I have the black North Face Baltoro down parka, non-detachable hood, Summit Series, 800 fill model which I've worn every winter season now for the past four years. I love the coat and have many good things to say about it and just one, maybe two bad things about it. Firstly, if you'd own one of these baltoros and live where it gets really cold in the winters? often below zero? You'd cherish and love this parka and wouldn't want any other coat to wear in sub-zero temperatures. The North Face Baltoro is the most comfortable, light-weight, climate-controlled parka you could ever imagine! You'd have to try one on and be outside in the freezing winds of winter to understand! This parka, there's nothing like it! I describe the experience of wearing this parka in freezing winter temperatures to wearing pajamas out in the harshest winter winds and temperatures while feeling toasty, light and comfortable without breaking a sweat. Besides having a non-detachable hood, the parka has a down-filled neck colar inside the parka which is extrememly comfortable and warm adding protection from any draft getting on your neck. No wind gets in this coat, I'll tell you that much! I've worn the coat in strong winter winds while walking along an ocean shoreline. I hadn't felt any wind at all inside the parka, nor was I cold at all! The coat is unbelievable. I'd say it's PERFECT except for two things I'll explain shortly. The hood has a well-designed set of draw-strings where you can adjust them with winter gloves on and can make the hood opening very small. The hood is also very-well insulated with down.

The bads things I REALLY dislike about the North Face Baltoro parka?

1. The outer-shell fabric is very fragile and thin! Lean-up outside against anything that might have a burr, be it metal or wood or whatever?... and there'd be an excellent chance the burr would tear a gash in the outer shell fabric like it were butter! You might not even feel it happen or notice it until you'd see your goose down blowing away in the wind! This had happened to me once while I was walking with a friend downtown where I ever so gently brushed against a metal street sign that had a burr on one of its' edges. The burr tore a four-inch long gash in my parka without my even feeling or noticing it.. and the down was coming out blowing in the wind while I was walking. I almost wanted to cry when I saw it. North Face really has to consider using sturdier and thicker fabrics for the outer shell. That's my opinion. No one wants to spend big bucks and have a parka that can be easily damaged?

2. The 2nd thing I dislike is that the outer shell is also not water-repellent. The outer shell needs to be treated. If not and you were to get caught in the rain wearing this? You'd be screwed without a doubt! Snow is O.K... rain... forget it!

I love the pockets on the parka. They're designed really well. Washing the parka can be a task, though. I think it's worth mentioning there's a protective silver-colored coating on the inner liner of the parka which can be damaged and fade easily if you don't follow the written cleaning instructions on the label.

I purchased 2 coats 3yrs ago and I can't say enough about the warmth that is retained. My wife and I work outside 365 days a year with our horses. When the temps go below freezing on go the jackets. I even go deer hunting with mine and put a large thin orange shell overtop to meet the requirements of visibility. My wife stands hours on end in the indoor arena and gives lessons without getting a chill. Warmth is the key when trying to endure those long winter days. The Baltoro jacket is without a doubt a life long member of our barn. Most of our customers also wear North Face coats to ride in. As a matter of fact I have been stopped by other riders at horse shows and asked if we were "The North Face Farm", because of how many of our customers have North Face attire!

Customer Service

10! What else is there to say?

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Columbia

I've owned North Face parkas since way back in 1975, when I purchased my first... a bright gold/yellow Expedition Parka. Twenty-eight years later, it still is being used as a back up or loaner parka... not a single problem. My next was a North Face Brooks Range parka purchased in 1984, and aside from a zipper that broke after about ten years, it is also still in service. Now it was time for a new parka, and although I was hesitant about North Face no longer being made in the US, I purchased a black Baltoro parka. This jacket easily outperforms my earlier jackets. It's considerably lighter, but markedly warmer. The craftmanship.... zippers, seams, lining, pockets, etc. are all first rate. The radiant relflective lining material is just amazing... this is the warmest parka you will ever need. Very highly recommended.

