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The North Face: Overrated?

Ubbquittious

Years ago this brand was known for making true mountaineering wear and jackets that last for 20 years. Now it has ""gone mainstream"" and for some reason are very popular in Ireland. I've had a good few pairs of shoes from them ; none lasted particularly long, some started to fall apart after only a few months. The jackets are nothing exceptional either. They have increased their prices substantially in the past year or two so I don't bother with them anymore.

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corner of hells

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058238241/the-north-face-overrated

Have you considered going back to one of these ?

Wanderer78

what if all brands are overrated!

Ginger83

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118813776#Comment_118813776

They were great

Wanderer78

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118813796#Comment_118813796

...only that they werent

corner of hells

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118813796#Comment_118813796

They certainly were, in fact in some areas of the country it looked like we'd been invaded by West Germany.

Effects

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118813796#Comment_118813796

Until it started raining 😂

Ginger83

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118813859#Comment_118813859

Quite heavy then 🤣

[Deleted User]

Become another brand where marketing is more important than quality.

Berghaus, Rab, Patagonia still make decent hiking gear.

Strumms

Could never get the obsession some have with North Face.

French Connection/FCUK and Diesel make far superior winter jackets… stylistically and quality…next time if you are in a shop the sells both, compare…

Effects

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118813936#Comment_118813936

Ah god no, couldn't agree with that. North Face is originally aimed at sports use. FC and Diesel are just fashion brands, right?

Strumms

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118813956#Comment_118813956

Northface is an ‘activewear’ fashion brand now primarily… they use tag words like ‘activewear’ in their marketing.. you are correct was originally a sports brand for outdoor pursuits.

Effects

And I think they still make some great gear for that. But clearly they can make a ton of cash as a fashion brand as well.

I've got some of their gear that over twenty years old and still holing up! But more recently it's all Patagucci for me 🤣

EmmetSpiceland

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118813776#Comment_118813776

Gross, remember them? Preferred coat of the sartorially challenged. Usually accompanied by a “band T-shirt”, scraggly beard, unkempt curly hair and converse runners.

Thankfully, you don’t encounter those “types” very often these days but I’m sure if you were to visit some of the mustier record shops in places like the George’s Arcade you’d be sure to see one, albeit a little greyer and a lot wider, perusing the secondhand vinyl section.

ILikeBoats

I bought a north face triclimate jacket around 11/12 years ago before it became the teenage uniform. A detacheable inner fleece and a waterproof outerlayer. Was quite expensive but is still going strong. Great coat

cnocbui

I like RAB and Norrøna and old Karrimor.

km991148

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118814067#Comment_118814067

A lot of these brands run parallel lines - some more "fashion" orientated and some more serious. Do NF do that by any chance?

Eircom_Sucks

only knackers where this stuff now

emo72

I think Arc'teryx have picked up a lot of the serious high end jacket stuff

whisky_galore

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118814538#Comment_118814538

The poor man's Canada Goose.

They have some good stuff for sure, outside street clothes where they make their money. I have found Marmot are cheaper for comparable gear and I've worn both, although I have never been up a 8k peak. My buddy who has wore a Helly Hansen and says they're solid. I'd say you'll find the more famous the brand the more you're going to pay for basic stuff, getting into heavier stuff it seems to level out.

Gregor Samsa

I've a North Face jacket that's about 20 years old at this stage. Still going strong. Waterproof, breathable, comfortable. I've worn it on all kinds of hillwalking and out on boats, and it's served me well. It has a standalone fleece that you can remove, or zip it into the jacket as an integrated lining. My wife picked up a kids NF coat in a charity shop for my daughter recently (cost her a tenner). It obviously isn't as robust or durable, so there must be a variation across their range.

Incidentally, I'm doing some work at the moment for a outdoor-wear competitor of The North Face. I was on a video call with their team a few weeks ago, and their project manager was wearing a North Face puffer jacket on it. We mentioned it in passing, and he said that he'll wear his own company's stuff when they start giving it to him for free.

KieferFan69

I’ve a German army jacket

eviltimeban

I've a yellow North Face waterproof parka, and it's great. It really is the most waterproof jacket I have, and it's thin so perfect for spring or even summer days when it is wet but not that cold.

I do see every single teenage boy wearing some kind of black or grey NF coat, usually the puffa style.

The shop on Grafton Street is decent, they've good outdoor gear, hats etc.

As for those German army jackets, I never had one back in the day but plenty of the guys in school wore them. Can you even get them? Been a long time since I went up to Mary Street to look in Army Bargains!

Eircom_Sucks

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118814563#Comment_118814563

both types only have little scroths wearing them on electric bikes and hanging around in tesco's

[Deleted User]

I've had two North Face jackets that lasted over 10 years. Even when I got rid, there were no tears, zip and velcro still worked fine.

They are expensive, but they still do a good job.

murpho999

"and for some reason are very popular in Ireland"

This brand is popular all over the world, why would you think it's just an Irish thing?

Funny, how a brand is regarded as good at one point and then when the brand repositions and markets itself to become more successful and popular then it just become rubbish and/or just for lower classes.

DarkJager21

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118814563#Comment_118814563

Canada Goose is something I don’t get the obsession with, I wouldn’t buy one of those hideous jackets even if I saw them at Penney’s prices. Then again, young fellas these days aren’t exactly beacons of style or taste, all clones of each other.

Ubbquittious

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118817700#Comment_118817700

It isn't really funny but an unfortunate thing that does happen. Imagine you have a group of 10 or so ppl tipping away for years in some sh1tty small scale factory making jackets for some niche and suddenly some famous lad is spotted wearing one and the twitter/instagram mob all start ordering. Next thing the factory owner is facing into a 2 year backlog and some of his suppliers are struggling as well. All his core fanbase are climbing Everest next year and paid for their 100k climbing permit so he has to deliver them somehow so he phones the Wuhan Jacket Co, Ltd. for help.

whisky_galore

It's more middle class boring dad gear now, usually black or navy.

Your life is half over, dreams of conquering Everest gone, the most extreme thing you do is wheel a stroller in your identikit NF jacket. :D

EmmetSpiceland

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118818021#Comment_118818021

Oh good, mine is red. At least I get to look down on those lads in the black and navy.