TNF's Spring 2009 Clothing - Part Two
Second part in our The North Face outdoors clothing preview and it looks interesting...
Posted: 6 April 2009
by Jon
We've already brought you Part
One of our preview of The North Face's spring
2009 clothing range along with a look at new equipment
and footwear, and here's Part Two of the
clothing preview with some interesting new ideas.
Trajectory Hybrid Jacket
- £140
An interesting one this. As you might guess from the name,
the Trajectory Hybrid uses a mix of different fabrics. The front of the
jacket, shoulders, sleeves, hood and yoke are made from TNF's own-brand
Hyvent DT lightweight 2.5 layer waterproof fabric.
The idea is to protect the wearer when engaged in forward motion
activities, when most heat is lost from the chest and stomach, but to
allow sweat and excess heat to escape from the rear of the garment and
help prevent overheating.
The back panel however and side panels - the grey bits in the photos -
are made from a lightweight mesh for massive breathability. It's one of
those ideas that we can see working brilliantly for some people in some
situations and not quite as well in others - it's all about a balance
between protection and comfort.
The mesh panel incorporates Carbon from Bamboo technology and is
anti-microbial and has a water repellent treatment as well. There's
even a mesh vent in the hood and small hidden vents in the front of the
jacket - below. We're looking forward to trying this one. Weight is a
feathery 240 grammes or so.
Hydrogen Vest -
£55
Another Flight Series garment, the Hydrogen Vest weighs in
at a super lightweight 68 grammes or so. It's a simple fast-movers'
garment with a windproof ultra-lightweight, nylon, rip-stop front panel
teamed with a mesh back for added breathability.
The mesh again has a DWR, there are reflective details for night-time
safety and there's no taping on the windproof fabric.
Alongside the vest, there's
also a Hydrogen Jacket - not pictured - which uses the same mix of
windproof fabric and mesh but in a jacket form. It weighs just 81
grammes and retails for £65 with the sleeves and body being
windproof, but the back panel, again, made from the ventilated mesh.
The women's Hydrogen Vest -
above - is available in white and pretty much translucent as you can
see from the photo.
The Fusion is all about seamless construction with the
only seams being on the raglan sleeves. The fabric is a mix of 88
per-cent recycled polyester and 12 per-cent Nylon.
The fabric itself is perforated, partly for a little extra ventilation
but also, pretty obviously, because it looks cool. Some interesting sun
tan implications if you fall asleep wearing it on a sunny day we
reckon. Finally the stitching in the sleeve seams uses reflective
thread for added night time safety.
Women's Trajectory Jacket
- £140
There's also a women's version of the Trajectory Jacket which basically
- as is traditional - has the same features as the men's version, but
in a women's-specific cut and nicer colours... This is 'poppy red'
though in a certain light, it does have a hint of salmon pink to it...
Women's Fusion Tank -
£35
Same principles as the Fusion Crew, the Tank uses 73 per-cent recycled
Polyester / 21 per-cet Nylon and 6% elastane for stretch.
There's also glow in the dark thread around the bindings at the arm and
neck holes. The shoulder seams are rolled to minimise abrasion
and again the fabric is perforated for extra ventilation. As
well as the white version pictured, there's also a Bayou Blue colour
option.
Mens' Downpour Jacket -
£190
Emphatically not part of the Flight Series is the new Downpour Jacket -
it's arguably the closest The North Face has to a traditional British
hill and mountain walking jacket. It's made from two-ply Gore-Tex
Performance Shell, is cut long for added crotch protection and has four
traditionally sited front pockets - two chest and two hand-warmer ones.
In addition, there's a whopping great traditional map pocket, a
fully-adjustable roll-away hood complete with an elusive North Face
wired peak and pit-zips for added ventilation plus a waist drawcord -
told you it was traditional. And while it's not the most dramatic
garment in the range, at 650 grammes, the weight is reasonable and it
looks like it should be a competent traditional mountain-walking shell.
The Downpour is also available in a women's-specific version.
More information
More details of the new North Face range at www.thenorthface.com
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