Customer Reviews The North Face Arctic Parka II

It is a very well-made parka, very fashionable. However, the jacket is thinner than I expected and I had to return it. Arctic II parka is suitable for winter in some places, but it does not give enough warmth to those northern areas like New York.

This is the second year I've used the Arctic Parka. When I originally invested in the coat, I wanted it to be my ultra cold weather parka. I like The North Face products and I was excited to get something truly warm--I live in the Northeast and walk outdoors a lot with my dog so I needed something that would last me quite some time. As it's bitterly cold out now (wind chill is -2/4 and highs in the teens-farenheit) it's just not keeping me warm. I do notice it's a bit snug (I am 5'4", 135 lbs, I got the size Small) and I have 3 layers on underneath and still feel cold to the bone. I've owned other parkas in the past; a JCrew down parka which was "meh". The ultimate parka I loved was from a company in Canada (not Canada Goose) --and that was the warmest by far, but the company went out of business. I'm very disappointed with the warmth factor since I read so many great reviews. I'm now reviewing other brands for the warm parka I yearn for.

I loved my old Arctic parka and was super excited to get this new one in the Grey. The material feels cheaper and the coat is just not warm enough for a real Chicago winter. Anything below zero you will need to layer this coat. It fits tight at the waist and I hate that there isn't a built in glove sleeve because when I have to wear a second layer which is more often than I thought I would have to, it's just too bulky. It's not warm enough and seems way thinner than before. Very disappointed going to sell it and get another coat from another brand. Yes get the coat if you aren't out for long periods of time and not in a Chicago winter often or don't mind layering to stay warm.

I bought this jacket last year. Zipper got broken after a month. The zipper would not come out and I had so much fun removing my jacket. I sent it back to fix. it took me 3 months to get it back after bothering them 3 times.They sent me a wrong coat (different style). First of all, they claimed I was lying without even checking what I bought compare to the pics I sent. Horrible service. I am waiting to find out what they will do for me. btw its warm but not warm enough for Canadian winter.

I am always cold in this coat around the shoulders and arms. Not enough down in these areas. Not a good commuter coat. I need to wear a down sweater under it to make it warm enough. Not what I was expecting from Northface

This is my 2nd year of owning this parka so its time for a review. It's very stylish and looks great. I get lots of compliment from my friends. The style is hand down. However the performance is another story. I'm 5"2. I consider myself skinny and I don't have a lot of layer of fat. I get cold very easily. I bought this parka as I think this is top of the line and it should keep me warm. I live in Wisconsin so no doubt I need serious winter coat. The weather here is frigid cold in Jan and Feb. The coat is not warm enough for me. I always get cold around the arm. I have to wear another layer of jacket before I wear the parka. It's not fun to be wearing many layers just to go some places. When I took my jacket off, my husband noticed I got feather looking thing on my clothes. This is not kool. It came from the parka. The zipper get stuck at the bottom when I tried to take it off sometime.

It's not warm enough.

This jacket is quite stylish, as far as parkas go. However, it is not warm enough for the price. The cold gets in through the shoulders and at -25, it's definitely not warm enough. It looks great but do not buy if you live in a place that routinely gets below -20c.

Upper chest and arms always cold.

The sleeves are way too short. Such a hassle to return to a store because I paid with paypal. The color is nice though. It's an odd fit though so I'd recommend ordering up a size or tryin it on in person. I'm. 5'7 125

Returning. Customer service brusque. Felt too busy for me. Not sure of replacement. Need warm coat. This wasn't it.

I'm 5', 105lbs and normally wear a size small or US women's 2/4. I ordered a size S and it's quite large on me. It's boxy with no feminine fitting in the waist area and falls to about 4" above my knees. I can wear several layers and a thick hoodie underneath and still have plenty of room. It seems to be quite warm (it kept me toasty in 20 degree weather) and wind proof. I have not tested this in snow or rain yet. The pockets are deep with zippers and quite nice. The shape of hood is absolutely hideous when pulled on, as the way that it is designed plus the sparse distribution of the fur makes your head look like an long egg. It's a shame because I always prefer to pull my hood on versus wearing a hat. My main gripe (and why this is a 2 star rating instead of a 5) is the laughably bad quality of the zipper. It is an extremely cheap plastic that barely functions. It takes me on average 2 minutes just to zip up and it is frustrating. It's one of those double two way zippers that enables you to unzip from the bottom. The issue is that it is so poorly designed that they don't align correctly. It gets stuck and snagged as a result. Shame on TNF for charging premium pricing on their products but cutting corners in the worst ways. It's like putting a cardboard steering wheel on a luxury vehicle. What a disappointment. Overall, it's a decent function over fashion jacket that would be great if you don't mind putting up with a barely functional zipper.

