The North Face Honcho Down Jacket - Men's - 2009 BCS

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The Honcho will provide more insulation because it has a higher down fill (700 vs 550) but it's shorter length will not keep your upper thighs as warm. The shorter length might be a benefit when riding a bike or moped. You can also vent heat with the pit zips. The McMurdo is more of a fashion jacket for those that want a Antarctic/Polar Parka look and compares to similar (and less expensive) parkas from LL bean and Cabella's and EMS. It has a better guarantee from TNF. A more serious Polar expedition type parka can be obtained from Canada Goose, or Feathered Friends at about twice the price of these parkas.

If you want a warmer parka than the McMurdo, I would look at MHW Sub Zero SL which has a very attractive price right now, the longer length, lighter weight and better hood.

A more versatile system might be to combine a shell from TNF like the Varius Guide Jacket and a couple of zip in layers from the TNF like the Nuptski 700 down jacket and a TNF fleece which will give you a "System" to handle various temperatures at close to the same price as the Honcho. The pieces can be combined in many combos or worn separately. Good Luck!

Hi Jori. I think you'll be much warmer in the McMurdo jacket. While the Honcho is nice, it's meant to be part of a layering system. The McMurdo can pretty much be worn with a t-shirt underneath and you'll be warm. Give it a shot, and if it doesn't work for you it can always be returned.

Hey Mike - The Honcho is going to be warmer than the Plasma Thermal. I look at the Honcho as more of a belay jacket (maybe a good resort ski jacket as well), where the Plasma is probably a little more versatile in the things that you could use it for because of the lighter Primaloft insulation package. It really depends on what you are going to use the jacket for that will determine the better jacket-
Hope this helps