Description of The North Face Valkyrie Softshell Jacket - Men's:
The North Face Men's Valykrie Softshell Jacket gives you uncompromising weather protection for hard mixed routes and snowy alpine slogs. The Polartec Windbloc shell fabric blocks all wind and water, while maintaining the mobility and breathability you need for difficult dry-tooling. The thin microfleece liner adds warmth without being bulky. Access the two high pockets even while wearing your harness, and cinch down the adjustable hood when it's snowing at the belay.
Bottom Line: The Valkyrie tackles hard routes in the worst weather.
Picked this one up early November for my climb later that week @ Longs Peak, CO. Was planning on putting this jacket as my outer layer while in the tree line assuming there was no snow. Then throwing my shell over it once we got above the tree line.
Lets start with the two bad things: First, even if you get the right size on this jacket (a medium for me 6ft 155lbs) it still is a pain to put on. If you are wearing any long sleeve shirt other then say Lycra (So anything with cotton or poly in it), the arms on the jacket always catch your under layer and pull it up. Now I understand they want to have a nice fuzzy layer on the inside, but it is not necessary on the arms. Either that or line it with some poly so that you can slide your arms in somewhat easy. Second, The North Face name, now I understand some of their products have gone to crap and you're paying for the name. Some are outstanding yet still you're paying for the name. With this one the product is great, but the price is high. Pick it up on sale if you can wait.
Pros:
Cat and Dog hair can't touch this jacket. Not related to any technical stuff on the jacket but having that soft-shell fabric with fleece inside and not getting hair clumps is great. Keeps the wind rain and snow away. Decent to about 20 degrees with winds 20 mph and below. Anything over that and you start to feel it, even with a decent base layer. Once you start getting into the more harsh conditions it would be beneficial to have a good layer system either utilizing this jacket or having it off and packed away.
Overall I am pleased with this jacket. I got it on sale so the price didn't hurt as much. I can wear it around town or in the snow and back country. Great buy.
I bought this jacket thinking it would be a good jacket for the wet Portland, OR winters. The hood works great and has come in handy, and the jacket does quite well shedding water and wind. It is also an incredibly stylish jacket with a non-baggy cut. It has two downsides: Anything below 45 degrees is going to be outside of the comfort range of this jacket. It is quite thin. The Apex Bionic (which i also own) is warmer, but thicker and lacks a hood. The other drawback that another reviewer mentioned - under layers snag on the interior fabric of this jacket. It makes is so you have to unbunch material under your armpits. It is kind of a hassle because you have to have a very warm layer under this jacket in winter because it is not warm enough on its own. All in all it is a good jacket if you are going to be doing aerobic activities in Spring like temps. If you need a jacket for colder weather look elsewhere.
Really, I'm pleased with the jacket for what I bought it for - everyday use. I've had it for about a year and a half...wear it all the time. Excellent rain protection, breathable etc. I think I agree with other reviews that it won't keep you warm in very cold temps but good to about 32F/0C, depending on what you have. My beef is the lining of the pockets. I have put keys in the pockets a few times and now there's holes in them. The pockets are thin and shouldn't be used for much (perforated/aerated). Having said that, I love the look - fits perfect, versatile, easy to clean, throw in a bag and take anywhere.
