The North Face Thermoball Jacket Review

by Levi Opsatnic.  

When I heard that The North Face was working with insulation that acted like down to keep you warm but still worked even when wet, I wondered how on Earth all of this work in one jacket. So, I decided to try it out for myself and bought my Thermoball Jacket by The North Face.

On the first day of receiving my Thermoball Jacket from The North Face, I was immediately shocked at how light it was. In fact, I was downright skeptical. So much that I had to immediately put it to use. The day was about forty degrees and a bit windy. Wearing nothing but a short sleeve shirt underneath, I was pretty sure that I was doomed to catch a chill, but oh man, was I wrong. I was pleasantly surprised that I was able to keep myself nice and toasty; all the while the wind never became a factor. So with that, I suppose this jacket lives up to a certain state of warmth, but also a level of wind resistance that The North Face fails to mention.

Now this wasn’t just a single fluke of a day, but rather a testament that has held true into January (and I assume will continue on for the rest of the winter season). Whether I throw a warm layer on underneath or just wear this jacket alone, I have pretty much been able to include it into my winter arsenal every day of this season.

So let’s get into how this jacket has been able to really come in handy for some of my winter fun. It didn’t take long for me to test the Thermoball Jacket in my two favorite activities: skateboarding and fly fishing. After a few encounters on the board, I realized that pairing the Thermoball with a more durable outer layer is a solid plan. This will prevent any damage on falls, but still provide you with a light and warm layer that won’t restrict your movement. This is a real win-win situation for any activity where you’ll be doing a lot of movement, but still want to maintain a solid sense of warmth.

Moving right along to a few different, chilly fishing trips is where I find this jacket to be truly spectacular. On my first outing to the creek, I felt it necessary to see if this jacket lived up to its “stays warm even when wet” claim. With that said, I did something that most would consider dumb: I stuck both of my arms into water that was about forty degrees. After doing so, it didn’t take long before I realized that I didn’t really feel an icy burst that I would feel with most other jackets. In fact, I was able to stay about as warm as I would have had I not taken a dip into the water. Needless to say this blew my mind. I continued to fish for the rest of the day and remained warm every hour that I spent on the water. Another cool quality of this jacket is that the water that it had absorbed dried quicker than most other insulated jackets I have. With qualities like this, I’ve easily found that my Thermoball Jacket has become a staple for just about anything I do in the cold.

For the fans of additional purpose and style out there, you all can view the Thermoball’s intricate baffling and stuff pocket as the true pièce de résistance. By stuffing this jacket into its stuff pocket, I have been able to create a makeshift pillow that has saved me on numerous road trips, as well as saved my pack from wasting a ton of space with only one jacket.

In terms of looks, I consider myself to be a huge fan of baffling, and to find that this jacket has a square baffling rather than the standard horizontal striped pattern made me pretty excited. Not only does this style set me apart from most other insulated jackets, but it also keeps the insulation quite secure without any possibility of it shifting around, even in the most brutal of washing machines.

For all of you out there that may be a bit worried about the Thermoball’s lightweight design and synthetic insulation, you can rest assured that this jacket serves a purpose on just about any cold adventure. No matter if you’re using it as a cozy mid layer or your outer layer, you can count on nothing but lightweight warmth in just about any conditions. From harsh winds to intense rains, the Thermoball Jacket will always be there to swaddle you in an equal distribution of fashion and function.