The North Face Plasma Thermal Insulated Jacket - Men's

Awesome Jacket.

Evan08

Member since  Oct 29, 2011

Posted on May 15, 2013

I have the 2011 version of this jacket and the one thing that annoys me is the screen printed logos. Looks cheap to me but so far they have not pealed off. Very warm and pit zips are amazing. I am 5' 8" and 165 lbs and I got a large.

Great jacket except for the wrist closur

mlap338617

Member since  Jan 10, 2013

Posted on January 30, 2013

• Gender: Male
• Familiarity: I've put it through the wringer

I have Men's XL and after using the jacket for some months my right cuff closure (velcro) no longer hold so I have this piece of plastic flapping around. I'm thinking of gluing some new velcro to the plastic strap to see if it will grip and keep the wrist closed.

Otherwise it's a light, warm and weatherproof jacket. In really cold weather I switch to my McMurdo Parka, as I cold easily and this jacket is not enough for me below 25F.

Your Armor Against the Wind and Cold!

Chris Taylor

Member since  Dec 3, 2012

Posted on January 5, 2013

• Gender: Male
• Familiarity: I've put it through the wringer

I recently bought this jacket as a Christmas gift to myself. I was looking for light weight winter jacket with a high warmth ratio, and this baby delivers!

I live in Wisconsin within 3 miles of Lake Michigan, so I know what cold, wet and windy weather feels like. My TNF Plasma jacket is like my armor against our winter weather. This jacket is truly at it's best when it's windy due it's Hyvent outer material. I was pleasantly surprised at how warm it is with minimal layering needed underneath. I've taken my dog out for our mile walks wearing a t-shirt and a light running fleece underneath my Plasma and I was more than comfortable.

In short, if you're looking for a jacket that can hold it's own in the cold, wind and wet...look no further than the Plasma. It was definitely worth the money!

best jacket ever

john

Member since  Jan 14, 2011

Posted on March 6, 2011

I skeptically read the reviews of this jacket thinking to myself that it sounded too good to be true... it's not! without a doubt this is the best jacket i've ever owned. it's warm in freezing temperatures, keeps out water, has a very tough outer fabric (i've used it skiing through trees which would have definitely ripped a lesser quality jacket), and looks great. it's stylish without being flashy. buy this jacket!

BIG ZIPPER ISSUE

kaongs

Member since  Feb 27, 2011

Posted on February 27, 2011

Hi all. I agree with many of the reviews that the Plasma is a warm jacket. BUT....compared to other TNF jackets I've owned the zipper is complete garbage - BE FOREWARNED. This is an expensive coat and for the amount of money I paid for this, I think it's perfectly reasonable to expect a zipper that actually works. This zipper is flimsy and almost EVERY TIME I take the jacket on or off, fabric on the side of zipper gets stuck in the zipper. And then I have to spend time trying to delicately extricate the fabric from the zipper without tearing open the jacket. What a complete pain. SO....at the end of this winter season, I am sending this jacket straight back to The North Face and am going to ask that they either fix the zipper or refund my money.

stylish, but not fit well

bet4451815

Member since  Feb 18, 2011

Posted on February 18, 2011

Overall, it's a great TNF winter jacket - warm enough not too bulky, light-weight, stylish. However, the drawback is that this jacket appears to be shorter than normal fit. I usually wear Medium size for all the TNF apparel, which fit me perfectly - but the medium size of this plasma thermal jacket fits me oddly. Though it's not bulky, it's still a little puffy and looks flared around my belly area, especially when it's shorter than it should be. By the way, I'm 5'9 and 160 lb. Other complaint is that, the material is so susceptible to have dust attached, quite annoying.

The Winner!!!

