Which The North Face jacket should I choose for warmth?

When it comes to warm jackets, The North Face has plenty of options, but which jacket will keep you the warmest? With so many different types of jackets available, utilising the best in textile technology and thermal insulation, it can be difficult to figure out which jacket is the best one for you. With that in mind, we’ve created this simple guide to the warmest The North Face jackets.

How warm are The North Face jackets?

Some The North Face jackets are warmer than others. It all depends on the kind of thermal insulation used in the jacket. The North Face uses traditional goose down fill for its warmest jackets to keep you warm.

There are other types of insulation available too, including Thermoball, an innovative technology developed in partnership with Primaloft®, as a low weight, warm alternative to traditional down fill. Thermoball has other benefits as well, retaining insulation even when wet and, handily, it can be packed down to a small, pocketable size. 

Which The North Face jacket is the warmest?

The North Face’s premier Summit Series® outerwear features 800-fill down, which is one of the highest quality down fills commercially available and is considered by many to be the gold standard of insulation.

Are down-filled jackets really warm?

Goose down fill is the gold standard in thermal insulation, so down-filled jackets will definitely keep you warm. Some down-filled jackets are warmer than others, though, and this is determined by the fill power and the total amount of down used in the jacket – the higher the number, the warmer the jacket.

Fill power is measured by placing one ounce of goose down in a graduated cylinder and measuring the volume the down occupies in cubic inches. The North Face products are insulated with high-fill power goose down ranging from 500 to 800 fill, which represents the highest quality down commercially available.

With an unmatched warmth-to-weight ratio, down is highly compressible, ultra-light and amazingly warm, but only available in limited quantities, meaning it isn’t always widely available. The next best option is 800 fill down. The North Face uses this level of goose down in its L3 Summit Series jackets, and its Trevail and Impendor lines.

Is The North Face Moondoggy jacket warm?

The North Face Moondoggy kids’ jacket is designed to keep your kids warm and dry. It features a microfleece lining and 550-fill down thermal insulation, which is on the lighter end of the fill power spectrum but will keep kids warm and cosy for day-to-day use.

Higher levels of down fill are usually reserved for performance outerwear designed to be worn in very cold climates – and only the Nuptse and Massif ranges of kid’s jacket feature higher down fill, rated at 700. So if you’re looking for a day-to-day, down-filled jacket for your kids that will keep them warm and dry, the Moondoggy jacket should be the perfect fit.

How warm is The North Face Thermoball jacket?

Thermoball is a synthetic alternative to down. It features synthetic fibre clusters that closely mimic traditional down clusters, trapping heat within small air pockets to retain warmth, so Thermoball jackets keep you warm, even when they’re wet.

The North Face uses Thermoball technology in both outerwear and footwear for men and women, and thanks to clusters with air pockets that can be compressed, it can be packed down to a pocketable size.

Is The North Face McMurdo jacket warm enough for Antarctica?

While the McMurdo jacket is designed to keep you warm and dry, it’s insulated with 550-fill down, which is among the lightest level of goose down fill used by The North Face – this means it’s not ideal for extreme weather conditions and won’t be warm enough for Antarctica.

If you’re looking for the best jacket to take to Antarctica, you should invest in the highest possible down fill. If you aren’t tackling Antarctica, but are still looking for a jacket that is warm enough for colder climes, check out our L3 Summit Series jackets, and the Trevail and Impendor lines for the coldest conditions. You’ll find the perfect jacket whatever the adventure on The North Face website.