The North Face Freedom Bib Review

These bibs don't perform that well in any particular metric, but as a total package, they adequately protect the occasional skier who might happen to get caught in bad weather or time their ski trip to coincide with a deep powder day.

Performance Comparison

Weather Resistance

The North Face Freedom Bib uses a proprietary waterproof and breathable membrane called DryVent to keep water out. In our experience, this budget-friendly hardshell adequately keeps out water and snow. That said, the DWR finish on these pants wears off relatively quickly, meaning the shell fabric will wet out and feel less waterproof after a short break-in period.

The front of this bib comes up to about the nipple level on the user's chest, which accomplishes the primary purpose of ski bibs: to prevent deep powder from blowing up underneath the user's jacket on certain days of the year. This bib effectively seals out snow from underneath, although none of the zippers on the pockets or front of the chest are waterproof. In powder snow, this doesn't matter, but if the snow gets wet or if frozen precipitation turns to rain, these pants allow some water to penetrate.

Fit and Comfort

These pants fit surprisingly well, given their low price. The North Face Freedom Bib has good tailoring and a fit that isn't too loose and isn't too tight, just the way we like it. The best ski pants have an articulated fit that is pre-sewn to fit the contours of the body while performing skiing and snowboarding motions. These pants have a small amount of articulation, enough to provide a fit that is comfortable enough for hard-charging but also comfortable enough to wear at the après bar or while dropping the kids off at ski school.

The pants have a thin internal hanging liner fabric to add some space between the body and the shell fabric. This fabric is soft to the touch and pleasant on the skin. In general, we prefer shells without this hanging liner, but we can't deny that it makes the pants more comfortable. The high chest of the bib gets old quickly since we don't like our chests to be encumbered by heavy fabric all day, but the shell is softer than others on the market and not too bad from a comfort perspective.

Ventilation

These bibs have small internal thigh vents with mesh covering the openings, which don't provide all that much ventilation. When you add in the hanging liner that also prevents internal air motion, the result is a bib that doesn't breathe very well at all. The full-coverage chest increases the stuffy feeling of these pants.

These pants are not built to allow the user to ditch large amounts of heat very quickly, so they are best used by skiers and riders who plan to spend most of their day going downhill and not hiking or skinning for extra turns. If you have to perform a short climb, the vents will help, but if you're hiking fast, you'll get hot in these bibs. There's just no way around it.

Warmth

While The North Face Freedom Bib isn't designed to provide that much warmth, the hanging inner liner traps just enough air to add some heat to the user's experience. We generally don't like that much insulation in our ski pants, preferring to layer with the appropriate thickness of long underwear to match the temperatures and our expected aerobic output on any particular day. These pants give us just a small boost of warmth but still require the user to layer underneath.

That said, there is no insulating material besides a thin hanging liner, so if you like your ski pants to keep your legs warm on their own, you'll have to find a different pair of pants or bibs.

Features

To be honest, we don't really like the features on this pair of bibs. There are two thigh pockets, one on each leg, and they close “cargo style” with two hook-and-loop patches on each flap. This doesn't make for a secure or waterproof closure, but we understand the corners that had to be cut in order to achieve such a low cost. There are also two waist pockets that close with zippers, but the zippers aren't waterproof.

There are scuff guards on the insides of the ankles that help extend the lifetime of the pants, but they aren't particularly burly. The internal elastic powder cuff is standard at this point for ski pants, and there is no way to adjust the circumference of the ankle cuff to tighten it around a boot. There is one chest pocket with a vertical zipper, but it's rather small.

Style

The North Face Freedom Bib isn't winning any fashion competitions, but it doesn't look bad, either. Most people don't want their ski pants to be the centerpiece of their style, and these pants are designed accordingly. They aren't too baggy or too tight, nor do they have any sight lines or seams that attract attention. If you are hoping to fit in with the crowd rather than stand out, these pants have a style that you might appreciate.

However, our testers like pants that try a little harder to look good while not looking all that different or noticeable. We prefer pants with a refined look that doesn't attract attention, but when attention is brought to them, their style can be appreciated. These pants are bland and uninteresting, which most people will like, but we can't (and won't) shower accolades upon them.

Should You Buy The North Face Freedom Bib?

The North Face Freedom Bib delivers acceptable protection and comfort in a bib, and it does so for a low price, so anyone looking for a bib for occasional days at the ski hill can do themselves a favor by giving them some consideration. More advanced and regular users will appreciate more refinement, but for the average skier, these bibs are perfectly adequate and will help augment your ski experience by allowing you to stay out on the worst weather days, which is when the skiing is often at its best.

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