The North Face Denali fleece jacket

[grizzly bear 336]

What do y'all think about the North face fleece jacket for hiking the AT in GA in winter? Would it be buyer suited for hiking than any other jacket?

[bigcranky]

It's not something I would wear while actually hiking, even in the winter. I want a warm jacket for camp and breaks. For that, I prefer down over fleece. Down is warmer, lighter, and compresses better (i.e., it fits in your pack.) The Denali jacket is 300-wt fleece, so it's warm, but not as warm as a midweight down jacket (something like the Montbell Alpine Light parka (http://www.backcountrygear.com/montbell-alpine-light-down-parka-mens.html)), and weighs more than twice as much. It's also not wind resistant at all, which makes it not as warm on a windy day.

I still like to have a fleece pullover in the winter to wear under my down jacket, or to wear on really cold days while hiking. I'll pair that with a very light wind shirt and a light wool base layer, and mix and match depending on the weather conditions, adding a rain shell as needed.

The Montbell is often available on sale at the end of the season, and of course there are other similar jackets. Hope this helps.

[rocketsocks]

I think you could find something that is lighter in weight and warm for it.Down seems to be popular sweater seems to be popular.but yeah the denali is a nice expensive jacket.

[Bearpaw]

The Denali is a severely overpriced, heavy, bulky jacket best suited to adventures on a college campus. You can get a primaloft (http://www.rei.com/search?search=primaloft+jacket) jacket or a down (http://www.rei.com/search?query=men%27s+down+jackets) sweater for the same general price, give or take, and get a system that is lighter, packs much smaller, and is windproof (a major failing of the Denali). Keep an eye out for down sweaters on clearance right now. Their primary sales season is ending, and you may not even be able to find many available once springs kicks in. Good time to grab one.

[skinewmexico]

Down. I'd watch Eddie Bauer for closeouts on their First Ascent down sweater. Or the Patagonia down sweater has been popping up lately on Steepandcheap.com for $99. TNF does look cool at a frat party though.

[mirabela]

Put it this way: if you already have it, it will work. You don't have to run out and get something else. If you don't already have it, don't run out an buy it for a thru-hike.

Having said that, the trend is toward puffy insulation (down or primaloft) over fleece lately because it is lighter, it packs tighter, and it combines wind protection with insulation. You'll see lots of people advocating down to save a few ounces, but it's useless when wet and it takes forever to dry; I'm a big believer in primaloft.

Still, when I thru-hiked, fleece (or a wool sweater) was pretty much where it was at, and it did the job. There's a lot of gear snobbery about ... don't let it get to you.

[snoshoovt]

Here's another vote for the Montbell Alpine Light, not the absolute lightest down jacket but it's served me very well from high trekking in Nepal to an "always in the bottom of my pack" item in the New England mountains in winter. Very warm, pretty wind resistant, and soooo comfy.
John

[TEXMAN]

I own a North Face fleece jacket ,,,, I hiked the AT in FEB 2009 and the jacket only made it to Neels Gap where I sent it home and bought a Mont Bell down jacket ...I was cold for the first 3 days but never cold again the rest of my hike...
Old Man River