So if you are looking for the warmer of the two the Bionic Thermal is the winner in colder weather. If you are more athletic the and don't need the warmer the Sentinel Thermal is better. I believe the Bionic to be far better than my Denali (I even have a summit series one...discontinued in 2005...heavier than a 300 weight fleece denali). The denali is not windproof and isnt water-resistant...so if it snows/rains and it is windy the denali is terrible. Not a fan of the Denali...wish I wont have bought it. Get the Bionic Thermal over the Denali without thinkin twice!!! But the denali is a fleece not a soft shell.

I really like the Bionic Thermal it is an excellent jacket...I believe it looks nicer then the girlie Patagonia R4 while still offering the same warmth (my opinion). You could wear the Bionic Thermal to 20 degrees and the Sentinel Thermal to 35 degree much less for either and you really should look at a warmer jacket...but if you are climbing or running these temps are different. I live in chicago and it is windy here so either is good.

Oh and to throw a wrench in this (more towards the Sentinel thermal side) I have a TNF Pamir Windstopper also...it is lighter than both (not much more then the sentinel thermal..that is a close call)... the Pamir is more like a wind breaker...very little to no insulation or fleece backer at all...go with the sentinel thermal over the Pamir Windstopper...the sentinel thermal kills it bad without being much more in weight while gaining so much more. Hope I helped.

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

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