The North Face: Jackets

Protection from the elements, especially during the cold months of winter, is vital to outdoor performance. Outerwear that keeps winter's snow and cold at bay while providing warmth, comfort and athletic mobility is key to any successful outing. The North Face continues to push the envelope in outerwear: designing jackets that are ideally suited to outdoor activity; utilizing innovative designs and the newest high performance fabrics; and working with the most advanced technical developments available to ensure optimal comfort and protection. The end result are superior jackets that fits, functions and performs at the highest level.

For 2006, The North Face offers a host of new developments to further enhance the outdoor experience:

Stichless Expedition Shells
Where high performance matters most, The North Face offers a new breed of outerwear: every seam from hem to hood on these highly technical shells is welded for increased weather resistance, decreased weight (up to 20%) and improved comfort. Combined with The North Face tested and approved HyVent Alpha fabric, these innovative shells really are the top of the line in technologically advanced outerwear.

Technical Down Jackets
These ultralight jackets are constructed with 800 and 900 fill goose down, the highest quality down commercially available. The North Face premium down offers the highest warmth-to-weight ration, is the lightest weight and compresses the most readily.

These superbly warm jackets also feature The North Face exclusive down-filled laminated baffles, which are created with advanced welding technology. Welding improves warmth and comfort by eliminating cold spots caused by thread holes and reducing overall jacket weight. In addition, water resistance is dramatically increased.

HyVent Alpha
HyVent Alpha is a waterproof and highly breathable laminate that utilizes microporous, hydrophobic lamination technology to retain its capabilities in even the most severe conditions. Its laminate membrane, consisting of nearly half a million holes per square inch, allows perspiration to pass through the jacket before it condenses to liquid, keeping the wearer dry, warm and comfortable.

Welded Soft Shells
These versatile pieces combine the warmth, insulation and breathability of a soft shell with the added comfort and water resistance that comes from welding technology. There are no stitched fabric overlaps to cause bunching or friction and no stitching to allow water to penetrate.

Technical Wind Fleece
Fleece is no longer limited to layering pieces. New technical fleece now provides maximum durability and abrasion resistance in a soft, exceptionally breathable, water repellent fabric. Innovative hardface technologies apply an advanced surface fusion polymer to classic fleece, which facilitates softshell performance with the comfort and warmth of fleece. The hardface dramatically increases abrasion and snag resistance, and enhances water resistance to light rain and snow.