North Face 5.4oz waterproof w/hood

[Phil Brown]

My size large triumph weighed in at 5.8 oz. I'm going to remove the tags, hem cord and hood cord later on and weigh it again. This thing feels a lot sturdier than I thought it would for such a low weight. I can't wait to test it in the shower :-)

Phil

[Anonymous]

5.8oz in size large that is light! thanks for the info! i'm going to try out TNF Triumph anorak for my self.

[Frank Perkins]

I have never considered North Face a SUL company. How is it that they can come out with a seemingly impossible sub 6 ounce rain shell? Before the anorak, options were OR zealot or SD Isotope or "ready to fall apart" driducks. Some of us were actually scouting old Patagonia Specter's on ebay as well.

[P S]

North Face really cleared out a lot of their repetitive, fashion jackets this Spring. It looks like they are focused a bit more on making efficient products rather than designs they can slap a North Face emblem on…perhaps remembering what got them to where they are.

[Anonymous]

TNF is since last year into endurance running, so for there flight series they are designing realy lightweight clothing like the Triumph anorak en the Hydrogen windjacket. P.s there is a first look of the Triumph anorak on http://www.outdoorsmagic.com

[David Lewis]

Same weight as my O2 Rain Shield (aka Dri Ducks) for a REAL jacket?! Wow. Crazy. Probably not as breathable as the 3M material… but still… Wow!

Thank god for adventure racing… because as noted above… that (certainly not backpacking) is what's bringing a few good ultralight products into the mainstream.

[Frank Perkins]

So any more updates on this jacket? It sounds like the lightest jacket you can buy without going down the throwaway category of driducks.

[Phil Brown]

Mine has held up fine for over a year now. It is sturdy for the weight, I've even used it through a fair bit of bushwhacking in Arkansas and it is good as new. Breathability could be a little better, but I can't complain.

[Frank Perkins]

why isn't there more chatter about this jacket? It's as ground breaking as the neoair (and as pricey!)

I'm surpised there hasn't been a bpl review

[Adrian B]

How about Montane's litespeed H20? It's listed as 5oz, lighter still.

[Christopher Plesko]

I have the original DIAD, mine weighs in size Medium at 6.1 oz slightly modded. It comes with me on almost every true adventure and has been thrashed. It's coming with me for 2800 more miles starting June 12th too.

Full zip and mini pit zips compared to the Triumph, otherwise I bet they're the same.

[J B]

How about Montane's litespeed H20? It's listed as 5oz, lighter still.

I wore that one yesterday evening, we had an ugly rainstorm in München. My arms were totally dry but since there's no hood, my head wasn't. :-)

So the water-proofness is fine for spring/summer conditions in Europe, but the breathability isn't very good.

It might work well if you're not sweating a lot.

[Anonymous]

From the Montane website:
Lite-Speed H2O Jacket
The world’s lightest weight hooded waterproof multi-activity jacket.

The Lite-Speed H2O is a very lightweight, simple, moderately waterproof and breathable jacket for active outdoor sports. Weighing in at less than the average eating apple at 135g, having a roll-away hood and 3M Scotchlite™ flashes it’s ideal for aerobic outdoor sports in inclement weather night or day.

The Montane Litespeed H2O has got a hood! So johann you confuse this jacket with the Montane Featherlite H2O jacket?!

[Rog Tallbloke]

> The Lite-Speed H2O is a very lightweight, simple, moderately waterproof and breathable jacket

Hmmmmm.

I was very lucky and because I live close to the UK crux wholesaler I picked up a pre production Event jacket which was made with a lighter nylon face fabric than the weight they chose for the production model. Still weighs 15oz though.

For me, a waterproof has to be waterproof. Moderately waterproof won't do.

[Brad Rogers]

It is a bit heavier but the Marmot Essence and Marmot Micra are both wp/b jackets with hoods that weigh under 7oz and claim great breathabitity ratings.

[J B]

The Montane Litespeed H2O has got a hood! So johann you confuse this jacket with the Montane Featherlite H2O jacket?!

I know mine has no hood. Now that you say it, I'm unsure. Maybe I have the Featherlite Vélo H2O Jacket? Hm…

[Eric Blumensaadt]

I think there comes a time when you have to say that a SAFETY article of clothing like a parka or anorak must be durable and reliable. My Cabela's GTX PacLite parka, size large, tall at 15 oz. is about as light as I'd want to go unless we're talking about some fabric that's much stronger than the same weight (oz./sq. yd.) of nylon.

I'm taking a wait-and-see attitude with this TNF anorak.

Eric

[Greg Mihalik]

Integral Designs Thru Hiker, eVent, Large: 11.5 ounces.

A very solid, full zip, waterproof, breathable shell, with hood.

[Diplomatic Mike]

I've only recently started using the Triumph. I will only use it for summer backpacking when lack of weight is king.
I am an e-Vent fan, and my 'workhorse' wp for mountaineering is a Crux Flak Smock. (not made anymore) I don't expext the same performance as an e-Vent shell.

At 170g for a Large, i don't care if i get some condensation, as it will hopefully spend most of its time in my pack, as a summer waterproof.

[J B]

I think there comes a time when you have to say that a SAFETY article of clothing like a parka or anorak must be durable and reliable.

Well Montane made the Quickfire jacket which weighs a little bit over 300 g and is made of eVent. I used it in some nasty weather and was fine.

(I have two ;-) )

[Roger Caffin]

> there comes a time when you have to say that a SAFETY article of clothing like a
> parka or anorak must be durable and reliable.
As a motherhood statement this is obviously unarguable. But what it does not address is just does 'durable and reliable' mean? Opinions differ, based on experience.

If I am thrashing through heavy Australian scrub I may leave my rainwear off. Why?
* I am going to get thoroughly wet anyhow.
* There is negligable wind in thick scrub, so windchill is not a problem.
* Wearing ANY rainwear in our bad scrub will simply shred the rainwear quickly.
If the weather is too bad for that, I stop and camp. It seldom happens.

If I am up in the alpine regions (where windchill can be severe), then 'durable and reliable' have to be interpreted in the light of experience. I have found that silnylon will last in a howling gale for weeks on end. I have also found that the very lightest Malibu EPIC fabric will also survive the wind, snow and ice, and falling over cornices.

What I have not done is to go sliding down scree and shale slopes in the rain in UL fabrics. But now you are talking serious mountaineeering, and that should be treated a bit differently imho.

My experience has been that nylon, even at 30 denier, is quite strong enough for walking use, provided the wearer does not treat it as some sort of armoured outer layer. PacLite is quite heavy stuff in comparison.

Cheers

[Rick Cheehy]

I'm with Roger. When it comes to safety, well, falls and heart attacks kill way more of us than exposure. Heavy packs full of "safety gear" cause more falls and heart attacks than light packs. So IMO light jackets are safer than bomber ones. That being said, I do carry a heavier marmot parka in the true winter but only so I can layer. In the spring and summer, this year, it's been my new DriDuck poncho. If you rip it, duct it. Just keep the quilt dry and its irie.

[Frank Perkins]

Too light? Those words should be banned from BPL. If there is a 5.8 ounce rainjacket available, then the consensus should be anything over 6.0 ounces is considered heavy.

[Ike Mouser]

Is this thing fullly water PROOF, i mean, in sustained rain for days on end, will it wet through?

Does it have a coating that will have to be re-applied like dwr?

[Anonymous]

Did anybody come to any conclusions as to the Triumph Anoraks performance?

[Author]

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