jer4425471

Member since  Feb 2, 2011

Posted on February 2, 2011

Jan 24 well I just got back from my walk in 22 degree temperature with 7mph wind (the “feels like” on weather.com was 14 degrees) and my legs are numb but up top I am comfortably warm. I can not believe how much jacket research I did this winter in search of the perfect jacket. I’ve done so much that I don’t know exactly where to begin. I guess the best place to start is with the winner and that would be the North Face Plasma Jacket in XXL. I tried this jacket on early winter in an XL size and the problem was it was too short; they didn’t have a XXL because if they did my journey would have ended right away. The length of the XXL compared to the XL is important because the XL is shorter and sometimes rides up releasing body heat. The outer layer of this jacket is solid but not as thick as my BPS Gore-Tex 100 MPH Jacket in texture. The hood is very warm and the thing that separates it is the way it fits, it really synchs down excellently around your head if you want it too. This is important in order to trap in a lot of (normally lost) heat (this sounds simple enough but is actually a very rare feature in a winter jacket) The only hood that snugs up around the face better but is not as warm (because the outer layer is a lighter material) would be the NF “Makalu”. I left out another snug hooded jacket the Red Point Optimus because this jacket is just for layering the wind slices through it like butter, something else to keep in mind if you are considering the Red Point Optimus is the sizing is much small since it is made to be a true layering piece (an XL is actually the size of L).
Getting back to the North Face Plasma Jacket the arms on the XL or the XXL are both long enough for me I’m 6 5 and 216 lbs and have an arm length of 37 inches but again the XXL size is essential to get the coat length necessary below the waist; this really helps maintain body heat imo because I’d been wearing the Makalu in an XL and since it is shorter it would rise up causing chills at times. The fill on this jacket is Primaloft and I love it for more than one reason: 1. It is synthetic and will keep you warm even if it happens to get wet (down shrink and loses its ability to retain heat) 2. It is amazing light weight stuff and allows this very durable jacket to pack down in size taking up hardly any space (the Makalu packs even smaller) 3. It is warm, you’d never believe how warm this jacket is with out trying it on (it is warmer than the Makalu and this is no knock against the Makalu) 3. It breathes; this is important because a lot of other insulations cause you to be either too hot or too cold Primaloft is like wearing the perfect sleeping blanket 4. It is very Hypo-Allergenic compared to Goose Down; in my experience wearing down has made my arms itch sometimes, but I’ve had no issues with this Primaloft. The look of the jacket is great too, no annoying bright red zippers like the NF 800 fill down hooded jacket, no annoying red flap around the collar like the Hecktic Down, nope it is great looking from all accounts IMO.

Some neutral points: The pockets on the Plasma are fleece lined which feel incredible to put your hands in but these pockets take a lot longer to dry after washing jacket. I use the Makalu for winter time running and it is perfect because the pockets are not fleece lined and this allows them to dry very fast.

Some down points: The zipper is not oversized and doesn’t always easily zip around the neck line, the collar by your mouth is much stiffer than the Makalu and comes up about an inch an a half lower than the Makalu (if you layer these two jackets they compliment each other perfectly).

Here is some feedback regarding some of the other jackets that I tried during my search:

1. The North Face (NF) Red Point Optimus, light weight, high breathability, snug fitting hood, poor wind resistance, it fits one size smaller since it is a layering piece, consequently the arms do not run long like most NF jackets do, it is not waterproof. I’d suggest buying the Makalu a size smaller if you want a layering piece because it will be warmer and block the wind better. It also has better waterproof protection, and the Makalu only cost $50 more.
2. The NF Makalu, one of the best all around jackets ever made, the hood fits like a glove if you need that, and the collar comes up higher over your mouth on those really cold days you’ll be thankful. Packs up down small and weighs next to nothing. Zips up much easier around the collar unlike the Plasma. Perfect for winter time running, pockets are not lined with fleece so they dry very fast.
3. Patagonia Nano Strom: runs short around the waist and is not very warm (needs much more Primaloft).
4. Frabil Snosuit: The wind cut through the chest with relative ease for an ice fishing jacket imo, hood did not fit snug enough to block out wind entirely. The waist-line tie down broke instantly when I tried to tighten it down. Glen’s Army Navy Store (the seller) charged me shipping back to them and will not reimburse me like they said they would even though I called them within 2 hours of the UPS tracking label verifying I had only had the jacket for a couple hours. They said they couldn’t be sure it was a manufactures defect. Apparently items of theirs breaking within two hours is a normal occurrence for them. They also would not send a shipping label to make the return process easy. Be sure to stick with reputable sellers to avoid situations like this, I learned my lesson the hard way.
5. Artic Armor: The collar that covers your mouth is like huffing on plastic and leaves a weird feeling/taste in your throat and mouth (who knows how healthy this is breath I assume it is fine but you never know). If you are not moving this is not a particularly warm jacket and I would compare it to a rain jacket that does not breathe very well. The hood tie downs are synch down that great which loses a lot heat, the number one reason to buy this jacket is that it floats; the arms are too snug compared to the massive amount of space in the body. All of the retailers I found charge a minimum 20% restocking fee to return this, plus you have to pay shipping back and they will not send a shipping label to make this process easy.
6. Columbia: Runs short in the arms, did not like the look of most of their jacket line so can’t say much more.
7. Klim Impulse Parka: Bulky in the body fit, short in the arms
8. Marker: I liked the looks of this one until my girlfriend said it looked like I was wearing a company issued jacket… for Motorola.
9. The NF 700 down hooded: Fits well, really synchs down tight in all of the necessary places, could be longer around the waist like most NF jackets, looks great and doesn’t have the unwelcome bright red zipper that the 800 down fill has.
10. Cabela’s Guide-Wear Insulated Parka: This has some heavy duty gore tex and is very warm with Thinsulate Ultra (warmer than regular thinsulate), the arms even for a tall are a little short, but the one major flaw is the hood, it is not insulated, it does not synch down tight, and it doesn’t lay down well so it keeps hitting the back of your neck and kind of drives you crazy.

