The North Face  Alta Vista Rain Jacket - Men's

I was very excited about this jacket and initially thought it was the best among five different brands I tried. I used it for a couple of hiking trips in conditions that were mostly foggy and windy, where it performed well. However, I’ve spent the last two months in Mexico City, where it rains every day—ideal weather for testing its waterproof capabilities. Unfortunately, I found that this is not a true rain jacket. It allows water to permeate almost immediately—while not 100% of the rain, enough to soak through and wet my T-shirt within a few minutes.

This product runs pretty well to size. I'm 5'5" and weigh 150 lbs and Small fits very well, enough for me to wear as is, or with some layers underneath. I pack this for every trip (mostly overseas vacationing in cities) as it's an excellent outer shell that is waterproof and helps with wind. My last trip to NZ was in Aug-Sept during the worse of the rainy-winter season. It held up extremely well. For layers, I'd wear long sleeve fleece, and maybe a 100% cotton undergarment and was quite comfortable. Combined with rain paints, I was gale-force wind/rain proof. This is a tremendous bargain with other Rain Jackets typically costing over $150. And North Face is the default status logo for native NZ'landers and looks good. Summary: Tremendous Value, Well-Designed (velcro, zips, hood ties, all in the right places), Waterproof, and does it's job as a shell.

Not what I expected papers thin rain jacket .Very disappointing.

[This review was collected as part of a promotion.] Previous to this jacket, I had a Hyvent that lasted around 7 years and needed to be replaced because the waterproof insulation started to break apart, so the standard is set really high. I bought this as a replacement, and the fit is a bit snug, since I live in a country with a really hot weather, this is not an issue, but if you need to use layers you have to take that in consideration while selecting de right size. I must say I'm not a fan of the rain cap hanging all the time as a hoodie, but that aside, I think this jacket is really worth the price. Keeps you completly dry and I really like thte pit-zip venting, this makes a whole difference while hiking.

Just picked this up a few weeks ago. Great fit and love the armpit zip vents which I used extensively during a recent warm and rainy (very) trip. Was able to compare this jacket with someone who had a water resistant one and while I stayed completely dry I can't say that for the other person!!

Try wearing this jacket in the rain. Bad idea, got all wet, my other $50 bucks jacket works better than this

Jacket fits well but the under arm zippers should be closed prior to getting into. Fabric is thin but retains heat well and is water proof as described. I won't use it for outside heavy working conditions, just for walking around and light duty activities. It's perfect for watching baseball/football games or during downpoors going to and from the store. It can be folded up easily for backpacks and carry on luggage and is great for the coastal weather conditions.

I've worn this a few times in spitting, cool rain in the Driftless Region and it's kept my upper body completely dry. It's also pretty warm, which I very much appreciated in May's cold mornings. The only downside is that it's so stiff, the hood doesn't turn with my head. When I look left or right, I see the inside of the hood. But, I was in and out of a white pine plantation, brushing up against soaked boughs which would drop a slug of water on my head, and I never got wet, so pick your poison, I guess. If you're working, it's ideal. If you're birding, you might want to find a more flexible jacket.

a good jacket for misty weather. BUT, definitely NOT waterproof as advertised.

TLDR Overall: 10/10 No price factor: 9/10 Breathability: 8/10(mechanical pit vents and gore tex exterior) Waterproofing: 7/10 Packability: 10/10(packs into chest pocket with a zipper to close it) This shell is about the best you can get for this price range and is super quality, I got mine on a discounter for 60 but I would easily pay the 150 for this so you totally get what you pay for and more. This is a gore tex shell with taped stiching on the inside(important) a hood tightening cord, mechanical pit zip ventilation, wrist tightness velcro adjusters, chest pocket that the whole jacket easily stows into, a waist pull cord to tighten, and zippable pockets. There are a couple stickout issues that might make a lot of people reach for more expensive alternatives, the jackets breathability is excellent although i wish the zips went further down for better ventilation. The gore tex nylon is good nothing crazy or revolutionary, and when paired with north face mid and insulation layers you can get full breathability down to your base layers which is nice. Ive used this thing in light and heavy rain and like normal gore-tex jackets with enough water this thing will clog up and leak but the mechanical vents help prevent condensation on both sides which slows that process of clogging but again thats pretty standard as far as gore-tex shells go. The thing is light and I wear a large and medium mid layers so I sized up to a xxl because it had a good sale but regular xl would have been better. As far as negatives go there are certainly a few. First the internal taping on the stitching allows water to seep in specifically in the lower half of the jacket. This isnt a problem in light rain but in heavy rain with lots of wind where the whole jacket is covered it allows for some condensation internally. my biggest issues however come from the hood and the pockets. The pockets are not waterproofed internally so if any water enters that from the edge of a sleeve or anything else you will get wet, keeping these pockets zipped at all times is a must to keep dry or else water will absolutely enter. The hood tends to depress in the middle when worn with the head directly in the back of the hood, that is how i wear it so that the water can drip off the front. when this happens however the hood makes an "M" shape with a depression in the middle that lowers visibility, maybe this is an issue with how much I sized up but who knows so buyer beware. However besides those issues this jacket is amazing and outperforms jackets in the 200-25 dollar price range, you can find this thing on good discounts around 60% off and is totally worth MSRP as well.