The North Face Vanquish Soft Shell Jacket - Men's - 2008 BCS

I got this jacket about a month ago!And it rules,the coast of british columbia has had some of the nastiest weather in years,but the vanquish has kept me warm and dry!I love the fact that the jacket is lined inside.With this feature I have been able to leave extra layers at home.Amazingly enough the gore-text soft shell has kept me dry in extremely wet conditions.This jacket will be with me on the ski hill,and off the ski hill in the backcountry!

Mike Traslin North vancouver british columbia!

I'm a firm believer that you get what you pay for. North Face products usually follow this rule...the higher-priced gear offers more functionality. So far, the Vanquish jacket is really nice: the Goretex soft shell breathes, the fitting is more "normal" and not so damn tight, and the sleeves offer much room for putting your jacket on AFTER gloves (whoops!). However, the issue I have with the jacket are the pit zips; without long sleeves on, they rub against your arm. It will be tough to wear this jacket in warmer (> 60F) weather for this reason.

Also, North Face *really* needs to put inner pockets on all of their jackets. Hello, North Face...it's 2009 and people expect at least one inner pocket. Heck, maybe even a media pocket *gasp*!

I recently used/tested this jacket near Farmington, Maine at Flagstaff Lake during the Thanksgiving holiday period - This jacket absolutely rocks!!! The flexibility, the ripstop Gore-Tex, and the warmth, are incredible! It will keep you dry just like an Eider and it will keep you toasty - Thank goodness for the pitzips. There are only two pockets on this jacket, but who needs them when your a thrill-seeker - you don't stand around with your hands in your pocket and you certainly don't need the extra equipment to lug around. I own several name-branded-jackets in which I use for my specific sport or thrill and this one is definitely my new goat for alpine assaults. If you are interested in the Vanquish and have the money to buy, yes it is expensive, GET IT!

This is just what the slogan, "Never Stop Exploring" means. No offense to backcountry, I love the GHeads, but I received my Vanquish from TNF, only because the had the denim-blue color. There are some that will say TNF is basically fashion orientated, true, but I am sure they did their research w/the other brands. If you have or like (I definitely do!) Arc'T's, Alpha SV, the Vanquish is very comparable. This is a beautiful colored jacket and technologically sound in all aspects. I will update this statement when I get a chance to run it through the gaunlet. I'm 6'2 at 177 and the MED fits just below the belt-line. It is an athletically structured, it has ample room for a baselayer and sleeve length.