The North Face Venture Parka - Women's - 2008 BCS

Really good jacket,should have got size down, but went with sizing chart, which has good allowances,the hood is really well designed you don't see or feel it on.
Went for a good 10km hike other day on one of those wet, sticky days, the jacket worked a treat good breathability, and wicking, might buy an another colour!

Bought this for campus life in the rain, and my 19 yr. old daughter loves the weight, plus the fact it keeps you dry!! She would highly recommend it!!

I ordered this jacket because the color was discontinued, and have always loved NorthFace products. I was disappointed in the fact that the jacket is totally unlined (my daughter has the same jacket in the children's size and hers is lined) and it gets cold to the touch with the wind blowing. It was not worth the sale price. It does a good job of keeping water out, though I will admit.

Recently took a 13 day "walking" tour of Italy. This parka was not neatly folded in my bag. The words I would use are "balled up". Started to rain and put it on wrinkle free. I stayed completely dry. Rain stopped, I shook the water off, balled it back up into my bag and kept on walking. It was also nice to use on windy/cooler days over a long sleeve tee. My friends will not be allowed to borrow this parka. Ladies if you can't find your size, go to the men's and go one size lower. That's how I got it in baby blue.

Lightweight..check. Keeps me dry...check. Blocks wind....check. Great for everyday wear...check. Yup. I like it.

I think this is a fantastic rain jacket. I love the deep hood and the adorable black and white lining (I'm not sure whether the newer coats have the same print inside, but it is super cute on the 2008 coat). I have worn this jacket in heavy rain stayed completely dry. I was surprised at how dry I stayed as rain coats I have had in the past have not worked nearly as well. I have also recently worn it in snow layered on top of my Redpoint jacket and stayed both dry and toasty warm. I am ALWAYS cold, so I was pleasantly surprised. I also like the length of this jacket. I was torn between the parka and the regular venture jacket, and opted for the parka due to the insanely good deal Backcountry offered, and I am more than happy with it. The length is perfect for me (but I am tall at 5'7''). I wanted a little extra length because I thought it may help keep me dryer. I ordered a small, and it fits nicely with room underneath for layering. I wear a small in other NF jackets as well. I would say this one runs slightly bigger than my other jackets. I was also pleasantly surprised that the sleeves are plenty long enough for me (I typically find the sleeves in NF jackets a tad short for my ideal liking). Some people mentioned the zipper being larger than on other NF jackets, but on the particular version of the Venture Parka that I ordered, this is not the case. Some people also mentioned the jacket poofing when they sit. I noticed that it does do this if you do not adjust it when you sit. This isn't a problem for me though as I seldom sit in my jacket with it zipped unless I am in the car after rushing out of a building in the torrential rain and plan on exiting the car again soon. Overall, I love it, and it suits its purpose perfectly. My only wish is that it had a 2 way zipper.

For what it is (rain jacket) it works great - keeps you dry, not too heavy, perfect for fall/spring/summer. Agree with other reviewers that the zipper is stiff and poofs out when you sit down, not sure if that will fix itself or not. If you're looking for a light rain jacket that packs away easily, this is it.

The jacket is EXTREMELY light with no lining or anything inside. Therefore, it's an ideal summer raincoat... but if you plan on wearing it during other seasons, layers will be essential. The offwhite color is very nice and the zippered armpits openings are curious but nice!

While I loved the color - not too bright white, the jacket actually fell just below my hips. I was picturing it more as a mid/upper thigh length based on the picture. I'm 5'6" and ordered a small based on some reviews. I think the Grace jacket was more what I was looking for.

I was trying to replace the gore tex rain jacket I bought at Eddie Bauer 10 years ago. It had great detailing with a drawstring waist, detachable hood, a back flap that served as a vent and a length that covered my bottom. Great in the rain and looked great for everyday wear. The Venture Parka was just too short for my purposes and the fabric felt like a plastic bag. I generally like North Face styling but this didn't do it for me. I went with a Columbia Hampton jacket which is not perfect either but I did get the length I was looking for. Still short on detailing but better than the Venture Parka.

I love this North Face Jacket. Im in rain all the time for work so wear it a lot and it never disappoints. I am a tall but thin girl so I was hesitant about getting the small, but it fits great and the arms are just the right length! Great Buy!