The North Face Men's Verdi Plaid Down Jacket

Don't Spend Your Time or Money on This Sale Item
I'm quite disappointed in this jacket; not at all what I expected a down-filled jacket to be, namely, soft and comfortable. This jacket is stiff as a board. It feels like I am putting on a piece of police or military body armour. And, since I am using it in obviously cold temperatures, the outer material gets even stiffer and unforgiving. I feel like I'm in a straight jacket. With the hood down and resting on the back, I can hardly tilt my head back as it has turned into one big stiff pillow. The Velcro cuffs on the sleeves add to the stiff feeling at the wrists. The jacket is warm, I'll admit, and since it feels like it is steel-coated, it blocks the wind, too. But, oh, what a price you will pay in terms of the lack of comfort. My cheap $60 everyday down jacket is much more comfortable; I feel like I could do without the high-tech breathable layer feature, if that is what creates the stiffness in the fabric. I just washed it in the machine, used fabric softener, and then tossed it into the dryer, hoping that might make it a little more supple; no such luck. There obviously was a reason why this jacket is marked down and without any customer reviews of it anywhere on the Web that I could find. Apparently, unlike me, most people smelled a dog. Oh, yeah, the "adjustable" feature of the hem, the hood, et al, consists of a series of hard to find, reach and maneuver drawstrings. I don't see how ANY of them can easily be adjusted while you are wearing this beast.

Don't Spend Your Time or Money on This Sale Item
I'm quite disappointed in this jacket; not at all what I expected a down-filled jacket to be, namely, soft and comfortable. This jacket is stiff as a board. It feels like I am putting on a piece of police or military body armour. And, since I am using it in obviously cold temperatures, the outer material gets even stiffer and unforgiving. I feel like I'm in a straight jacket. With the hood down and resting on the back, I can hardly tilt my head back as it has turned into one big stiff pillow. The Velcro cuffs on the sleeves add to the stiff feeling at the wrists. The jacket is warm, I'll admit, and since it feels like it is steel-coated, it blocks the wind, too. But, oh, what a price you will pay in terms of the lack of comfort. My cheap $60 everyday down jacket is much more comfortable; I feel like I could do without the high-tech breathable layer feature, if that is what creates the stiffness in the fabric. I just washed it in the machine, used fabric softener, and then tossed it into the dryer, hoping that might make it a little more supple; no such luck. There obviously was a reason why this jacket is marked down and without any customer reviews of it anywhere on the Web that I could find. Apparently, unlike me, most people smelled a dog. Oh, yeah, the "adjustable" feature of the hem, the hood, et al, consists of a series of hard to find, reach and maneuver drawstrings. I don't see how ANY of them can easily be adjusted while you are wearing this beast.