Customer Reviews The North Face Arctic Parka II

I love this coat. Like some of the other reviews, mine is one of the older versions and is slightly different, but the basics are the same. I live in freezing, windy, Chicago and am always waiting for the train or bus in the winter and this is by far the best and warmest coat I've found. The hood is nice and big, great for pulling over your face in wet snow and keeping wind out, and the fur catches the snow nicely too keep it from dripping in your face. I also like to refer to the hood/fur connection point as a little gutter, it catches everything and you never have water running into your face. I've never had an issue with rain/snow soaking through the coat. If I had to give a complaint, the only thing I can come up with is that it can actually be TOO warm if the weather isn't really cold. I've worn mine for 4 winters now and it is still in great condition- at least another 2 winters in it.

This is an extremely warm coat with the added benefit of being very stylish with a bit of a feminine touch. Waterproof with an attached hood and filled with cozy down, I have no doubt this will keep me warm through the upcoming Minnesota winter. Within one hour of purchasing this coat, I wore it to Costco, and a random stranger approached me to compliment my coat and ask where I got it. I chose the fig green color, which is a beautiful contrast to the brown fur. The waterproof outer layer is very luxurious and soft for a waterproof shell.

Spent the last 2 years trying to find the right dog walking jacket for the UK rainy cold winter. FOUND IT. Walking my 2 dogs on the moors other jackets were too short or not warm enough or not waterproof enough especially after the last 3 winters we have had with drfiting snow one minute pooring rain and even the odd ice storm. Today was the first test - torrential horizontal rain, cold and extremely windy. No we don't suffer the extremes of other parts of the world but I am so grateful I found this it is like walking with a duvet wrapped around you. No more dreading a wet behind or knees my legs will be nice and dry. Going to take it ski-ing instead of living in my ski jacket night and day it will be nice to have something to wander around in at night.

I purchased this jacket for my baby's momma and she is so in love with it. It was like Christmas coming early, she tried it in and felt like a rock star. Enough of the satire, Northface sets the standard for other to follow with their products. The Women's Arctic Parka will be put to good use during the cold weather of New York. It will be put to the test with a trip to Chicago.

Great everyday coatwet or dry snow.

I love the look and style and warmth of this coat! I think it runs small, though. I have a small Patagonia that fits perfectly. I measured for a small in this coat, but it was too tight with just a t-shirt on. I had to trade for a medium. It’s wonderful, and I love the coat!

Its super warm. Love the slim fit, makes the coat feel not so bulky. Bonus for being able to open the zipper from the bottom and love that you are able to remove the fur from the hat. FIts me a little long since I am 4'11" but I dont care. i know it will keep me warm in the crazy chicago weather.

I loved everything about this coat. Unfortunately, the arms are cut slender and that didn't work for me when I put a sweater on under the coat. I have muscular arms, so I know that is a problem for me. If you don't have that issue, this coat is beautiful, well made, and seems like it would be warm (I didn't get a chance to try it in the cold).

Bought this coat when I moved to Boston because I needed something that covered more of my body for those super cold and windy days. This coat is very warm and still comfortable even when it's not totally frigid outside. I also like that the stuff in my pockets are secure and don't fall out, which is great because taking public transportation has me constantly grabbing my Charlie Card. Only two cons (why I only gave 4/5 stars): the zipper is plastic and the arms aren't quite as warm as the rest of the body.

Beautiful coat. However the medium was very tight across the shoulders, chest, and waist, even with a thin shirt underneath. Tried the large and it was absolutely enormous- sleeves far too long, very baggy, and too long. I looked like a little girl wearing her mom's coat. Such a huge difference between the large and medium- so it's going back.

I really like this jacket. It looks great and keeps me warm.

