The North Face Tremaya Parka - Women's - 2011 BCS

I live in Chicago and have, for years, had difficulty finding a coat that is comfortable, light weight and warm. The Tremaya Parka is by far, the best option I have found (and I searched for months). When temperatures reach below 20/10 F, I opt to include a North Face vest just to keep my core warm, but this parka is wind proof and cold proof for most Chicago winter days and nights.

The only down side is the fur lining on the hood. At times when the hood is up, the fur will come close to poking me in the eyes; however, there is the option to remove the fur lining which is an easy solve. I also adjust the length of the hood with the adjustable strap, so can scale it back to make the hood larger if the fur bothers me too much.

In the end, this coat is amazing. I am 5'7" and 135 pounds and fit perfect in a medium. I bought a small as well and returned it because it was a little tight in the shoulders (I have broad shoulders).

I just recently bought this coat after debating for weeks and weeks. I previously had an inexpensive DKNY down coat that was long (mid-calf) and it served me well for 6+ years. However, now that I am no longer in school (hooray!) and can afford something nicer, I thought I'd treat myself to a nice North Face Tremaya parka. I tried this on at Macy's and I definitely liked it better than the TNF's Arctic Parka. The Arctic Parka was warm, but definitely "poofy-er" in appearance. (NOTE: I don't personally care if something looks poofy, but my boyfriend definitely noticed that it made me look a lot more puffy.) Also, the fleece cuff in the Arctic parka was nice, but didn't seem as "quality" as the more substantial cuff on the Tremaya Parka. The hood and chin/neck area of the Tremaya are heavenly! Very warm and insulated and air does not get in! The hood is insulated (lovely!) and very deep so I can still wear the hood comfortably even if my hair (which is long) is in a ponytail! love it!

The only bad thing about the Tremaya is that my butt/legs still felt cold even though it's a coat that goes down to my knees. I just felt that there was too much "air flow" inside the jacket around my legs (even though I got a size that fit me snugly). The rest of my body felt toasty toasty warm....but from the thigh-down, I felt very cold! (I live in Boston and this weekend was "feels like 13 degree" wear as reported on the weather channel).

Anyway, if only TNF would make this exact same jacket, but just mid-calf length....it would be the perfect coat.

By the way, I tried the TNF Triple C Jacket and it just seemed too thin to be warm enough. Also, the hood on the Triple C seems absolutely flimsy compared to the Tremaya parka's hood (and the arctic parka for that matter). Anyway, I am sticking with my current DKNY long down coat for now. Even though my upper body is a bit chilly (therefore requiring a separate thick fleece under my down coat!), at least my legs feel better which makes my overall warmth is much higher!

Please, TNF, make a calf-long version of the Tremaya Parka!