North Face DIAD

For what it may be worth, here's some observations based on my recent purchase of two North Face Diads, an XL for myself and an L for my wife. Both jackets are men sizes because my wife prefers a fuller body shaped outerjacket to better accommodate layering under the jacket.

I am 5' 11" tall and weigh 110 lbs. I'm at the low end of XL and upper end of L for a coat or jacket, depending on the cut of the brand/style of jacket. I usually buy XL (or size 46) jacket or coat, particularly if I want the option for layering insulation underneath. My wife is 5' 9 1/2" tall, and (in the interest of keeping a happy home) I will only say that she weighs a lot less than you do.

The Diad is not cut overly full, and is not a long jacket, coming down below the waist, and to hip level at most. But it does have a bit longer tail. With my weight and chest size, an XL Diad allows me to layer a Patagonia Micro Puff pullover comfortably (but snug). The Micro Puff's length shows a few inches below the bottom hem of the Diad in the front, showing less (or none) below the back hem.

With my wife being shorter and lighter, the fit of her size L Diad is near perfect when used with layering, and yet not too loose when worn without insulation. This is due, I believe, to a less-than-full cut of the Diad's body.

Of course, if you don't intend to use the Diad with any substantial layering, then a medium size Diad may work best given your usual size (which I believe you indicated to be medium). An additional factor you might want to be aware of is this: Since the Diad is not cut really full, there is not a lot of roominess to negate the effect that arm and shoulder movements have for tightness across the back or lifting the lower hem — unlike my Epic Parka from Mountain Hardware and my Arcteryx Alpha SL (both heavier than the Diad, which is why I wanted a Diad).

As another comparison, the range of motion and fullness of body found in the Outdoor Research ION windshirt is a lot greater than the Diad, assuming the same sizes. But an ION lacks weatherproofness of a Diad, another reason for why I bought the Diad.

Hope this helps some.

JRS

Thanks for the comments Richard. After some thought it would seem that the size large is probably the wise choice for me if for nothing else to get maximum layering flexibility. And I would hate to have any constriction of movement by going a size too small. BTW, I just pulled the trigger on a size large DIAD purchase at Campmor.

I am a little gun shy after having recently purchased an Integral Designs Pertex Wind Jacket in size large that was too loose fitting for my tastes. The actual fit of various garments seems to be highly variable and it's nice to get feedback from folks who have first hand experiences. I plan to post user reviews of both these jackets at some point.

Richard wrote, "I am 5' 11" tall and weigh 110 lbs. I'm at the low end of XL and upper end of L…".

I find that hard to believe. Anything XL draped on you would make you into a scarecrow! :)

Ben,

I don't know but, I really can't believe Richard is 5'11" is only 110 lbs and wears an XL. :-)

Rich

Andrew:

I just purchased a DIAD size large. I am 6'1" and 185 lbs.

I go between a size 42 and 44 for a suit jacket.

The DIAD has a trim fit but it fits me perfectly. I tried it on at the store with my patagonia mircro-puff pullover (my typical insulating layer) and again the fit was perfect. I also tried on the XL at it felt too loose and bulky even when layered with the micro-puff pullover.

I also really like the sleeve length. I have fairly long arms and I like to be able to retract my hands back into the sleeves. The DIAD allows me to do this.

Hope that helps!

I am 5' 9"1/2 with a 34" sleeve, 170lbs. The L DIAD was about 2" too long in the arms, and 2" too long in the torso. It looks too big on me when I dont have thick layers under it. I could wear it of course, but the size M fits over my base and fleece200, even over my light alpine down jacket, so I went with the M.

It is an all season jacket, so I expect to be wearing it in hot/wet conditions. It is a very versitile and light jacket; for any situation more serious than a windshirt, to full snowing conditions. Its in my avatar pic.

Sorry about that little variance from reality. Make that 210 pounds. I have a very positive self image, and it gets carried away with itself sometimes.

JRS

I guess I'm too polite – I wan't gonna call Richard on the 110lbs in case I was wrong :).

As a follow-up, I received my large DIAD. It does fit a bit loosely, and the sleeves extend almost completely over my hands. This concerned me at first, but after considering things I decided that the large is probably a better choice for someone of my size (5' 10.5", 178lbs). My rationale: 1) you can keep your hands dry if necessary, and the included velcro wrist tightener otherwise secures the sleeves very nicely and 2) As mentioned by other posters, it's nice to have some room to layer other clothing underneath. Downsizing to medium probably would have been too constricted for this.

No field testing yet for my new DIAD, but the construction and functionality looks impressive, particularly at the listed weight of 7oz.

If anyone else wants a large DIAD, mine is green, like new, will sell for $100 because I went with the Medium.