The North Face Arctic Parka Review

This weatherproof jacket gives you a great deal on an extremely protective winter jacket and looks pretty darn good doing it. With a protective hood, bombproof fabric, and mid-thigh length, this jacket will serve you well in some pretty darn cold, windy, nasty weather. Weighing in at 2.6 pounds (size small), it's also a reasonable weight for your commute.

Performance Comparison

Warmth

With 600-fill goose down and thick, windproof fabric that reaches mid-thigh, the Arctic Parka keeps me comfortable in cold weather. I stayed cozy when standing around for 10 minutes in 17°F weather with just a wool shirt and snow pants. Since my base layers stayed dry even when I worked up a sweat a time or two, I believe The North Face when they say this jacket is both warm and breathable.

The hood is insulated and warm, with a robust faux-fur ruff and great coverage. When the ruff is rolled back, it's deep enough to cut the wind from the side and hold heat around your face. You can also roll it out for even more coverage in a storm. It's one of the best hoods in the test — it's not adjustable but seems to fit perfectly.

When zipped, the collar reaches just under my nose, and the collar is wide enough to be comfortable, leaving me with enough room to breathe and move my head comfortably. Sadly this combination is pretty rare.

The handwarmer pockets are soft and lined with microfleece, but they aren't tucked into the insulation and do less than I'd like to keep my hands warm. The elastic wrist cuffs help. They have thumb loops and protect your hands up to your knuckles. But the cloth does hold water, and they get very cold when wet. The Arctic Parka is a jacket to wear with your favorite winter gloves if you'll be outside for any length of time.

Weather Resistance

The Arctic Parka is a good option in sloppy weather. The face fabric is treated with a durable water-repellent (DWR) finish that is non-PFC (aka, no hazardous per- and poly-fluorinated chemicals). It protects a waterproof DryVent layer. The combination blocks water and wind and seems to breathe well.

Water rolled right off this jacket in our shower test. After two minutes, I shook the water off, and it was nearly impossible to tell that it had been wet. Its performance was on par with some of women's rain jackets we've tested — except for those cuffs, which were wet through and stayed that way for a while. My electronics stayed safe in a pocket large enough for a cell phone inside the jacket.

The fabric is also windproof, and the generous hood does a great job of protecting your head and face from frosty wind chills. The ruff can roll up to snap in place over the hood's rim or fold out to form a fur-lined tunnel, completely blocking wind from the side. A wire rim holds it in place, letting you see clearly even when you're hiding from brutal winds, a rare feature that we greatly appreciate. Between the hood and a nose-high collar, this is one of the most protective winter jackets I've tested.

Comfort

This jacket is impressively light and easy to wear, with a smooth lining that glides over layers. And, despite its sturdy, well-insulated construction, the jacket itself is soft and pliable. A generous cut through the shoulders allows for a fair bit of layering before things start to feel too tight. I can fit a wool top and a fleece jacket underneath. The sizing seems accurate, and my standard size small fits well.

Sitting with the jacket zipped up is comfortable, with less fabric bunching up around my stomach than with most parkas. The jacket isn't long enough to protect much of your legs from a cold park bench though. A two-way zipper gives me plenty of room to walk, and the storm flap skips a final snap at the bottom. But even when I'm all zipped and snapped, I don't have to shorten my stride.

As I mentioned, the collar is roomy enough to tuck my chin into comfortably when I'm sitting or standing, even when it's zipped all the way to the top. In short, this is a remarkably comfortable parka.

Versatility and Style

The Arctic Parka has a sporty style with a clean look, simple hidden seams, and a relatively trim silhouette. You can choose from colors that range from timeless neutrals to vivid show-stoppers. An elastic band on the back panel gives you the option to define your waist by pulling on cords accessed through your pockets. It's a clever design that lets you make adjustments on the fly to block drafts or switch up your look.

The faux-fur ruff is detachable, letting you customize your style. But that ruff is also highly functional. It's one of the best versions I've tried, cutting down on wind when rolled up over your head and all but obliterating it when rolled out like a brim. We feel casually stylish when wearing the Arctic Parka, prepared for almost anything.

Construction Quality

The Arctic Parka seems made to last. The thick outer shell and minimal seaming don't give the feathers much room to escape. It isn't prone to snagging either since most of the seams are hidden. Though the puffy down lining isn't as hardy — those seams snag and pull enough to bunch the fabric — it won't see as much wear and tear. I haven't had any issues with rips or snags over several years of testing.

The front zipper and the zipper that attaches the ruff both seem sturdy, as do the snaps that hold the storm flap in place. The hood doesn't zip off, which I'm okay with for two reasons. One, if it's cold enough to need this jacket, I want a hood around. Two, cutting out the buttons or zippers required to remove and reattach the hood cuts down on clutter and potential broken hardware.

Should You Buy The North Face Arctic Parka?

This cozy winter jacket has very few flaws. It would be nice to have insulated hand-warming pockets. Otherwise, it checks all the boxes — warm, dry, and fairly fashionable with a protective hood to hide your tender skin from the harshest winds of winter. If you are looking to add a heavy-duty option to your jacket arsenal, I recommend this coat for budget buyers who want a great value on a hard-core winter workhorse.

This jacket is also manufactured with the environment in mind. The polyester face and liner fabric and down feathers are 100% recycled. The North Face also claims to create positive and safe work environments for its employees.

What Other Winter Jackets Should You Consider?

The Arctic Parka is a great deal. A good-looking, warm, waterproof jacket with environmentally friendly construction details at a reasonable price point — score! Other jackets in this style included the Fjallraven Nuuk and Canada Goose Shelburne. Both are warmer, more comfortable, very weatherproof, and much more expensive. If you live in a dryer climate or don't often venture out in wet conditions, the REI Co-op Norseland Down Parka is another affordable, warm, cozy, and comfortable option. The Outdoor Research Coze Down Parka is a longer option that holds in even more heat for a similar price.