Wanted to use parka for walking winter mornings in Minnesota. Loved the look and feel of parka but needed a larger size if I wanted to layer clothes under it:)

I kept this parka despite its faults because it was the warmest of the 3 TNF parkas I tried. Because of the windproof and water resistant outer fabric, the coat is heavy and stiff especially in the neck area. When the neck is completely zipped up, it covers the chin partially which is a tight fit. This makes it uncomfortable so I don't wear it zipped all the way up. Instead I wear a scarf and only zip it partially since the scarf will not fit with it completely zipped. Oddly, the hood on this parka is very short. When I pull it over my head, it feels like it is tugging on the back of the coat. It also ends up smashing the top front part of your hair really flat because the hood is so short. The bottom half of the parka was especially cold because it feels thinner on the bottom than the core. I wish TNF would make this parka in a higher fill power than 550. Many other brands use higher fill power. I almost bought the Triple Fat Goose brand equiavalent to this parka which costs a little more than TNF's regular price but uses 650 fill however they only have 1 year warrranty compared to TNF's life time warranty. So for the sale price that I got this TNF parka, I kept it but am looking for a warmer solution for future. I wore it in Canada for a trip and it was not warm enough. The temperature was -5F to 0F. I would way this is sufficient down to 10F if you're just walking around. I also wore it for sledding in 0F and I was still a little cold. Another point to note is I found it restrictive to wear getting into a car. It's stiff and I had to unzip the bottom everytime I got in the car. I wish it had a longer tail with a slit in the back so I wouldn't need to unzip everytime. Bottom line is I wouldn't recommend this parka if you can afford a warmer one from another brand but if you're on a budget and you get this on sale, it's a decent alternative. If you get it full price, I'd think about spending a little more to get a warmer coat elsewhere.

Add a little more room or offer 4X

I think this jacket is very stylish as it come in at the middle to give you a more flattering look. If you are a little bigger in the stomach or arms area you should defiantly go up a size to have more room in the mid section.

It's a really warm jacket don't need much under it

The material is lovely and the coat is warm without feeling heavy or bulky. It's stylish and fitted. My only issue is that if you have a larger chest, it's a bit tight on the top.

Great coat, very warm! It gets a little frayed at the seams, the fabric itself, not the seam stitching, doesn't seem a quality issue of the seam itself, just the fabric is frayed at that location in various places on the coat.

Perfect for walking the dogs in the winter or sitting through cold soccer games but a bit bulky for being active.

This is more of a medium weight winter coat than an actual winter parka. I also have the Defdown Parka GTX which, in comparison, is a true heavy weight winter parka, which in very windy NYC, I wear most of the winter. The Arctic Parka II is much more fitted, lighter, less bulky and more fashionable looking but not as warm as the Defdown Parka GTX. I kind of look like the Michelin Lady in the Defdown Parka GTX, so I wear the Arctic II on warmer days or going out on the weekends.It does stop the wind and rain well, though. I've received quite a few complements wearing the Arctic II. 5'6" 145lbs and a Med fits me well with a little extra room for a light under layer.

LOVE LOVE LOVE this coat! It is warm and more stylish than I anticipated!

I'm 5'8 125lbs and originally ordered a medium and it fit but was a little big and felt super heavy. Decided to try the small and it fits perfectly and didn't feel heavy at all. I've always had lighter weight jackets and this is my first down coat and I am so happy with it. Definitely recommend it.

I really wanted to like it, but it wasn't as warm as I thought it was going to be. The fit was good. I had purchased the Def Down Parka prior to this, but returned it because the zippers on it were flimsy and hard to use. Since the warm, wind, waterproof ratings were all the same I was hoping that this jacket would be just as warm with a different fit/style. I had a long talk with Customer Service going over the differences. I was told they were basically the same. It wasn't. It was thinner and didn't hold the heat as well as the Def Down. I ended up returning it because for the price I wanted to get a jacket that had all the features that I was looking for and not settle. And I really wanted a jacket that could hold up to the harsh winter weather of New England. I think if I lived in a slightly warmer climate or I was looking for a jacket that I could wear on days where it's 20 degrees F I may have kept it. But I was looking for something that would work on days when it's less than 10 degrees and very windy.

I always wanted a North Face coat. And I finally got one!

I would say this coat is mostly true to size but, is just a little narrow in the shoulder/chest area. I bought a M and a L would have been way too big. Overall, still very satisfied with this coat!!!