Fit and Finish

By Charlie Ranked #336 - Men's Fleece Jackets March 20, 2009

First off, this is a very nicely put together jacket, the seem work is all nicely done, and genrally the combination of panels making up the jacket is well thought out. The first thing I noticed is that the jacket is somewhat unique in that it has a fitted cuff on the sleeves. No elastic here, which gives the jacket less of fleecy look. Also notable is that where the nylon abrasion panels are present, the fabric is reversed, so that the soft fleecy stuff is next to your skin. Otherwise the inside of the material, which is sort of mesh is not especially comfortable against the skin. Also, the collar is a good bit stiffer than on a normal fleece and stands up nicely, which adds to the jacket's appearance.

Ok, onto fit. I am 6'2", 200lbs, I wear a 44 long suit jacket, waist 36, and I wear a 17-35 shirt, and the torso of a size XL fits great. The problem with the jacket for me is that the sleeves must be 37" long. Normally, sleeve length isn't an issue for me with a fleece jacket becuase the elastic cuff keeeps the material up above my hands, but becuase this jacket has fitted cuffs, there really isn't anything you can do about it, absent rolling it back on itslef. TNF did include a velcro adjustment tab, but this is largely ornanmental, as the only thing tightening the tab does is create a rather stiff fold. The other problem with fit is that the jacket has very narrow forearms. This is actually what gives the jacket so much of a nice fitted look. However, becuase the fleeece on the top half of the sleeves is inside out, it all wants to stick to whatever you have on underneath. Actually, getting the jacket on over a shirt is a little bit of a struggle. If you are looking to where a t-shirt with the jacket, then this shouldn't be a problem. I got the jacket at a great price, so I might just keep it. If you are looking for something similar, the Windwall I, is a nice alternative, not quite as wind resistant, but more comfortable in the sleeve, and hence a bit more verstile. The weight of both jackets is nealry identical. I really can't figure out why the sleeves on this thing are so long.

View Details: The North Face Pamir WindStopper Fleece Jacket - Men's

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