This jacket has been released in some updated colors since our test period, but all technical specs look the same. See a current color above.
September 2019The North Face Aconcagua is a heavy, but decently warm jacket. The name is deceiving, as it is not a jacket you would want to lug with you on a cold, high altitude mountain.
The Aconcagua scored well in the warmth metric for its use of heavy 30D nylon and a thick layer of 550 fill down. This is not the warmest down for the weight; in fact, it is the lowest quality compared to the rest of the models in this review—but it is so dense and impermeable to wind that it retains a fair amount of body heat.
For the warmest jackets for their weight, check out two of our award winners, the exceedingly warm Feathered Friends Eos and the amazingly lightweight Ghost Whisperer.
This model is one of the heaviest in this review with the lower quality down and burlier outer fabrics. It is not a down jacket you would want to carry with you for climbing or backpacking trips due to the weight and bulk. However, if you're looking for something warm and light compared to many traditional winter coats, this might fit the bill.
For the lightest jacket in this review, check out the Ghost Whisperer, and for the warmest for the weight, we loved the Feathered Friends Eos.
The Aconcagua does not compress well due to the use of lower quality 550 fill down and thick 30 denier fabric. It does not stuff into any of the pockets (it's way too big for that), so you can't easily carry it with you clipped to a harness. If you're not planning to take it backpacking or climbing, compressibility may not be a deciding factor for you. The Aconcagua is a bulky jacket, not designed for backcountry use. If you want something super compressible, check out the Ghost Whisperer.
The Aconcagua is a very basic down jacket. It has no hood, no adjustable drawcord at the bottom hem, and no chest pocket. The hand pockets, however, are fleece lined, which we loved. And the creative baffling design looks cool and helps this jacket move more easily with you than it would otherwise, given how thick and dense it is. This does, however, detract from the insulating properties around your core, which is less ideal (smaller baffles and more stitches mean more heat lost).
The Aconcagua was not full of features for climbing or outdoor use. If you like pockets, hoods, and adjustability, we really liked the Arc'teryx Cerium SV and the Rab Microlight Alpine.
This model from The North Face is a seriously durable jacket due to the use of 30 denier nylon. Durability is one of its strongest categories. The baffles are also mostly on the larger side, which will help keep the down from getting broken down over time. Larger baffles allow the down to loft more fully and create a larger chamber for it to loft into, so bigger baffles tend to translate to a longer lifespan of the loft.
The North Face was also wise to use durable 30 denier fabric for the 550 fill down. This lower quality down fill often has more pokey and sharp feathers which will more readily puncture lighter weight fabrics. Durability was a strength of the Aconcagua. If this is important to you, but you want something lighter or more compressible, we also liked the Arc'teryx Cerium LT and the very stylish Kuhl Spyfire.
The thick outer shell of this jacket is highly water resistant, making it a great choice for urban adventures in damp climates where you might get caught out in a downpour more often than you'd like. The Aconcagua is a tough, weather resistant down jacket, truly unusual in its category. For a more fully featured backcountry savvy down jacket, we liked the Arc'teryx Cerium SV and LT as well.
This is an urban-ready down jacket designed for those who like its style. The Aconcagua is heavy, thick, stiff, and not very versatile. It will look good for business meetings, however, so this might be a great choice for casual use in cold urban settings.
The Aconcagua is definitely a more affordable down jacket, but we have a tough time calling it a “good value.” It is not versatile, and really just not designed for outdoor use. If you need a business casual warm jacket, however, this is certainly a good value.
The Aconcagua is a heavy, warm winter jacket that is too bulky and heavy for most outdoor activities. It's incredibly stylish and will perform best in an urban environment.
