not great, but not bad

By Ben Reff Ranked #139 - Kids' Jackets February 7, 2011

At 5'9", which is the statistically average height for an adult male, you wouldn't think I'd be able to foray into children's clothing particularly often, and yet, here I am. I'm a fairly slender adult male, normally a men's size small or a 36R jacket. But since I pretty closely match the measurements for a kid's size XL/18-20, I decided to see if this coat would fit. (The fact that the kid's version is 2/3 the price of the adult's might have figured into the equation....)

Anyway... the kid's XL in the McMurdo fits me surprisingly well. I can't always get away with a kid's XL, but it seems that TNF's tendency to run large is true for their children's stuff as well. The coat is obviously warm, though in comparing it to my old L.L. Bean one, the McMurdo has significantly less loft. The Bean jacket is so stuffed with down that its baffled compartments look like they've been inflated - not so with the McMurdo. It's a warm coat, but not nearly as warm as it might be, with either higher loft down, or simply a larger amount of down. The fake fur ruff is disappointing - not because I'm a big proponent of wearing fur in general, but because in an extreme weather parka, a genuine fur ruff can really make a difference between a warm face and a frostbitten face. Real fur wicks moisture, resists freezing, and retains warmth - fake fur is purely aesthetic. I'm also a little disappointed that the hood is not a true snorkel hood, ie, it doesn't cinch up all the way to form a small tunnel of warmth around your face. The fake fur ruff does at least fold out to offer some protection.

Having said all that, though, I recognize that this parka is designed more as a lifestyle garment than a true extreme weather parka. From that perspective, it's not a bad value for your money. In fact, if you're an adult like me, getting the kid's version is a GREAT value for your money. ;-) The only way to get what I would really want in a parka - high loft down, genuine fur ruff, snorkel hood - would be to plunk down $600 or so for a Canada Goose product. Like most people, I'm simply not in a position to do that for a coat I only need to wear a handful of times each year. For most climates, particularly in the US, this jacket should be more than enough.

I should mention that while I currently live in balmy Colorado, I spent the past five years living in Minnesota, and I grew up in the mountains of western Montana - so I'd like to think I've got a pretty good perspective on what is important in cold-weather gear.

View Details: The North Face McMurdo Down Parka - Boys'

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