The North Face Himalayan Parka

Prologue:

This jacket is embarrassing to wear!

Why?

Because it's so unbelievably snug and warm that you'll more than likely find yourself doing what I keep doing - walking down the street trying desperately to stifle a huge grin, by burying your face into the collar of the jacket! I'm absolutely serious about this! LOL

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I'll add more detail to this review when I get a moment, but for now, let me say that this jacket is well worth the money. VERY warm.

A few quick points which may or may not be useful to potential buyers reading this:

The general insulation level (and bulkiness) of this jacket is extremely similar to Mountain Equipment's 'Greenland' jacket. However, the M-E Greenland is dramatically different in the tailoring of torso size - it is clearly intended to wrap around multiple layers, for expedition purposes, whereas the Himalayan is of a much closer fit - I'm slim and wearing just a T-shirt, the Large TNF Himalayan fits me very snugly (not tight, but snug - only enough spare space to fit a mid or heavy-weight fleece beneath, IF I wanted to, which I don't).

The hobo mits, which I anticipated removing with scissors, have actually turned out to be very unobtrusive - if you slide your wrists all the way through them, they do NOT irritate your wrists, thankfully, so if you, like me, are wondering if you're going to hate the hobo mits, let me reassure you that you have absolutely nothing to worry about, you'll barely notice them.

Some reviewers have criticised the main zip...in my view, this criticism IS justified. However, the rest of the jacket is so damn good I definitely do not consider this a deal-breaker for general use. I carefully rubbed clear candle wax on the zip (including the entry points) and this made it locate and run much more easily (I did not use spray PTFE or oil for fear of damaging the adjacent fabric).

The hood is enormous if you wear it without a climbing helmet beneath, but it is still usable without a helmet, with some serious tugging on the adjustment strings.

With most down jackets, one wears them. With this down jacket (and the aforementioned Mountain Equipment 'Greenland'), one straps themselves INTO the jacket! You'll understand what I mean once you try it on, it's neither positive or negative, it's just 'different'. The Gore Windstopper fabric is less flexible (and, of course, heavier) than the thinner nylon ripstops seen on most down jackets in the marketplace.

TNF are not clear on where the Climashield Neo insulation is used in the jacket, but, looking at the TNF Prism Optimus, which uses Primaloft in the collar and hood, with goosedown in all other areas of the jacket, I imagine TNF have done much the same with the Himalayan, presumably using Climashield Neo for the collar and hood, instead of Primaloft or goosedown. I'd still like clarification on this, though, so if anyone knows for certain, please let me know.

I'll add much more to this when I have time, but, in short, this is a great jacket provided you do not intend to use it for HIGH levels of activity, in which case you are likely to burn to a frazzle.

This year I finally retired my old,well used jacket. So I was in the market for a lighter ,warmer down jacket to mainly use for shovel snow in..the temp this winter in the upper mid west was very harsh--even few days down into the -30 territory..
I visited Seattle's Feathered Friends--I love their Rock and Ice Parka but FF's cut was way too tight on my waist. I needed more than a XXL on FF's --and the sales lady wasn't too sure if they can make more room around the waist..But the fit and finish was very, very nice.
Then I tried Mountain Hardware Sub-Zero jacket---way too short.too light .returned it right away..
Order This one...NF has a more generous cut (around the waist) for us big guys..Fit and finish is much better than MH's Sub-Zero. (but of course not in the $800 FF custom parka bracket) ..Its lighter than it looks, It looks way better in person than the image provided, Red looks very handsome-- But No doubt -this jacket will look huge on you but when you are in the below -0 temp range, No one will stare.. overall..its a nice parka, I like the Hobo gloves..they work well when you are walking about in the freeze..The Hood is well designed--covers your ears with the high collar and it hugs your head with only a few pulls--The only weakness on this parka is the YKK front zipper...they are difficult to mate and catch correctly..It often takes more than a few tries..but once mated correctly...pulling up the zipper is smooth..I Hope the zipper will last, other wise this is really a very nice jacket ..Hopefully NF Life time warranty would help if the zipper gives in down the road.. ...NF should improve this zipper in their next version if there's one..Overall..its a great Buy from backcountry..with this special price..its hard to beat....

This year I finally retired my old,well used jacket. So I was in the market for a lighter /warmer down jacket to mainly use for shovel snow in..the temp this winter in the upper mid west was very harsh--even few days down into the -30 territory..
I visited Seattle's Feathered Friends--I love their Rock and Ice Parka but FF's cut was way too tight on my waist. I needed more than a XXL on FF's --and the sales lady wasn't too sure if they can make more room around the waist..But the fit and finish was very, very nice.
Then I tried Mountain Hardware Sub-Zero jacket---way too short.too light .returned it right away..
Order This one...NF has a more generous cut (around the waist) for us big guys..Fit and finish is much better than MH's Sub-Zero. (but of course not in the $800 FF custom parka bracket) ..Its lighter than it looks, It looks way better in person than the image provided, Red looks very handsome-- But No doubt -this jacket will look huge on you but when you are in the below -0 temp range, No one will stare.. overall..its a nice parka, I like the Hobo gloves..they work well when you are walking about in the freeze..The Hood is well designed--covers your ears with the high collar and it hugs your head with only a few pulls--The only weakness on this parka is the YKK front zipper...they are difficult to mate and catch correctly..It often takes more than a few tries..but once mated correctly...pulling up the zipper is smooth..I Hope the zipper will last, other wise this is really a very nice jacket ..Hopefully NF Life time warranty would help if the zipper gives in down the road.. ...NF should improve this zipper in their next version if there's one..Overall..its a great Buy from backcountry..with this special price..its hard to beat....