Customer Service

My Brooks Range parka was promptly repaired... a defective YKK coil zipper had failed, which The North Face replaced for no charge. They also added some reinforcing material to the ends of the sleeves where the outer liner was showing some wear. This was done without my asking, and once again for no charge. First rate service from my experience about eight years ago.

Similar Products Used:

North Face Expedition Parka- 1975 North Face Brooks Range Parka- 1984 North Face Extreme Gear Ski jacket- 1992

I live near Chicago where the wind chill can get pretty ridiculous on a daily basis. I'm not a mountaineer. I just need a good jacket to go to and between classes. In past years, I had to go from building to building to get to my destination in order to minimize my time outside. Not anymore. When I put the hood up and tighten the cords, which can't possibly take any less time unless it was automated (maybe 2-3 seconds), it seems like a warm, sunny day even in wind chill temperatures below -10. I've had no problems with warmth (at least not above my legs). I can't believe I've gone through winters w/o this jacket. I used to feel limited to where I could work after graduation (maybe California or even Seattle), but now, I feel like I can work in the Scandinavian countries and not have any problems (I'm always colder than others). Now for the problems: there is this shoulder window pocket that looks pretty silly. I often wish it was a lot colder since the colder it gets, the less ridiculous I look with it on. You also can't zip up all the way without having the hood up. I mean, you can, but it just doesn't seem like it was meant to be. It's really tight though - no air getting to your neck. When you put your hood up, you really look ridiculous because it's so huge (with down-fill). I get self-conscious wearing it in non-blizzard conditions, but I still do. It's fine indoors but you probably need to zip up to feel more comfortable (too puffy). So to conclude, this jacket isn't for the fashion oriented person, but I never have to think about going outside because it's too cold or even if there's the blizzard of the century coming. Most people will think you're crazy if you tell 'em how much it cost. They say they could've probably paid like $50-100 for it. I have the black one. It's 800 down-fill with gore-dryloft and radiant technology on the inner side. I don't really know about that thing, but I get pretty cold when I first take off the jacket after going into a room, as if all the stored heat went out when I took it off. That might be the radiant technology or not.

Customer Service

Fine.

This is without any doubt the warmest jacket I've ever purchased. It has a lining which reflects heat back to your body. Another useful feature is its gigantic pockets; and it has them all over. If you'r skiing or climbing Everest, this is the jacket has you covered.

Customer Service

Haven't had to use them yet. I have heard they are excellent. My jacket has a tiny tear in it so I plan to send to them for a patch; we'll see.

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various parkas. Mostly North Face stuff.

This is quite possibly the perfect down parka for true high altitude. Deep handwarmer pockets, the best coverage hood on the market, and though it is only 700 fill it is fantastic for warmth...besides can you really tell the difference between 700 and 800 fill? Very few bells and whistles make this a durable, light, and very effective articile of clothing for the serious mountaineer. Worked great for everyone on my last Denali expedition where we were all happy about its performance.

Customer Service

TNF is horrid compared to other manufacturers, and everyhting is made in china now...I bought mine as new from the outlet store and it was a 98 model. The button hood is the best coverage as the new Baltoro has a worthless hood at best.

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Marmot 8000 meter, Patagonia DAS, Marmot Parbat, TNF Summit, and TNF Nuptse.

None

None

This parka is killer. The older versions have a detachable hood.... I''ve seen these and they get screwed up a lot, the newer version doesn''t. This is a quality expedition parka. This is extremely warm and is made for the Alaska Ranges or the Himalayas. I brought it down to Aconcagua in Feb. 2001 and it was incredibly warm for that peak. Love the jacket, can''t wait to get it on Denali

Customer Service

I haven''t had to deal with the North Face, but EMS is a great company who''s customer service policies can not be beaten anywhere else in this industry.

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I tried on the DMM expedition parka similar to this, it was very good. Worn Nupstes before, ummm... have a primaloft/down vest that''s really warm, but other than the DMM, nothing like this.