The North Face Venture 2 Review Facts
Why do our fingers and toes get cold first the second we are in colder temperatures? Have you ever noticed how quickly our fingers and toes start to get cold when we get outside? Even if we are wearing mittens and winter boots? Our first thoughts may be "I don't think these mittens/boots are very good quality" or "these mittens/boots might not be meant for this climate". Though this can be the case at times, it's not always. The reason our fingers and toes get cold first is that when the body starts to notice the cold temperatures its natural response is to protect our vital organs like our heart, liver, and kidneys. The rush of blood starts to flow towards our inner body and away from our outer body. And what is the outer most part of our bodies? You guess it! The fingers and toes. Though from a functional standpoint our fingers and toes are important, they aren't vital to living. The body is essentially telling us "they're nice but we don't need them" and so they start protecting the areas that we need or are vital. We aren't living in the depths of Antarctica, though. We are simply walking to work and finding clothing that can protect us from that kind of extreme is relatively easy but nevertheless, finding articles of clothing and footwear that will protect the body from feeling that cold offers more comfort to the body by keeping circulation in the toes and fingers, avoiding having the body start to pulling that blood from the fingers. This starts with keeping the chest, stomach, and back warm. This is easily done by finding a proper jacket depending on the temperature. Outside of wind and cold protection, it's also important to find something that will keep you dry. It can be perfectly comfortable to wear in cooler conditions but once wet, that can all change. That's why considering something with some sort of weather and waterproofing is important as well.
Our site focuses on product reviews to help you, the buyer, with your buying needs. Our articles focus on products that fall in the sports, camping, hunting and electronic range. We also have products focused on athletic apparel. This review focuses more specifically on a jacket offered by North Face. North Face is a well-known company focused on outdoor wear. This review is on the North Face Venture 2. We looked at what consumers who bought this jacket thought of it and whether they'd buy it again. We also looked at the materials used to make this jacket as well as its construction in order to determine its waterproofing, technology, and durability. This is our review of the North Face Venture 2. We hope that this article serves you in your next outdoor jacket purchase.
BRAND
North Face is a well-known company
in outdoor apparel. They started their company in 1968 making the company over 51 years old. It was started in San Francisco as a climbing equipment store. Since then they've bloomed into a full outdoors brand offering all sorts of hiking, camping and climbing gear for every experience level. It serves countries including North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. It as a brand is known as a strong company with reliable warranties which offers peace of mind to consumers.
BREATHABILITY
This jacket offers a couple of different ventilation features including pit-zip zippers which allow those wearing this jacket to unzip a zipper strategically placed at the armpit of the jacket and allows ventilation to that area. It also offers a lightweight design made of 70D 154 G/M² DryVent™ 2.5L which is a 62% Nylon, 38% Polyester blend. Though these features are included with the jacket reviewers noted that this jacket did not offer much in regards to breathability even with the zip-pits offered by the brand.
COMFORT
This jacket offers a 29" center back and is 300 grams in weight. It is made of nylon and polyester and offers all sorts of adjustable features in the hem, the hood, and the wrists. Those who bought this jacket did note that it is comfortable and that they liked the feel of the fabric, however, the jacket is not true to size. This is discussed in more detail below but, for those who bought this jacket if the jacket is sized correctly and kept away from water the jacket does fit quite well and quite comfortably which is positive.
DURABILITY
This jacket is meant
for outdoor activities and should then, therefore, be quite durable. There weren't many reviews about the durability of this jacket which is quite positive. That said, one reviewer did note that the inner layer started to flake away in small pieces sort of like dandruff. This happened quite frequently right from the get-go which made the reviewer question its quality.
SIZE
The sizing of this jacket is one of the items that reviewers took most issue with. The reason for this is that the jacket is not true to size. Most reviewers noted that the jacket was far too big for them despite buying their usual side. One reviewer referred to the size they bought as making them feel like they were "swimming" in the jacket. This could be because one specific reason which is that this jacket is a shell meaning that this jacket is supposed to be used for layering. The jacket should fit bigger. That said the idea of swimming in a jacket seems excessive and because there were so meant issues with the sizing of this jacket it does make us question why so many individuals could have made that error. Overall, it does sound like this jacket fits quite a bit bigger than the wearer's size. On top of this, the jacket is a looser fit rather than fitted and so add the sizing issue with the already relaxed nature of the jacket and you are bound to be "swimming" in this product. It's important to try this jacket on in a store before purchasing it as a result.
