Why North Face is amazing

C

cc-crew

Member
I have this north face "exetreme" jacket that has been passed down through the family. This thing is awesome it must be at least 30 years old and it's still holding well.... Or at least until this weekend where after 3 decades the zipper finally broke on it and now I have no idea what to do with the jacket cause it's sick and was my dads it and I don't know anywhere that would know how to fix it since it's so old thanks for any advice ns
 
I actually work in the north face store at northstar, and just dealt with something like this but very old climbing pants. contact TNF and you should be able to send it to them. TNF is pretty good about fixings things like that even though it is 10+ years old! hope everything goes smooth!
 
why? If he likes his current one, and only needs the zipper fixed, why buy something brand new and most likely less quality?
 
because of how long youve had it. why not contact North Face and see if they will repair it and be stoked you've had it so long!
 
I highly doubt a jacket he buys in 2013 is going to be of a lower quality than one bought in the 80's
 
So you're saying if i buy a jacket from lets say Saga, FD/Virtika, Oakley etc it will last 30 years?
 
If you take care of it, sure, why not. You're also ignoring other factors about quality, such as warmth, breathability, waterproofing, etc.
 
My point is if he likes the jacket, and the only thing thats wrong with it is a loose zipper, he can get that fixed for like 10 bucks and have a perfectly good jacket. No need to buy a new one.
 
no but i see where he's coming from. it might not last 30 years but what will be better, a old north face jacket that has lasted forever and im sure is showing some signs of wear, or a new saga jacket that might last 10 years, but when he gets it waterproofing is at best and there is no damage

that said, i would just get the north face one fixed. take it into a seamstress/tailor and have them put a new zipper on it. i would be surprised if they couldnt, because all they have to do is take the old one off and stitch a new one on
 
Really? All the slap-yourself-in-the-face ignorant things the dumbass kids on ns say on a near daily basis, and THIS is the kind of post you think needs to go away to make the internet a better place?
 
Warranty's usually only work if you have proof of purchase. If this has been passed down through generations I highly doubt he has proof of purchase. And when you get the chance send a photo of the jacket. I really want to see it.
 
Companies like TNF would be happy to fix or replace something of theirs that is that old and has seen some legit use. Patagonia would be stoked to fix it and actually have you NOT buy another piece of outerwear, even if they would profit from your purchase.
 
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Lifetime warranty, they'd (^) fix that.

But north face is cool too..
 
You'd be wrong, tnf used to be way more high end than they are now. They sponsored wallisch so his fanboys would buy the watered down version of a once great brand.
 
Quoted for emphasis.

I have some 3 layer gore tex outerwear from tnf that is about 15 years old. Over 300 days on the mountains/snow camping/etc and it's still in amazing shape. I doubt the newer stuff could survive even half of what I've done to mine in that timespan.
 
North Face, Patagonia, mountain hardware Arc'Teryx and other "high end" companies that offer lifetime warranties stand behind their product regardless of origin and usually don't ask in my experience.
 
So you're telling me that the technology put into outerwear hasn't improved at all in the last 30 years?

You really, honestly believe that the fabric that TNF used in the 80's was just as waterproof, breathable, comfortable, etc as it is today?
 
You're missing the point man. Shit was good then. If it fits, and it's comfortable, no amount of technology will beat that jacket.

Don't buy what you don't need if you already have it. Newer =/= better.
 
Trust me, i'm not missing the point.

So you're saying that if i have a wool coat from, say, the 70's and it fits and is comfortable it's a better option on a day when it's snowing really hard than my jacket now?

Contrary to what you believe, newer is often = to better.
 
Why would you get a new jacket if you've had the same one for 30 years? That's a relic, I'd be stoked if I had a piece of gear in great shape that old. The sentimental value of that definitely warrants getting a new zipper.
 
Personally I wouldn't put North Face in the same upper tier as Arc'Teryx and Patagonia.

They still make awesome outerwear though.

 
I will agree that for the most part, technologies and materials have improved greatly over the past 30 years. It's the manufacturing processes and material selections that have declined in my opinion. Manufacturer's are cutting corners with materials and processes to keep overhead costs down and to maintain profit margins.

As one good example, just look at the gear of the past and how they protected pant cuffs from sharp ski edges. My old TNF gear has 1000d cordura reinforcement panels, and has stood up to more abuse than I could ever imagine. Trew uses a terribly misnamed "Superfabric" to protect their ski pants...it might as well not even be on there as it has added absolutely no additional protection to the pants. My Trew pants lasted one powder day before they had numerous cuts through the exterior and interior materials on the pant cuffs. "Superfabric" my ass...Why change what worked so well in the past? Costs perhaps? You can't say that modern materials work better than the past in that regard.

Waterproof, breathable, comfortable...sure, for the most part today's materials will be superior, but does that make them more or less durable? I never had one single issue with moisture in my 3L Gore Tex TNF gear. I can't say the same for some of the Gore Tex products I've owned since then.

TNF used to be way more core and dedicated to their customer bases. Now that every highschool girl and frat boy has a TNF fleece in this season's hottest colors, who do you think they are marketing towards? Do I honestly need to point any farther than the upcoming jackets with floral hawaiian prints? That's not to say they don't make nice gear nowadays, but overall their products have been considerably watered down over the years.

 
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