The North Face Alpine Light Acclimate Parka

I bought this jacket a couple days back. It was a complete impulse buy. My friend owns almost exclusively North Face gear and he swears by it. I saw this jacket in the store and I immediately loved it. It was black with dark grey and looked great. It also had a zip-in synthetic liner that was supposed to be very warm. It fit well so I bought it.

I then began researching North Face reviews a bit and found that the general consensus is that the quality has decreased over the years, yet the price has not.

I wore the jacket out for an evening and noted the following things which I did not like:

1. The stowable hood was too bulky when stowed. Yet when it was taken out, it left the collar empty and too flimsy.

2. The colour looked different under the store lights. When I got it out of the store, the jacket looked black and purple.

3. The interior mesh pocket is impossible to open with one hand and difficult even with two hands.

4. Not crazy about the 2 ply Gore-tex. I've only ever owned a 3 ply and I like the feel of 3 ply better.

5. Expensive for a classic 2 ply jacket.

Having said that, I never did truly test it out. I never got it wet and never used it with the liner. I took it back and have purchased an Arc'Teryx (more money but I wear my jacket everywhere.....).