Love the Parka- its amazingly lightweight for its appearance- oh, about the title- this thing is wicked lofty! If you are worried about "looking 40 lbs heavier in your jacket, this isnt for you- If you couldnt care less about how inflated you appear- by all means BUY IT! This a great parka for the money (got mine @ 30% off from here @ Backcountry.com- would have bought another but the price returned to retail/MSRP since). The only boggle I have with it are the "monkey cuffs". But once you resolve to the fact they are there to stay, they really dont mind them too much. Thought about cutting them off, but they are easily tucked up out of the way around your wrist & back up into the sleeves. Ive received compliments on the color (Molten Red) and the simplicity of the jacket/parka design is outstanding. I have purchased maybe 25-30 various TNF products and have given them to my wife & extensive family members as gifts on numerous occassions. I highly recommend this parka for casual wear as well. You dont sweat in it even if the weather is mild but are securely warm if the temp plummetts. One more thing- the hood does NOT detach from the jacket and with the "neck roll" which is also sewn into the neck of the jacket, the two together can look like a "sack of potatoes" residing behind your head. Love the color, size is near-true ( I usually buy an XL, but as TNF sizes run comfortably big, I opted for the L instead- fits perfectly with room to move freely & layer underneath. Tried a Med in this coat but the area around the waist/hip area was too snug (5'10, a non-athletic 213 lbs).

The Company: I purchased a North Face Himalayan Insulated Parka (Men's) from BackCountry.com by telephone. I was pleased with the order process and the shipping. The first jacket I promptly received had a small cut in the material located on the upper left shoulder. Once called, BackCountry quickly sent another item and documents to return the offending item.

The Himalayan: I have been a customer of North Face since 1986, so my comments are relative tot he NF products I have owned over the years, from shirts to heavy jackets and parkas. This Himalayan is a great garment. It is well designed and has a variety of features that make it a pleasure to wear. It is light wieght and packs well. There are adjustments in the hood and coat and wrists so it can be made to fit perfectly. This is an expensive investment, but I am pleased with the money spent for the quality received.

The only concern I have with the Himilayan Parka is that I have a little trouble when trying to zip the parka. The zipper can easily catch nearby material and jam in the area near the bottom third of the zipper track. The zipper is a bit difficult to start at the bottom. The zipper is also tough to move in the area from the upper chest to the top of the zipper track.

This parka is awesome. I thought my MH Subzero SL parka was superb, which it is, but this TNF Himalayan is incredible for general purpose chores in bad weather. Born and raised/lived in Colorado most of my life and I know either one of these parka's will handle anything this state has to offer. I have not had this TNF parka very long so I can not speak for the durability of the outer fabric, but it looks very promising. I got it on sale for almost half price, but considering other products I've had I'd say it is worth the asking price. Great pockets, hood and so on. I am 5' 9" and 190, and the large fits the way I like it. Plenty of room to layer should it ever become an issue. And, as always the gearheads are a pleasure to do business with. This is probably the only store besides REI I trust buying over the phone, since I know if something is wrong or the fit is off, I can always send it back and try something else.

This is really an amazing jacket! My body runs a little bit cold so I thought I be doing a little overkill and I was very right/wrong! This jacket is packed with down and makes you look much larger than you really are. I don't know that I head to the disco but for what it's intended to do it's absolutely the best! The exterior is completely windproof. I've been in some wicked cold regions and in some extreme wind in those regions and I didn't feel even the slightest breeze! Part of the beauty of this jacket is that even thought the jacket is completely windproof the material used at the liner inside the jacket is very thin and feels very soft. The collar around the neck is also very soft and kind of tucks you right in. Sizing ran true to the norm. Yeah, it's a lot of money but from what I've experience it's well worth every penny!

The weather has turned to more normal seasonal temps. The coldest nights so far have been upper teens. With wearing just a tee shirt the Jacket has kept me very comfortable under these conditions. The Windstopper feature is true to name. Gusts coming off the Coast don't penetrate the barriers built into this jacket. Dan, I am about your size and have a medium. It is a little large on me but comfortably so. I am still impressed by the quality of the jacket and feel it was worth the investment.
Nick

I already own a new MH Absolute Zero parka so when I saw the super low price on the Himalayan I thought I would go for it since just about every review I've seen says the Himalayan is superior to the Absolute zero. Well, they're absolutely wrong. I would say the only thing better about the Himalayan is the down insulation doesn't seem to move around the arms as much but that's it. The Himalayan has 2 serious flaws in design. Number one is the zipper. This thing is almost impossible to zipper unless you're looking at it and for me it takes a few tries before it goes. The Absolutes zipper is big and burly and easily slides into place every single time even in pitch black. Number 2 is the drawstrings at the waist on the Himalayan. If you pull them tight, they immediately come loose causing cold air to blow up under. it's ridiculous. The hood is also a pain to adjust compared to the Absolute Zero, where both drawstrings are in the same position. The handwarmer pockets on the Absolute Zero are much bigger and are higher up on the chest. The Himalayan has that goofy clasp at the neck. I just don't know what clown designed this thing because they got it all wrong. I could go on but just do yourself a favor and pay the extra hundred and fifty and get yourself a real mountaineering parka. The Himalyan just doesn't cut it.

Apart from a few flaws (hood to small, and hanger inside the jacket came loose after a week) this jacket is a winner.

It is fairly light, and comfortable. I got the Denim blue which in my opinion is better looking than the black, get while you can since they are only making blacks from now on.