<p>My son who previously has shunned anything but hoodies has started to migrate (kind of). He’s asked for a North Face Mach Five Hoodie. I know there are a lot of you out there who are NF fans. Does anyone have any experience with this model or know if it fits true to size. I’m worried it won’t be warm enough. I did check REI, etc, and they were out of stock in the store so I couldn’t check it out there. Any help you could offer would offer would be greatly appreciated!!!</p>
<p>Hi there - I don’t know about the warmth issue, but defnintely see if the arm length will be OK for your son. My H and D (who prefers mens sizes) both have had an issue with this lately, and we have been wearing NF for eons…</p>
<p>(Tried to post the link tothe NF size chart, it was pretty long - there is a detailed chart on the web site)</p>
<p>Just looked at it online and it looks really nice. My son would go for it too. How warm does it need to be? I don’t think that it is warm enough for temps too far below freezing. </p>
<p><a href=“http://www.thenorthface.com/catalog/sc-gear/mens-mach-five-full-zip-hoodie.html[/url]”>http://www.thenorthface.com/catalog/sc-gear/mens-mach-five-full-zip-hoodie.html</a></p>
<p>Thanks! He’s about 6’ but usually doesn’t have a problem with arms being too short. It needs to be warmer than a regular hoodie…</p>
<p>I think I’ve read the ‘Denali’ is pretty popular with North Face fans. I sent DS a link to that and he said he likes it (to the tune of $165 - choke). For any that have the Denali, how does that work in cold(ish) climates? He’s looking mostly for school next year which will be somewhere in the mid-Atlantic. He wants something without bulk to keep at school and can layer.
Thanks to all!!</p>
<p>blueiguana, once you make a decision on style and size I suggest you check out sportsbasement.com . I have ordered The North Face and other items from them several times and have found their prices to be low and their service excellent. While most prices are displayed on the website, you have to call to get the price of The North Face Denali men’s jacket, which seems odd, but don’t let that deter you. Although this particular jacket says “In Store Only”, the in store only items are available for shipping (and free ground shipping now on this item, I see) as long as you place your order by phone. I haven’t checked the price but I bet it’s a good deal. Good luck.</p>
<p>Our denali’s (we all have them) are years old, but they are warm enough to wear without a shell in all but the very coldest weather. They are good at blocking wind. I wear mine with a turtleneck and sweater down to about freezing…below that I want a warmer coat. My oldest is living in one of the coldest areas of the country and does layer his Denali under a shell in extreme cold. It’s been in the twenties and my youngest I noticed has been wearing his winter coat and not his Denali to school so I think freezing is about the point where you instinctively need something over a Denali. I think of them as bulky. We all have a “variety” of thinner fleece that we layer up. The Mach is different material and looks to be lighter weight than a Denali. The Mach looks like it would be good for layering.</p>
<p>The Mach is a cotton hoodie. When it gets wet, it will be wet for a very long time. The Denali is 100% polyester Polartec fleece, if I recall. It will dry quickly and maintain some insulating qualities when wet.</p>
<p>How windy is his future college town? The Denali (and fleece in general) is not windproof (although it is somewhat water resistant, as i-dad said).</p>
<p>Our son has a Denali WindPro. He tells us it keeps him warm, but I think the Regular Denali looks warmer. Supposedly the only difference is that the WindPro blocks the wind better. He does say that is the case. I’m sure in the coldest weather he is going to have to layer. He wanted the coat specifically because he didn’t want a bulky coat. He goes to school in Michigan.</p>
<p>I resisted buying Northface items for years, believing them to be overpriced. Two years ago I caved in, and we now have a total of 6 NF jackets of various fabrics - fleece, rain jacket, soft shell- between 3 of us and I can confidently say they are worth the cost. Very well made and should last almost forever unless someone loses them (entirely possible with college students). </p>
<p>The Northface Denali fleece is amazingly warm, and with a Venture rain shell layered over it will protect your torso from pretty much anything short of a blizzard. D and I wore this combination while doing a lot of walking/touring last winter. it was in the 40’s and misting most of the week, and it kept us warm and dry.</p>
<p>S has a NF soft shell, which is supposed to be more windproof/water resistant. He skis in it and says it’s warm.</p>
<p>The Denali is a very heavy 300-weight Polartec fleece, the heaviest weight available. That will be very, very warm, actually uncomfortably warm in milder weather. The big advantage of fleece is that it is “breathable”, so when you sweat, the moisture can escape. This is huge for physical exersion like skiing or winter hiking. The downside is that it is not at all wind resistant.</p>
