The North Face Makalu Insulated Jacket - Women's

A Winner for Petites
February 01, 2013

Initially I ordered the NF Apex Grace Bionic for my Christmas gift, wanting a coat/jacket that would offer both warmth and rain protection. The fit of the Grace Bionic in my regular size was laughable. It completely overwhelmed me. Sizing down would not have made it any better, the sleeves extended about a half foot beyond my fingertips. At the recommend of the NORTH FACE customer service person, I chose the Makalu. Couldn't be happier. Fits like it was made for me. I'm 5'3" with a 34DD chest and petite, 129 pounds. The medium is perfect on me with room for layers underneath. I wore it with only a short sleeved tee on a cold day (50 degrees SF weather) and was cozy. There are great pockets for your gear, IPod and shades for me. The hood is deep and functional for wet weather. It's a keeper. One wish? North Face, think Petite. One compliment? Altrec customer service people. The sweetest! Thanks for your help!

Already own the The North Face Makalu Insulated Jacket? Tell us your thoughts.

Great jacket but cut oddly small
February 06, 2011

This is a really nice jacket, but it has an odd cut. I'm 5'9" and 140 lbs, and M is my usual size in TNF jackets, but it didn't fit this time. I actually wondered if I had gotten a mis-labeled size S by mistake. The sleeves and body length were both too short, and the neck was so tight that I could not comfortably zip it shut. It was a little tight in the body as well. If you order it, I suggest sizing up. Otherwise, I really liked it. It's extremely lightweight but very warm, with a nice feminine cut. I would have preferred interior cuffs or gaiters in the sleeves instead of just the velcro closure. The hood is not removable.

Great winter jacket
February 22, 2013

Great jacket. Slim fitting, true-to-size, no frills, very well filled with a light fluffy insulating material, which makes it incredibly warm, yet packs very small. With the jacket zipped on, and a light insulating layer, I had full range of motion in my arms and shoulders. I am a 5'9", 140lbs female with athletic build, and size small fit perfectly, nicely snug around the hips. Unfortunately, I was looking for a ski jacket, and this one did not meet that criteria. Of course, you can use it for skiing - but I expected features like underarm zippers and snow-skirt option, and as much as I loved this jacket, I could not justify keeping it. I decided to keep the North Face Bistarr jacket instead. At any case, I highly recommend this jacket, even though it did not meet my particular needs!