The North Face Mammatus Jacket

I just returned from a snowboarding trip to Aspen which was the first time I wore this shell. It is just fantastic, I love everything about it. I layered with my MH Alchemy jacket and MH Powerstretch undershirt and it was very warm in 5 - 15 degree temps. There was plenty of snow most of the time and I never felt a drop of precipitation / sweat the whole time. This jacket feels like it will last for years and was an instant favorite due to its longer length and abundance of pockets. I will not buy another shell that is not Pro shell material - it is fantastic!I bought this to replace my MH GTX 2.5 jacket because the fleece around the neck only lasted one season, I was very disappointed with it. I had to return this jacket due to a defect - but was sent the new (2010) version under warranty - it is a huge improvement over the current model. It has a nicer collar and a wind skirt built in, also reflective zipper outlines. I noticed that the price went up $50 but it would be worth it.

This jacket is no doubt alpine climbing bombproof, is has notedly proven materials, which is light-weight stowable, and from my experiences with comparable jackets, has the lastest technical selling features. It's basically a great-second-option-jacket if you can't decide on taking your "best-go-to-jacket" or your "this-goat-will-do-jacket" for the planned activity - But it can be thee, "GO TO" jacket as well! I have not put it through the wringer as of yet, so I can not convey on the boat-loaded-feature's performances. TNF is know for it's fashionable looks, asthetic color coordinations, and proper athletic fitting, therefore, it is an attention getter. (don't let the bad-boy image deter you - wear it!) But there is not doubt that TNF still rules, in some categories at least, as a respectable premier got-to-have-gear-provider. This jacket's availabilty has depleted rapidly from all available sources from July 20 - August 20, and it's still summertime! So that's really saying something about it's much anticipated demand. Hopefully, B.C. will receive another hefty shipment, soon.

First of all, I am planning on climbing Mt St Helens this summer and I was looking for a good price on a North Face shell. Well, not surprisingly, I found it here on backcountry.com. Furthermore, I recieved free shipping on the item. It said that I would recieve my package in 7-14 days (which I had no problem with, I am in no hurry). I ordered the jacket on Tuesday February 24th and recieved my jacket today, Thursday February 26th. How the heck did they deliver my jacket so quickly, I will never know. What I do know is that I will be ordering ALL of my gear (i.e. bags, tent, etc.) from backcountry.com from now on! THANK YOU!!! P.S. I know its a great jacket so I won't go on about that, but I sure can't wait to try it out!!!!!!!!!

I got this as a replacement for my older Mammatus which had a collar problem. It is a huge improvement over the previous model - Gore Tex Pro Stretch is fantastic. It is much thinner than last years model but feels just as durable - and is much more flexible. I have not had it on a hike trip yet, but have done some cold weather biking / off-road unicycling with it and can say that it is very breathable - and warm at the same time. I took a long Vespa ride last night in the 30's with a Marmot Ama Dablam jacket under this shell - I was very warm, I even ran into flurries on the return trip. The shell is extremely windproof and waterproof - the new wind blocking powder skirt is a nice addition as too.

I like the fit on the north face mammatus. The chest pockets are great for cell phone and digital camera. You don't even need to take your gloves off, just yank the pull. With the right layers, the mammatus is good for most winter riding conditions. I've done some ski touring with it and works for me (my buddy observes that there's no powder skirt -- but my last couple of jackets haven't had powder skirts and I ski blower all the time -- no issues unless maybe you're doing lots of endos. Jackets without powder skirts are also a bit lighter as is the case with tnf's mammatus).

The Mammatus jacket is a very good jacket for the following reasons: 1. Light weight - hard to find anything lighter with same protective qualities. 2. Excellent manufacturing - all seams really well protected. 3. Adjustable helmet protection. There are a few minor shortcomings though: 1. Collar is very rigid and disturbs slightly when not fully closed - some tailoring to the natural . 2. Underarm zippers cannot easily be opened with one hand - the need the other hand to pull from the other side. Overall, this is a near perfect jacket, but TNF could continue improving it. I can recommend it.

I have the mammatus in the kiwi green medium!And I love the colour,it could be that my parents are european,but either way I love the colour. This jacket packs light for ski mountaineering,but handles the rigors of coastal British Columbia. I even took this out for a wet mountain bike ride on the north shore of vancouver.