The North Face

Summit L5 Shell Jacket - Men's

Humanity spent countless years trying to stay dry, warm, and well-fed, so what do we do as soon as we achieve those goals? We seek out the wettest, coldest, harshest, and most isolated places we can find, of course. Perhaps it has something to do with yearning for times when success meant simply surviving, or a desire to learn something about existence that conventional education can't teach you, but whatever the reason, we've at least figured out ways to make our discomfort a little more comfortable, as it were, with streamlined technical gear like The North Face's newly redesigned Summit L5 Men's Shell Jacket.

The technical, alpine-oriented Summit Series has been around since 2000, but it took a year off to gather its wits, and consequently came back with a tooth for retribution—and this years iterations are not only better than last year's, but wiser too. In the spirit of last years iterations, the series consists of a full six-piece kit, from the L1 baselayers to the L6 Jacket, and is designed to provide ultimate protection, mobility, and functionality in places where gear issues can be more than an inconvenience. The L5 Shell is the lineup's bombproof waterproof and breathable layer, with a three-layer Gore-Tex membrane for serious protection in the face of dire conditions. Not only that, but the shell also features localized FuseForm technology, which ultimately double down on protection—meaning you can trust the L5 to endure a beating from sharp crampons and ski edges alike.

And because it's designed explicitly for vertical endeavors, the L5 is loaded up with climbing-friendly features like pack- and harness-compatible pockets, a fully adjustable helmet-compatible hood, and a low-profile hem cinch that can be easily operated when you're belaying or climbing. Interior dump pockets easily accommodate a beacon or other safety necessities, and the L5 is also touts built-in underarm zips for temperature regulation, because you can easily move from a blustery belay to a sunny face in just a few minutes. To seal the deal, the L5 features a neon orange emergency flag on the interior of the chest pocket that's also removable, in the event that you need to access.