North Face Plasma/Backcountry

arl4396459

Member since  Jan 26, 2011

Posted on January 26, 2011

I give 5 stars to Backcountry. I was very impressed with their customer service. The jacket had a slight factory defect and Backcountry went beyond what I would have expected to keep me satisfied with my purchase. Needless to say my son is very happy with the cool jacket he has and I will continue to do business with Backcountry in the future.

Best coat I've ever had

phi4434824

Member since  Jan 11, 2011

Posted on January 18, 2011

Got this jacket yesterday and tried it out right away, walking the dog last night in snow turning to freezing rain. I bought this because of the waterproof shell, which is great. I had little icicles forming on the exterior of the hood and shoulders but I stayed nice and dry inside. I have a NF Nuptse down jacket, which is warm, but not sufficiently waterproof. This Plasma jacket seems just as warm to me. If it's really cold you may want to wear a fleece pullover under either one, which is what I do. But if you're doing something active like hiking or shoveling, this is probably warm enough without the fleece.

Size - I'm 6'1", 215. I tried on a large and it fit, but seemed restrictive to move in the arms/shoulder. If you're thinner than me or have smaller arms/shoulders, the L would probably be good for you. I went with the XL. This is a tad big on me in the torso, but I like that I can move easily in it in the arms/shoulders. I was clearing snow/ice this morning and really needed freedom of movement of my arms. Incidentally, I got so warm shoveling I had to open the pit zips and remove my fleece underlayer to try to cool down.

Color - I bought the asphalt grey jacket. This is a pretty dark grey color but not charcoal. It appears almost black (i.e., charcoal) in the pictures but it truely is asphalt grey. Regarding the zippers, they are green. I knew this. But I was worried they would be flourescent green based on the user submitted photo. The zippers are a palish lime green, not too flourescent. I really like the color of the jacket and zippers. Don't let that scare you from buying this color. It looks sharp according to me and my wife.

That's about it. Love it.

Couldn't be happier...

yus100824279

Member since  Jan 18, 2011

Posted on January 18, 2011

I went into the North Face store near me a few weeks ago looking for a warmer winter jacket than what I would usually just grab from my closet, a wool pea coat. After looking and really liking the Redpoint jacket, an employee in the store said if you're looking for a really warm jacket, try the Plasma. Being that it was 2X the price of the other one, I was skeptical.. I ended up getting plans to go skiing the following weekend and I would need a heavier jacket, so now I was more interested since I didn't have a great ski jacket. I read many reviews online saying it was the warmest jacket they ever had, etc etc. My biggest concern was bulkiness because I wanted to be able to wear this in between class walking over a college campus and still wear it on the slopes. I first bought a medium, I'm thin, but very athletic body and 5' 9". The medium was a bit bulky on me everywhere except my chest. I didn't like how it flared out around my waist which is a 30. I returned the jacket and got the small which is absolutely perfect. It's a little tight across the chest, but totally OK. For a 30" waist, I have a nearly 39" chest, so it's an awkward in between. The length was perfect, sleeves are great, everything. Bulkiness was cut down being that it was much more fit to my body.... Finally on the mountain for the true test of warmth, it is everything people have raved about and some. I was never once cold with this jacket and the temps were ~10*F, ~5* @ summit. I had an UA cold gear shirt on, 2 long sleeve shirts and I was good to go. There was nearly a blizzard in the afternoon and not once did the insane winds penetrate the jacket. Off the mountain and casually wearing it, I find anything more than a long sleeve shirt and you're sweating.

The medium was black/black, and I was looking for that in small but it was sold out everywhere you looked. I ended up with the small in Grey with the green zippers and I'm happy I went that route because it looks awesome. Overall very happy with the jacket, it's expensive, but well worth the money. For what I'll be using it for it is by far the warmest jacket I own and I'm going to be getting a lot of use out of it in the upcoming months and any future trips to the mountain.

One more thing to add, the customer service with BackCountry is why I'll be coming back here for any other outdoors needs even though I'm in CT and they're in UT. I value customer service highly and they got it out even sooner than they said they would, same day and being at 4pm their time, still made it on the UPS truck.