<p>To address this, Polartec has developed newer ($$$) fleece variations that do offer wind resistance. Look for buzzworks like “Wind Pro”. The manufacturers use these fleeces for their higher cost step-up products. The Denali is made in both versions.</p>
<p>The tight knit panels across the shoulders of the Denali also provide both verions with some protection in the wind and rain, but in general, you would wear fleece under a shell in really nasty stuff.</p>
<p>Once you figure out the three weights of fleece (100 lightweight, 200 midweight, and 300 heavyweight) and the various wind proof buzzwords, the stuff starts to make a lot more sense, regardless of the brand.</p>
<hr>
<p>BTW, heavy ski parkas these days (North Face, Columbia, etc.) typically have a breathable waterproof shell and a 300 weight fleece insulation layer (which may be a separate zip in liner or permanently sewed in or just a fleece and shell layering combo.) North Face orginally made its brand by offering these matched layering systems.</p>
<p>A Denali and a NF Soft Shell will keep you warm in all but degrees in the teens. Mine is a Wind-Pro and it does a pretty good job of blocking wind. I’m in LOVE with soft shells, also. Use those all winter except in teens to zero weather over layers. I’ve bought soft shells for the entire family over the past couple years. Patagonia also makes very good products as does Arcteryx. I’ll scrimp on lots of “stuff” but I’ve discovered that performance outerwear really does live up to the hype and lasts forever. I’ve not big an annual coat investments. I’ve discovered that the “hot teen” brands like Oakley, Burton, Quicksilver are prone to broken zippers, tears, wear, etc. that I haven’t found with North Face and Patagonia. I’ve got a Burton jacket and a Quicksilver jacket coming home next weekend with broken zippers…ugh. But then again, it doesn’t get all that cold in the mid-Atlantic typically.</p>
<p>REI has their own version of softshell jacket that is very well made and costs about half of what one would pay for a comparable softshell by NF etc. One disadvantage is that it does not have a cool logo. 
If you are not in a huge hurry to buy the jacket, wait for Nordstrom men’s sales - there are always some colors of Denalis that go on sale (30-40% off), and if the kid does not like what you get, Nordstrom will take it back. REI also has decent sales, and if you are a member, you will always get sales alerts and 20% off coupons in the mail.</p>
<p>My husband has the Denali with a hood and loves it; I was handed down one previously owned by my daughter without the hood. We both wear them all the time and they have lasted for years. My daughter still wears the shell that went with hers; wish I had that also!</p>
<p>I was playing ball with the dog the other night and she jumped on me with muddy feet; not a good look on a light colored jacket. Threw it in the washer and hung it to dry; it was dry within a couple of hours. These jackets last forever.</p>
<p>Usually you can find a discontinued color on sale; just do a google search. Moosejaw usually will have good sales, although any sporting goods store or department store carries them. I ended up only spending $75 for my husband’s at Bloomingdales a few years ago by using my coupons. I thought that was a good deal for a hoodie Denali.</p>
<p>My boys like the Mountain Hardwear Soft Shells. I’ve found all our Denali’s for under $100 but it takes some searching. Someone also told me to wash my fleece inside out which I do. Not sure if that’s a myth or good advice.</p>
<p>you need to go to Retailmenot.com
you’ll gen online coupons for anything you can think of.
Then, you may be able to pay around 20 percent off for the same product you would be purchasing at full price.</p>
<p>Try ebay. There are many NF listed, some brand new w/ tags, some used. If you are not adverse to something very slightly used, you can save a lot of money. I just bought my D one–the auction said “worn 3 times”. It looks brand new and costs me $45, including shipping.</p>
<p>I just orderd from moosejaw, I paid full price for one item but got a coupon for 31 dollars off the next item. they had free shipping too. My D has been using her winter coat, but it has been 20 degrees here. If its in the 30’s she wears her denali.</p>
<p>Thank you all so very much. Lots of good advice! It sounds like the denali will be good for him. If he finds the wind is just too cutting walking across campus we can add a shell. He’s used to house-car-school, or house-bus-school. Not much walking in the cold. Every student can lose things (or have them taken) but for the most part DS is very careful with his things. I don’t mind paying for good quality things that last.</p>
<p>Thanks also for the heads up on the places to check for sales, discounts, and good prices. We have REI and Nordstroms close so those are both options. I really appreciate the input!!</p>
<p>If you have a Dick’s Sporting Goods you might want to check there too…they carry Northface and sometimes there are coupons for discounts at Dicks. I have an Entertainment book and there are Dick’s coupons in there.</p>