Are All North Face Jackets Waterproof? (Fully Explained + Best List)

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When it comes to outdoor activities like camping and hiking a good waterproof jacket is something that needs to be in every backpack that is intentionally stepping into wild or rainy season hike’s

However, a rain jacket is something that has a place in almost every closet though there are lovers of umbrella-like me. But there are too many brands in the market that offers rain jackets however, not all provide the same level of functionality.

Today let’s see whether one of the most well-known outdoor gear brands The North Face provides jackets that are not only highly effective in the rain but whether they are worth it or not.

Here’s How Waterproof Are North Face Jackets?

After spending a good amount of time, I can proudly say that The North Face has really good waterproof jackets in the insulated and raingear category. Now, what should you opt for literally depends on the type of activities you perform.

If you want a jacket for casual city roaming or that immediate task in the rain then a North Face shell jacket is completely fine, also some of them have an added inner fleece for added comfort and warmth and all are incredibly windproof and are highly breathable.

Though not all raincoats are equally waterproof so we are going to cover some best raincoats for mild and heavy rain for men and women later in this article.

However, you should go for insulated jackets if warmth is also one of your priority, and don’t worry whichever insulated jacket you pick from the North Face are water repellent because of treating with non-PFC DWR. We’ll discuss some best waterproof insulated jackets by the north face later in this article that can even be worn in heavy rain.

Let’s discuss each topic in complete detail with a list of the best rainproof jackets in all three categories.

Read Also: How Warm The North Face Jackets Are?

Are TNF Insulated Jackets Good For Rain

Down Jackets

Among the vast range of down jackets that The North Face offers, nearly all of them are water repellent which is possible because nearly all down jackets offered by the brand have a Durable Water Repellent finish. But water repellent does not mean waterproof even though it can protect you from the mild rain, yet it is better than the water-resistant one that offers very little to no protection.

However, there are many TNF Down Jackets that are either both waterproof and water-repellent or close to being waterproof. So What do you want a water repellent down jacket or waterproof? If you’re sure that you’d not wear the jacket in rain then water-resistant is fine, if you know that you can end up in snow (but no rain) then water repellent must be your go-to option.

However, go with a waterproof down jacket or with a shell as an outer layer if you’re damn sure that downpour is going to happen and you’ll be outdoors.

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Let’s look at some of the down jackets that The North Face offers and here I will only tell about their water protection quality and not about their warmth because I’ve already covered that topic here.

Read Also: How Do North Face Jackets Fit? (With US Sizing Chart)

Best Waterproof Down Jackets By The North Face (Men’s/Women’s):

• M’s Mountain Light Futurelight™ Triclimate® Jacket: If you’re looking for the best waterproof down jacket by the north face then look no further than the Mountain Light Jacket. I am saying this by takin technical details and practical experience in account. The main reason is the 50D x 20D 111 G/M² 3L Futurelight techology that is completley waterproof, breahtable, and the most lightweight membrane to date by the TNF. However, it is not as waterproof as the Gore-Tex but it is more silent than the Gore-Tex for sure if we take both jackets side by side. You can trust me on this, if you not here are reviews of folks that are also saying that this is the best worth of money waterproof jacket by the north face.
• W’s Snow Down & Arctic Parka: For the women’s only The North Face currently has only two good options that are highly waterproof. These are snow down and arctic parka. They both features an outer shell that is made up of two layers of Dryvent. However the Snow Down Parka seems to perform the best because of 70D X 150D 195 G/M² of Dryvent fabric as compared to 70D X 160D 158 G/M² in the Arctic one. However in terms of warmth Arctic parka outerperforms the Snow down parka because of using 150G of Heatseeker Eco Technology. Click here to know more about the North Face Jackets Warmth.
• M’s 1986 Retro Nuptse Jacket: The jacket is made up of 40D 54 G/M² Nylon ripstos that offers some water reistant but because it is treated with Durable Water Repellent it can be worn in sprinkling rain but I’d not recommend to wear it alone if you’re intentionally going in rain to test it out as it may disappoint you a bit.
• M’s Gotham Jacket III: It is the One of the best waterproof 600 fill goose down insulated jacket offered by the north face. Because it is made up of using 70D 128 G/M² DryVent^TM 2 layer technology. You can go with the Gotham III if you only want to wear a single jacket that is warm and waterpoof. However it is not entirely waterproof because the fur will get wet which can be removed and dried. Because it is on heavy side it is better to get the jacket for city commute and everyday use but not the best option for outdoor activities because of that bulk.
• M’s/W’s Outerboroughs Jacket: In terms of weather protection Outerboroughs is better than the Gotham because it is 231 G/M² of Dryvent 2L uses which is up by 103 G/M². By all means, you can wear this jacket alone in those cold days where the chances of rain is higher. The North Face Expedition McMurdo Parka comes near to the outerboroughs in waterproofing.
• M’s Aconcagua 2 Hoodie: This jacket is not waterproof at all but because of using Heatseeker insulation technology you’ll remain warm even in wet weather irrespective of the down (that which it is filled with) that loses the insulation when getting wet. Even though it is not waterproof, you’ll be fine in light rain because of the DWR finish however the water may still seep in from the seams.
• M’s Altier Down Triclimate® Jacket: This North Face down jacket is waterproof, breathable, warm but the major beneit of this jacket is it’s 3-in-1 qulaity which enables you to remove it’s inner layer which is the 550 fill goose down jacket and uses the outer layer as a shell jacket in days which are not cold but are wet. What furhter makes it a great insulated waterproof jacket is the use of Non-PFC Durable Water Repllent that helps repel the water in the form of water-beads.

