A very warm garmet that is best used as outwear under moderate to extreme cold conditions, or used as an underlayer to a goretex shell when hanging around a campsite at night, or other non-intensive activities when it is less than 40 degrees (F) outside. This is not a warm weather or warm climate jacket. I'm only comfortable hiking in this garmet when the outside standing air temp is 20 degrees (F) or less. I have used it as a stand alone shell with a medium weight fleece shirt at -50 (F) windchills under moderate work load conditions and was very comfortable. I love the built in hand-sleeves when I have to take my gloves off. The pit zips work okay. The hood needs additional adjustments and fits "okay" but annoyingly with a climbing helmet. And, finally North face decided to put hand pockets into a climbing garmet!

Customer Service

I have had good luck with a 14 year old original Goretex jacket. The goretex had become "delaminated" (their words). NorthFace sent me a check to buy a brand new mountain light, which cost me about $75 more than the warranty check.

Similar Products Used:

NOrth Face Windy Pass
North Face Pamir (original style w/ hood)
North Face Expedition 300 wt. fleece jacket
North Face Mountain Light
Marmot Mountain Light

A very warm garmet that is best used as outwear under moderate to extreme cold conditions, or used as an underlayer to a goretex shell when hanging around a campsite at night, or other non-intensive activities when it is less than 40 degrees (F) outside. This is not a warm weather or warm climate jacket. I'm only comfortable hiking in this garmet when the outside standing air temp is 20 degrees (F) or less. I have used it as a stand alone shell with a medium weight fleece shirt at -50 (F) windchills under moderate work load conditions and was very comfortable. I love the built in hand-sleeves when I have to take my gloves off. The pit zips work okay. The hood needs additional adjustments and fits "okay" but annoyingly with a climbing helmet. And, finally North face decided to put hand pockets into a climbing garmet!

Customer Service

I have had good luck with a 14 year old original Goretex jacket. The goretex had become "delaminated" (their words). NorthFace sent me a check to buy a brand new mountain light, which cost me about $75 more than the warranty check.

Similar Products Used:

NOrth Face Windy Pass
North Face Pamir (original style w/ hood)
North Face Expedition 300 wt. fleece jacket
North Face Mountain Light
Marmot Mountain Light

When I began shopping for a windstopper fleece jacket, the Ak-Su had all the features that I was looking for and then some. So when I found one on sale for $140 I picked it up in a hurry. I got the jacket and overall pleased with the jacket, but there are a few things that I find very annoying and remind me why I stopped buying north face gear. I don't have a piece(5) of north face gear that I have not modified in some way, except a sleeping bag, and the Ak-Su is no exception. The hand cuffs were sized for kids. The hole that the four fingers come out of is way too small, it squeezes my fingers together and is pretty uncomfortable after about 15 min. The wrist cuff is also way too tight and does not strech enough. Taking the coat off is a minor undertaking of squeezing and pulling that got annoying after the third time. I have solved these problems by sewing a one inch long section on elsatic into the hand cuffs and also in the wrist cuff. It is not the prettiest job but I don't have to tug and pull to get the coat off now. The hood is a nice feature, but I question why it only has the draw string around the front and no draw string at eye level. Another thing I will probally fix. I have never had to modify any other brand of gear I have bought. I also don't like the huge contrasting logo on the front and back, the black marker will be taken to these soon. Overall the jacket is good if you don't mind taking the time to modify it. In my mind The North Face is barely hanging to the bottom rung of the better gear makers becuase their gear does not seem to show the same amount of thought that others put into their gear.

Similar Products Used:

Marmot, Patagonia

The Ak-Su jacket by The North Face is made of Gore Windstopper fleece, and has a non-stowable hood, making it one of only two jackets with hoods I know of made of Windstopper, the other being the North Face Soloist. The jacket is generously cut and sized long to cover your butt. It has integral wrist overs, like gloves without fingers as part of the sleeves, so there’s no way the sleeve ever rides up. The wrist over is only mildly in the way when you go to put on gloves, and your hands stay warmer when you take your gloves off. I didn’t think I’d like the wrist overs at first, but they turned out to be one of the jacket’s best features. You can put your whole hand through the finger hole if you don’t want to wear it over your hand.
The jacket has a nylon yoke and nylon patches on the underside of the arms to the elbow. It has large, accessible, nylon trimmed pit zips. It has one handed shock cord drawstrings at the bottom hem to seal out the cold and shock cords with cord locks to mold the hood to your face. The hand warmer pockets are also trimmed with nylon fabric. It has one zippered internal pocket. The sleeve cuffs are bound with Lycra.
The long cut, the hood, and the extensive nylon trim make it heavier than other Windstopper garments, though with the trim it should last pretty much forever. It is toasty warm and seems warmer than other Windstopper pieces. It’s definitely meant to be an outer garment in dry, cool to cold weather, though it could also be layered. It’s a little heavy to take backpacking if you have to take a shell along, too. It’s perfect for dry weather climbing, general cold weather camp wear and commuting to work in the winter on my bicycle

I sure with The North Face would stop putting their large, garish logos on their stuff. The jacket has a big white logo on the front, one on the back yoke, and a “Gore Windstopper” logo embroidered on the sleeve. My favorite gloves are North Face Pamir gloves, also made of windstopper fleece. They have a North Face logo as well as Gore Windstopper embroidered on the glove back. When you read from the fingertips up my arm to the chest and down my other arm, it says The North Face Gore Windstopper Gore Windstopper The North Face Gore Wingstopper The North Face, which seems a little ridiculous. I feel like a walking advertisement. I am a walking advertisement.

The jacket retails for $275 which is absurdly high. I paid $102.93, but got lucky. It’s worth far more than $102.93. It might even be worth the $275.

Similar Products Used:

Mountain Hardwear Tech Fleece jacket

This jacket works great. The fleece is very soft, but the windstopper membrane makes it less stretchy then regular fleece. It is absolutely windproof, which allows you to wear it in much colder conditions without a shell. It is much warmer than 200 wt polartec fleece. Large pitzips allow good ventilation.