Gear Review
The North Face Denali Wind Pro Fleece Jacket - Men's
Typical TNF - you pay for the logo not the performance
By brad
Ranked #1105 - Men's Fleece Jackets
February 25, 2010
We have had a severe cold spell here in SW Colorado. The average temperatures lately have been between -5 and -10 degrees Fahrenheit. I have an Eddie Bauer WindPro 300 jacket (First Ascent Point Success) but I was feeling cold, so I saw this online and thought it might be warmer.....WRONG! Even though the Denali Wind Pro weighs 8 oz more, I was actually colder wearing it than wearing my lighter Eddie Bauer jacket. There are several cons to this jacket, listed below:
---HUGE! I am 6'1, 185, and positively SWIM in a Medium. It's so big it doesn't fit under my Mtn HardWear shell. The arms are cut to fit Arnold Schwarzenegger! The reason this coats weighs 8 0z more than my Eddie Bauer is because there are copious amounts of extra cloth in the coat. If you intend to ski or do any winter activities in this coat, I think you'll have a hard time fitting it under most shells.
----SHORT! The Medium barely comes 1" past my waist, so I tried the Large, but it's so huge I could fit myself and my dog in it (30 lb beagle!), and it still did not fit tightly.
---Expensive. As with all TNF gear.
That all said, if you are built like a professional weight lifter, then this is probably a good coat for you. But the fact that most people are not, and that my WindPro 300 weight Eddie Bauer coat was half the price, a better fit, and warmer, really turns me off. This coat is headed back!!
View Details: The North Face Denali Wind Pro Fleece Jacket - Men's
Helpful Votes: 1 Yes
Change me.
1 Comments Last Reply: March 3, 2010 By: brad
Update: I decided that maybe I was not layering properly. Lately, I have been wearing a 50/50 Cotton/PE undershirt with my long sleeve dress shirts. This has kept me warm down to 20*F by itself and down to 15*F when under a GoreTex PacLite shell. Also is much higher quality than originally thought: recently had to hike through dense pine brush, thought for sure this would tear, and did not. I would update my review to 4 stars, with the cons still being strange arm fit and sizing: a guy 6', 175 lbs shouldn't ever have to wear a small, but the medium swims on me. Overall, a good coat. I have yet to see if it's the $200 though.
Helpful Votes: 1 Yes