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gear of the week

Gear of the Week | Brigandine FUTURELIGHT™ jacket from The North Face

Light, long, loose, casual

by Steffen Kruse • 04/04/2021
The first contact was already very pleasant, the fit was perfect for me. I am 1.86, 83 kg and the size M fits me perfectly.

Right, size M, I'm actually a classic L wearer, but not with this jacket. The sleeves are cut nice and long, just like the whole jacket. While we're on the subject of the sleeves, there is a pocket on the left with a goggle cleaning cloth and an extra "compartment" for a ski pass (separated and secured by a Velcro fastener). This small detail alone, the securing of the lift pass with a Velcro fastener, shows that the jacket has been tested down to the last detail and designed to be as practical as possible. There are plenty of pockets anyway and in every conceivable size. Some people may wonder what they are supposed to do with them, but I think they are great and perfectly positioned.

The collar is cut high and at first I thought it would bother me, but now I find it very comfortable and wouldn't want to do without it. There are two zippers in the collar, either for the radio or ventilation.

When closing the jacket, you notice the rather large zipper, but it is very robust and of high quality (YKK AquaGuard zipper)

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The integrated (non-removable) pre-shaped snow skirt made from four-way stretch has hooks to attach the jacket to the matching trousers. These bothered me a little and I took them off. Especially when carrying a large and heavy backpack on an expedition, they sometimes pressed into the back. For pure freeriding, however, it's a cool feature, as it ensures the jacket doesn't slip. The hood is permanently attached and has a riveted drawstring system.

I just mentioned expeditions; here you have to pay particular attention to the weight and I didn't think that such a robust jacket could be so light and compressible. But it is. Thanks to Futurelight technology, the jacket is waterproof, windproof, durable, soft and compact. Tiny high-performance polyrethane fibers are spun. The use of recycled material ensures less landfill waste and less use of primary raw materials.

As far as my choice of color is concerned, I was initially rather skeptical about the longevity or sensitivity to dirt. I have now worn it for over 50 days and my concerns have not been confirmed. They still look good, but after the season they can definitely have a wash.

My conclusion

An expensive jacket, but super well thought-out, very robust, comfortable to wear and still compressible. Really a very good companion for the whole season, if not the whole year!

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This article has been automatically translated by DeepL with subsequent editing. If you notice any spelling or grammatical errors or if the translation has lost its meaning, please write an e-mail to the editors.

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