Lightweight insulation

By Barrett Wood Ranked #27 - Men's Vests January 2, 2012

The Shrapnel vest is a good idea: make a down vest without a center zip. I really like mine and the Banana yellow adds some cheer to my jacket collection. I would buy it again, but I wish they would tweak the design a bit.

The front pocket is connected and lined with brushed tricot. The collar has the same lining. The shell is fairly durable and has yet to rip despite several trips through large briar patches. It sheds gentle rain, giving you plenty of time to dig out your rain shell. The hem rises at the sides and drops in the front and rear for added mobility. The side zips top out about an inch below the arm holes and have 2 zippers each so you can fine-tune the amount of venting. On the right shoulder, the embroidery reads "CA-94577." It's the zip code for TNF's headquarters.

Now for the downsides. First, the zip at the neck is not even a quarter zip. It is just long enough for you to fit the vest over your head, so the only way to really dump heat is to use the side zips. If that zipper went down another 4 inches, this vest would get 4 stars. My other caveat is the cut of the vest. The chest and shoulders are great. The armholes are perfect and the length is just fine. However, the lower half of the vest is too baggy. If you've got a bit of a beer belly, you'll be fine. But for fit people, the bottom of the vest is going to hang loose. With the two long side zips, they could have given this a slight taper from shoulder to waist and had a really awesome vest.

View Details: The North Face Shrapnel Vest - Men's

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