Summary
The Thermoball jacket does what it says it will do. It insulates—even when wet—at the loft and weight of 600-fill goose down. The shell repels rain quite well, it doesn’t readily absorb moisture, and it dries more quickly than down. The fit is what I’d call “average-athletic,” which is good to see from The North Face; this is an activity-minded garment, one that should be cut to fit active people.
Pros
• Very warm for the weight and feature set; individual Thermoball clusters loft impressively
• True dual use: Use it as your outer layer until the gnar hits, then throw on a shell and keep going
• Minimal feature set—two slash pockets—keep weight low while allowing dual use: a pillow!
• Draft flap blocks wind effectively and insulates, while staying flexible under the neck
• Cut well: accommodates a base layer and light fleece underneath
• Thermoball is a resilient insulation, standing up well to regular use
• Smart features like hem adjustments routed through the slash pockets…
Cons
• Still cannot match down in terms of packability
• Lots of sewn through seams can mean heat loss in high winds
• A two-way zipper would be nice, for use with a climbing harness
Best For: Backpackers and mountaineers in damp, wet areas like the United States Pacific Northwest and the UK. Adventurers who travel in multiple climates, needing one garment to cover many situations. Commuters desiring a jacket to handle short periods of rain and snow, with intermittent periods of compression as in taxis and trains.
Design: Quilted pockets of Thermoball insulation make up this jacket; the individual pockets measure about an inch-and-a-half wide by two inches long, allowing the clusters to loft around five-eighths of an inch, an impressive figure for a one pound synthetic jacket. Thermoball clusters are around the size of a green pea, with a denser core and fluffy exterior; they readily interlock with each other much like good quality down. Thermoball clusters are noticeably springy, rebounding well under compression.
For the complete REVIEW GO HERE
