Description of The North Face Decagon Jacket - Men's:
With waterproof breathable fabric and fully taped seams, The North Face Men's Decagon Jacket keeps you dry as you snorkel through fresh pow. A gripper powder skirt blocks blowing snow, and the Decagon's hood protects your dome. Stash your music player and goggles in the internal pockets, and keep a trail map and keys in the chest cargo pockets. A small goggle cloth in the wrist pocket keeps your optics fog-free. The North Face’s Pants-a-lock system lets you hook the jacket to your ski pants for an even more bomber seal against the snow.
Bottom Line: Full protection for everything from fluffy powder to spring slush.
This is a great ski jacket. I usually wear a NF medium, so I ordered one and am a bit disappointed by the long arms that bunch up. Its mainly an aesthetic issue, but I would say this jacket runs a little larger than most. Also, there is no goggle wipe, which was mentioned in another review, so maybe the description should be modified. Another strange issue with this jacket is the lower pockets, with zips and velcro they aren't meant for keeping your hands warm, just storage.
Overall: sweet.
I've skied in this jacket for two seasons now and have been pretty pleased with it. It has proven very durable and shows no signs of wear when it definitely should. It's not the warmest jacket, so layering is a must on those cold days, which brings me to my first quibble. There isn't a whole lot of room in the shoulders, so you feel a little constricted when layering. It is also too short in length. Granted, I'm a skinny 6'4" wearing a large, but it still seems short. Another issue is the zippers. The fabric in the pockets and the pit-zip vents FREQUENTLY get caught in the zippers. Those are really my only complaints. I've never been wet, even when it started to rain a little and it stops the wind very well. On warm spring days, the vents cool you off quickly.
The main thing I was looking for was durability, and you'll see when you first grab the jacket that it's got that, plus a lot of great extra features like the hidden hood and waste toggles, the streamlined permanent hood, and pit vents.
I ski MN, so it's cold and icy most of the season. The Decagon kept me plenty warm when used w/ proper baselayers (capeline and North Face Windwall fleece). The taffeta (woven synthetic fabric) lining provides added warmth and the shell by itself was great for late season adventures as it kept me cool and dry.
The sizing is a little larger than normal... a medium fit me perfect, when I usually wear a large.
Summing up the review. I look forward to many years of warmth, comfort and style w/ this jacket and it didn't dent my pocketbook.