USE
This jacket is very lightweight and offers both weatherproof
and waterproof features. In addition to this it offers "pit-zip" ventilation and some adjustable elements like the sleeves and the hood. This allows those wearing this jacket out and about to both stay warm and also ventilated. This would mean that the jackets ideal use is activity. This is a great jacket for mountain climbing, hiking, and camping. Because of its minimal design, it can also double as a fall jacket due to its style as well as its layer-option capabilities. Those who bought this jacket seemed to use it mostly for outdoor adventures, however, they did note that this jacket truly is just a shell meaning that it is quite thin and is not appropriate on its own especially in cooler temperatures. And because the ventilation isn't quite there, many reviewers noted that it's not great for heavier activities.
FLEXIBILITY
This jacket doesn't offer much in regards to flexibility. It is a shell and typically shells don't have much in regards to flexibility. It has adjustable features, though, that help the jacket fit a little better. As previously mentioned, as well, this jacket is made of a nylon and polyester blend. Nylon has stretch features which help with the overall flexibility of this jacket.
CLEANING
This jacket is machine washable and offers a lifetime warranty. This is important because the
waterproofing features of this jacket seem to fail quite regularly with reviewers. As a result, it might help to wash this jacket in cold water and lay flat to dry. Hot water, machine washing, and detergents can hurt the waterproofing of jackets and because this jacket already has waterproofing failing issues, washing this jacket may be crucial in preserving it longer.
STYLE
This jacket is a bit looser in fit and so some reviewers didn't necessarily like the look of the jacket being that the slim fit design is more in style right now. That said, some reviewers, most who were less interested in the slim design, did find that the jacket was nice and stylish when fitted correctly. Because of the sizing issues associated with this jacket, some reviewers found that the regular sizes that they would typically wear looked far too big as a result of the layering factor of this jacket. That makes this jacket look a little sloppy. The jackets saving grace, though, is that the jacket itself is minimal and sleeker in the intricate details. One reviewer was very happy with the material used for the jacket noting that it felt like it was really good quality. While another noted that the jacket started flaking, leaving dandruff like residue on their shirt underneath. A couple of reviewers also noted that this jacket is a little noisy and one reviewer compared it to a "noisy rain jacket". Overall, a decent product but maybe not the most attractive design offered in today's market.
WATER RESISTANCE
The other primary complaint about this jacket is its waterproofing abilities. Even though the website does note that this jacket is quite water resistant in design, the overall consensus on this jacket is its apparent lack of waterproofing abilities. Many reviewers said that even in light rain the water easily accessed the jacket of this product and soaked the layers underneath which is a very serious problem in this type of product. The entire purpose of a shell is to protect the layers under the jacket from both wind and water. Because this is not the case, this jacket seems a little pointless outside of a light spring jacket. Most reviewers returned this product as a result of its faulty waterproofing which is, of course, an issue.
WIND PROTECTION
This jacket offers both ventilation and wind protection according to the manufacturer's website. Those who bought this jacket did appreciate its wind protection but did note that it is just a shell and if the weather is cold layering is highly recommended. This is a very lightweight and thin jacket. It is meant for protection of the layers beneath it and will not
protect against cooler temperatures. This should be noted before buying this jacket.
KEY FEATURES
- Unlined and packable, making it ideal for traveling
- Wind and waterproof design to protect from the elements
- Relaxed fit for easier layering
- Adjustable hood for further protection from wind and more warmth
- Velcro storm flap covering for zipper to help with wind protection as well
- Secure-zip hand pockets for protection of contents when moving
-Hem cinch-cord for better warmth preservation
- Packs into its own pocket for even simpler packing
- Ventilated 'pit-zip' for even more breathability and ventilation
BOTTOM LINE
It's hard to sell this jacket as a good product. Though the product on its own isn't the worst product, the website does seem to sell this jacket as one with all the bells and whistles
needed for cold weather as well as superior breathability but it does seem to fail in numerous areas. The issue is that it does include several sellable features including a hem cinch-cord, Velcro storm flap covers for the front zipper and an adjustable hood. Reviewers found at the end of the day that this jacket is truly just a shell. It will work well if used correctly but it's not everything that the website kind of states that it is. This jacket requires sizing down, it also requires layers when out in cooler weather and cannot be used in heavy rains. In fact, if used in heavy rains it might be worth buying some waterproof or quick-dry under layers as well because, from the sounds of it, this jacket will not keep you dry. Overall, a fine shell but probably not worth its price tag.
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