This would be a perfect coat except it isn't made for a petite size women. So it feels like your wearing your big brothers coat.

Cute hood. Too bulky and too large at bottom for a large.

I returned this coat after buying online. For me there were 2 big dislikes: 1) when zipped all the way up, it was very stiff and dug into my chin...very uncomfortable 2) the length was annoying when sitting down.. when standing it falls somewhere mid-thigh so when sitting down it rides up to about mid-bum and it feels like your sitting on bunched up or folded fabric which I found really annoying..so not long enough to cover your whole bum when sitting but not short enough to not sit on any portion of the coat. Also the sizing is a little off. I am normally a size 6-8 and wear mostly medium stuff (also 5'8"), so I ordered a medium. It was just snug enough with movement to make it feel a little small. I did try a large on in the store when I returned it but it was still very uncomfortable under the chin as I noted. Overall I'm sure it's warm and weather resistant but it was not comfortable on me. Oh and lastly the faux fur hood was a little goofy shaped when pulled up over head...looked a little like a triangle.

Bought for sons hockey games but will be bringing it back because of poor fit.

The concept for the design of this parka is good - sporting an around-town length and sexy fur-lined hood but, once donned, the cut is boxy and unflattering, bulky and awkward. The hood doesn't fall in a natural slump down the top of the back but pokes sideways across the shoulders. This is the mom-in-winter opinion. As a former competitive downhiller, the sportsman in me would never wear it on the slopes as it would be far too constricting. In summary: the product design is a good concept but needs some tweeks.

I thought this parka was too heavy and too fitted for a winter parka. I returned it to a local retailer.

I bought this thinking it was like my first parka but it was light weight! it wasn't like the first one I bought It's bigger it feels like I'm wearing a mans coat and it's shaped weirdly I'm just not satisfied

I received this coat today and was delighted by it's quality and feel... until I tried to put it on. I ordered the XXL (I'm a size 18W). It is far too snug and would be impossible to wear with a sweater. The coat is wonderful, but I have to return it. I wish that it came in a bigger size!

Not totally happy with my new/replacement arctic parka purchase. Instead of trusting that my replacement would be an identical match to my previous coat (aside from the color and one size larger), I should have done more research. I have to say that I'm disappointed with Northface's decision to "fix" something that was not broken. I absolutely loved my arctic parka purchased in 2011, but had to go up one size. The styling updates to the coat are not pleasing, and I will not purchase another one. There seems to be less down fill in the size small (recently purchased) compared to the xsmall (previously purchased). There are no longer top/breast pockets on the coat, which was the perfect place for change, and other small items that you may need to carry/access quickly. The top of the zipper is very scratchy. The tab added to the hood (not sure what it's for) would look much better if it was the same color as the coat. The sleeve cuffs would also look much better if they were the same color as the coat. It looks like I may have to upgrade to the Woolrich parka. Much more stylish and possibly warmer.

I had a down jacket similar to this one since 2010, the main zipper gave way from using so much. I love the jacket, during the winter month I was able to do so much out door activity with my boyfriend( husband now), when everyone would complain about the cold it would not bother us. we would be out for 4 to 6 hours outside skating, watching light shows etc. married with 3 children we go out twice as much, we made sure all of our kids have a north face so them too will enjoy the winter out door activities. I am so sad because I am afraid I will no longer enjoy the winter months with my family. so long story short, I got a replacement jacket instead of them fixing the zipper on the old one. I used it last sunday and I had to stand out door no more than 20 mins when it was only 40degrees. I was so cold, I couldn't believe it.

I bought this coat for Canadian winters, and it has been a bit of a bust. The cut is too wide around the waist and allows freezing air to gust up inside the coat. It has been handed down through family members ranging in size from 6 to 14 in an attempt to find someone who can wear the coat comfortably to no avail: if it fits, it lets cold air up the bottom, otherwise, it is too small. If I invest in another TNF coat, I'm holding out for one that allows for cinching at the waist.

*I have only tired it on in the store.* I ogled over this coat online for over a year, and finally tried it on and was really disappointed! I am petite (5'3" - size 8) and I could not button the Medium, and the Large looked massive on me. Maybe I do not have the body for this jacket, and it would perhaps look better on someone taller/slimmer. I could tell this would be very warm in the winter if you were not going for style, which I was. I found the Metropolis Parka to be a lot more slimming.

The first time i paid so much for the jacket. I was really happy with the quality and thought its worth it. However, when i first washed it, all the down inside got quilted in one corner. I had to spread it to the empty parts and it is not easy and very annoying. Took me hours to figure out how to do it and more hours to pinch the downs and spread it to the empty parts. My Jacket is no more like it used to when i wore it for the first time and I have only washed it for twice and with so much care.