11 Best North Face Jackets to Keep You Toasty, Even on the Most Frigid Days

With icy temperatures and precipitation sweeping the nation, it’s not looking like winter is going anywhere anytime soon. So, owning a thick-yet-not-too-bulky, warm-but-you-won’t-sweat-through-it is essential, but searching for that goldilocks of a coat can be almost as intimidating as heading out into the freezing weather.

Luckily, when it comes to outerwear, the tried-and-true favorites are consistently reliable. It’s one of the many reasons The North Face has been an industry leader since 1966—and is only getting increasingly popular. So which North Face jacket is right for you? To save you time on your shopping journey, we’ve narrowed it down to our top picks below.

Picking the best of the best came down to following the four R’s: research, ratings, recommendations, and reviews. First, we researched the various North Face jackets on the market, looking at overall durability, warmth (aka insulation), water resistance and comfort. Second, we vetted ratings to ensure each product received more than 80 percent five stars. Then, we selected the jackets with over 80 percent of customers recommending the product. Finally, we pored over the reviews to ensure customer feedback was positive overall.

For even more insights on that—including whether The North Face 550 or 700 might be better for you—scroll down to our FAQ’s at the bottom of this story.

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Step outside and you’ll notice no shortage of North Face puffers. Particularly popular is the Nuptse jacket, whose trendiness knows no bounds when it comes to colors. From classic White & Black to Boysenberry, it’s a jacket that’ll last and remain in style for years to come.

Put simply, it depends! According to Griffin Post of The North Face Athlete Team, this number, which ranges from 550 to 900, is called the “fill power.” This indicates the warmth-to-weight ratio and compressibility of the jacket and is determined by the volume one ounce of goose down occupies in cubic inches. The lower the number (550), the more down is needed to fill, which makes it a heavier jacket. If weight is a factor for you (like if you’re heading to the mountains where you wouldn’t want to carry the extra bulk), a higher number jacket (700-900) may be more suitable because it’s more compressible and lighter, AKA a better warmth-to-weight ratio.