Customer Reviews The North Face Expedition Mcmurdo Parka

This is a super warm jacket. No issues being outside in the snow in 20 degrees with a tshirt underneath. The jacket is oversized - I'm 5'7 about 125 and the small is great and plenty of room. The only bad part is the lack of external pockets. The Velcro is annoying and I could see it going after a lot of uses. For future iterations you should have added chest pockets like on the men's version.

This jacket is great, super toasty - and the backpack straps are an awesome addition. I personally wanted a jacket I could bring when I go bouldering in the winter, and am sitting around in the cold in between attempts, or just watching my friends while they climb. Because this jacket is extremely thick, and heavy - I pack it between my crash pads on the approach (wear a thinner more active down while I'm approaching), and pop it on as a blanket essentially once we're settled down in one spot. I gave four stars because the zipper for some reason gives me a lot of difficultly, which honestly is fine - the jacket is super warm. It is bulky though, and not so fun to move around in, but I'd argue most jackets of that caliber woudl be similar.

This is a very nice jacket! I ordered it to compare to the New Outerboroughs women's jacket, and ended up returning this one just because I was looking for a more day-to-day jacket instead. This is clearly a very nice and well-insulated jacket, but as such it is humungous. I am 5'7 and 150lbs and was swimming in the medium. That said, I don't know if I'd necessarily have preferred the small just because I think they size it larger for layering options. Overall, I think if you're looking for a coat that will keep you warm in extremely cold conditions and don't mind all the bulk, this is a good option. But if you're going to be using it as more of an everyday thing, this is probably going to be overkill.

I live in North Eastern WI and really hope this jacket is very warm for winter. The jacket is nice, high quality, and offers nice features. I dislike the Velcro on the pockets, patch pockets would have been better to easily and quickly utilize them. I am 5'5" 87 lbs and opted for a size small. I wear lots of layers and oversized sweaters and cannot stand jackets where it feels like suffocation, so that is why I sized up. Otherwise the jacket is relaxed fit. It's a very heavy/big jacket.

I was excited to receive this jacket as it was the only one I could find at this price point (before entering the territory of that "Canadian Bird" parka brand) that checked all the boxes for cold Prairie winters: two-way zipper, storm cuffs, nylon-blend exterior, 650-700 down fill, and faux fur ruff. I tried it in a size small at a local store but found it was a full size too large. Luckily, we were able to locate an x-small on the website. I haven't used it outdoors yet, but I was quite hot after trying it on inside for a few minutes which I consider to be a good sign of warmth. The two-way zipper is heavy-duty and seems durable enough to handle a variety of outdoor activities. The storm cuffs are really soft (although I do wonder about durability and longevity and am really hoping they don't pill or wear quickly against the tougher nylon-blend fabric). However, if the North Face really wants to compete with "Canadian Bird," they need to make a few changes. First, the zipper is a bit scary to close towards the top. One must pull it outwards to ensure that it does not catch on the inner fabric, lest they become trapped inside. During the first try-on, my father had to carefully and patiently figure out what was going on so that I could be extracted. I'm hoping this is a scenario that will not need to be repeated in public. Second, the fur ruff is...underwhelming. Faux fur has been around for many years, and this was the best faux fur available?? Why did the North Face completely cheap out on the fur trim? I have a down jacket that I purchased roughly ten years ago for a quarter of the price of this one, and the faux fur is much richer looking - fuller, fluffier, a beautiful colour, lies more evenly. And most importantly, fulfills the function of keeping wind, sleet and snow off of my face. This is a major design flaw because Prairie winters are bitterly cold, especially with the wind. There's a reason why First Nations people use fur strips from animals with dense fur on their parkas! I removed the unattractive, flimsy, and thin faux fur strip and will have to figure something else out for face protection. Third, the hood and neck are not deep enough. I have a 57 inch head and can barely do the zipper up to my face, let alone with a scarf on (and I need a toque and scarf, you guys!) Without the fur ruff, the shallow hood exposes a significant part of my face to the cold. Given that the oversized body required me to take a size smaller than I usually do, perhaps the North Face needs to use a broader array of fit models? Lastly, the patch pockets could have been sewn without the extra layer of fabric under the pocket flap, which would have eliminated a bit of bulk. Women typically don't like added bulk around their hips. The coat is satisfactory given that it was a gift and nothing else was available, but I expect more in terms of design from this company, especially at this price point.

For a $700 price tag , from a company who has in the past been known for expedition wear, I expect little details to be thought out. Thankfully I got mine at an outlet so I payed half the price. It needs thumb holes to use when wearing gloves to ad extra coverage to that gap between glove and sleeve. The snap off ruff is the big detail that is a miss for me . If you live In an area where a fur ruff is actually useful for blocking wind, then why make it snap off? The gaps between the buttons allow wind to blow right through, thus defeating the point of a ruff all together. I wore it in 20mph wind with snow just a few days ago and couldn't depend on it alone to keep my head warm because of this. That kind of thing can be dangerous too in extreme cold.Overall I am satisfied with the comfort , but make sure to layer properly especially your head to block hood draft. The pockets are great but I would love interior ones for gloves and phones . I can make it work . But if I could I would have gone with a different style with a better hood

Ok this coat is perfect besides the fact that there are no pockets for me to easily slide my hands into. Who designed this???? For the amount of money, I expect more.

Very warm but strange fit, sleeves are way too long, I can barely move my arms because of all the extra fabric around the chest/shoulders yet the arms are also weirdly slim and tight around my bicep. Returning it.

The men's jacket has 3 more pockets for the same price as the women's. I bought from an authorized retailer, and immediately returned when I saw that The North Face was charging me the same price for a lesser product than what men get. It's the end of 2021, GIVE WOMEN POCKETS. That or permanently reduce the price. Why should women pay the same for a lesser product?!

I was so excited to get this jacket. When it arrived the chest pockets and double inside pockets I was as looking forward to- NOT on the women's version of the coat! This is complete and utter garbage. Spending this amount of money on a coat to not have the same features and functionality of the mens version is so backwards. Also, the mens is out of extra small. I hope they come back in stock before I spend my money on another brand elsewhere.