In August 2014, Al Hockley, a 40 year old outdoor enthusiast and hobbyist, joined a small group of people for a day of gear testing on the hills of South Wales. Trek & Mountain magazine’s Chief Gear Tester and mountaineering instructor, Paul Smith, led the group up the iconic Pen-y-Fan sharing his expertise along the way on how to review products, structure feedback and ensure each piece of gear tested is done fairly and thoroughly.
Al is no stranger to the outdoors with his many years of mountain biking and winter and summer hiking experience, so after his day out with a gear testing pro, Al put everything he learned to the test when he was given a The North Face Thermoball Hoodie Jacket to try out this winter. Read his review below after three months of wearing the Thermoball;
“In the past I have used and owned a number of insulated and down jackets for various activities including UK winter trekking and Himalayan high altitude adventures. The first thing that anyone thinking of purchasing one of these jackets should do is ensure they have the correct size. This can be done using the size calculator on-line, or better still, go to your local stockist and physically try one on. I initially had a jacket that was a size too big, which was quite baggy, but when I swapped it for the correct size the difference was immediately noticeable. This is a jacket designed to be an active fit, meaning a slightly closer cut to the body in order to provide you with the required insulation. Also, a closer fitting jacket prevents it from flapping about in windy conditions and loosing the warmth that builds up between you and the fabric.
As soon as you pick up the Thermoball jacket you notice how light it feels, with an average weight being as low as 375g. The jacket feels extremely thin with very little between the inner and outer layers and has small rectangular panels all over which contain the synthetic fibre clusters. Both Thermoball jackets I have worn had a two tone colour scheme with darker outer layers and lighter internal layers. Whilst the colour schemes are interesting and eye catching, it can make the jacket look quite aged from the inside with the darker material showing through the lighter internal layer. If the layers were the same colour then this wouldn’t be visible, which is available in some colour combinations.
The Thermoball jacket has the capability of packing down into its left hand pocket which zips closed, this allows it to be packed into small pockets in day or hydration packs, and then be available when required. The jacket has adjustable elastic cinch around the waist and in the hood to allow for adjustment so you can tweak it to suit the conditions it’s being used in. When wearing it in high winds I have been able to tighten the hood so that it sits tighter on my head providing more warmth and preventing it from blowing across my face obscuring my vision. There are two large zipped pockets on the front of the jacket, and although they were positioned right under the waist belt of my day sack, they are large enough for me to gain access even when wearing the pack.
I have used the jacket for day to day commutes to work, whilst outdoors at work, family trips to the country, and for training walks for this years three peaks challenge. The jacket has kept me warm and snug with no restriction to my freedom movement. It has even been a pleasant experience to wear the jacket during strenuous ascents and have only had to loosen the front zip, which then gets zipped back up when reaching the top to keep me warm again on the descent. In the past with other synthetic jackets I have had to remove them on the ascent and then put them back on at the top as I would get too warm and sweat into the jacket. Having a hood on the jacket is a major bonus factor as I can leave my hat inside my pack and all I have to do is raise the hood to provide warmth and comfort.
Having used the jacket whilst mountain biking in wet and cold conditions this winter, I can say that even when covered in mud and soaked through, there was no loss in the insulation that the jacket continued to provide. This is dramatically different to down jackets I have used in the past which when wet provide very little insulation. With the Thermoball jacket there is less insulation making it feel thinner than conventional insulated jackets, but this doesn’t seem to affect the performance.
To sum up, the Thermoball Hoodie Jacket has surpassed my expectations in terms of working in typical UK winter conditions, which are a mixed bag of cold, wet and windy weather. The styling of the jacket means you can wear it as an every day jacket for a commute to and from work, and as an adventure jacket for wearing in the hills and mountains, and every step it performs and keeps you comfortable and warm.”
The North Face Thermoball Jacket is available from outdoor retailers nationwide including Blacks
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