Synthetic Jacket

If your activities demand a jacket that is great in warmth yet does not lose closet her protection then TNF synthetic jackets are something that you should think of.

The reason behind saying this is quite clear – down loses its insulation when wet but because synthetics are man-made fabrics there’s room for growth both in retaining insulation as well as waterproofing.

Let’s look at some of the best waterproof synthetic jackets offered by the North Face.

Best Waterproof Synthetic Insulated Jackets By The North Face (Men’s/Women’s):

First of all, I would not talk about the innovative insulations that north face uses in their synthetic jackets to keep them warm as I’ve already covered that here.

• For Women’s: If your first priority is a jacket that is good for fall winters and are incredibly waterproof then these are some best options – Thermoball Eco Snow Triclimate Jacket, Thermoball Eco Triclimate Parka or Carto Triclimate Jacket. Don’t worry if you wish you can use any of the above jacket in winter snow and they’ll not lack in waterproofing in any way.
• For Men’s: Those men who want a completely waterproof fall synthetically insulated jacket that can also keep you warm and dry even in early winter days without much layering then you have some really great options like the Fine Pine Jacket and Thermoball Dryvent Mounain Parka are the two great options.
• However, if you want to lean more on colder days without sacifising a bit of waterproofing then you should go for Thermoball Eco Triclimate Jacket or Arrowood Triclimate Jacket.

Are TNF Rain Jackets Good For Heavy Rain?

Yes, but The North Face manufactures jackets for different uses so there are raincoats for occasional or brief rains and more expensive jackets that feature advanced technical fabric that can withstand heavy rains at high pressure.

See I can provide you an in-depth review of all the best rain jackets that TNF offers but it is not needed as I am going to share some key points that you can use as a checklist to get a raincoat according to your needs.

For heavy but brief rain you can go for the shells that are made up of Dryvent 2.5L and if you want the highest specs in this then you should look for the higher denier (D) and higher density (grams per meter square).

For example, the Men’s K2RM DryVent Jacket that has 109 G/M² Dryvent 2L is lesser effective than the Men’s City Breeze Rain Parka that has 70D x 160D 128 G/M² Dryvent 2L.

For women’s the Westoak City Trench that has 75D X 170D 176 G/M² Dryvent 2L is more waterproof than M’s City breeze Rain Parka and W’s Allproof Stretch jacket but it does not come near to Venture 2 Jacket as it has a higher denier Dryvent in solid, heather, and print which is nearer to the Futurelight.

There are some addons to the Dryvent and a disadvantage – like it is also windproof and breathable (not the ultimate) and on negative the Dryvent jackets tend to be a bit noisier when moving and also add up the weight.

Now, if you’ve heard the word ‘Gore-Tex’, which is known to be the ultimate waterproofing technical membrane you must know about the ‘Futurelight’ that is a tech fabric made by The North face. Though it is not as good as the Gore-Tex it is quite close to it, however, quieter.

If you only want the north face jacket that is 100% waterproof then you must go for the Futurelight 3L jacket. It comes into existence by a unique production method called nanospinning by which nano-sized fibers are created to allow improved breathability while not lacking in breathability.

According to the world-renowned safety science company ‘UL’ put the FutureLight tech fabric dumped over 200 gallons of water per hour on the garment as dumping result into high-pressure water they concluded that FutureLight fabric is 100% waterproof and high level of air permeability.

If you ask me, then M’s/W’s Dryzzle Futurelight jacket, M’s/W’s Apex Flex Futurelight jacket, M’s/W’s Flight Lightriser Futurelight Jacket are the best rain jackets that can be worn in heavy rains and it is more breathable and lighter than the Dryvent.

Is There A Brand That Offers Better Waterproof Jackets Than The North Face?

First of all the amount of waterproofing that the North Face Offers is worth the price especially their Dryvent and Futurelight ranges that come in budget. But if you can invest a bit more in a rain jacket or insulated jacket that provides ultimate weather protection then there are some better options.

There are three brands that you can look for if you want a waterproof jacket that falls in highly technical ranges. These are Arc’teryx, Helly Hansen, and Patagonia. You can go for any of these brands and I bet you’ll get what you pay for when it comes to weather protection performance quite better than The North Face.

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