The North Face  McMurdo Down Parka - Men's

I had high expectations for the North Face McMurdo Parka, but this has been one of the most disappointing purchases I’ve made — both in product quality and in how North Face has handled my warranty claim. From the start, down feathers kept coming out of the inner lining, leaving my clothes covered and the insulation compromised. When the parka gets wet, it develops a musty, unpleasant odor, which is completely unacceptable for outerwear supposedly built for harsh weather. On top of that, the faux fur trim constantly sheds, even though it’s never been used or handled roughly. I reached out to North Face for support, assuming they’d stand behind their product. Instead, I’ve been met with dismissiveness and deflection. They’ve repeatedly claimed that feather loss is “normal,” despite this being a new parka. Worse, they completely ignored my concerns about the musty smell and the faux fur shedding. No resolution, no accountability — just a carefully worded brush-off that feels like gaslighting. As a first-time North Face customer, this experience has been incredibly frustrating. I expected better from a brand that markets itself as a leader in quality and performance. Instead, I’m left with an expensive parka that underperforms and a company that refuses to acknowledge obvious defects. Save your money. Look elsewhere. This isn’t the brand it used to be.

In fact, it’s VERY warm. With the appropriate layers it’ll probably do what I bought it to do - keep me from freezing on an arctic vacation. However, I was shocked at the lack of features to adjust the fit of the jacket. It’s got a very generous cut, which is helpful for giving room for those extra layers, but I would expect a $400 jacket to have drawcords at the waist and hem and, ideally, one on the back of the hood to allow you to adjust the jacket for an ideal fit. This parka has none of those options. Older models of this product did from what I saw in online reviews. Seems bizarre that TNF chose to cheap out there.

Less fill than previous 550 version - compared side by side. Sleeve length runs short on XL while torso becomes tent like, with no draw cord at bottom or waist. Hood has very limited adjustment and pulls down past your nose... North Face has done everything to back out cost of this once great parka. Now with recycled down of no specific quality or source, while skimping on actual fill weight. Be certain to try on in store before considering this parka.

I purchased this for my son after looking into many different brands of warm down jackets. I have over 30 years of textile design and technical background in Apparel and based on this experience I’m very disappointed in the construction and quality. 1. Fill weight: does not feel like the quoted fill weight. Only way to truly check is too technical to explain. 2. Fabric quality: very wrinkled even after hanging for a week. Hand feel is very rough and feels thin. If you look closely, the fibers from the yarns are breaking so it looks like there’s lint. But it really means it’s poor quality fabric because the yarns used are poor quality causing breakage. For the average customer I don’t think these issues would be noticeable but it does bother me. And for the price, even for the sale price I purchased it for, I don’t think it’s worth it. But everyone is different and has different opinions.

This coat is very warm, however there was feathers poking out everywhere, throughout the inner lining the body, the shoulders, etc. After taking it off, my fleece mid-layer would be covered in feathers, with the sharp quill poking through the fleece. When walking around or driving around town, I would feel sharp edges of the quill poking through the parka lining, poking through my fleece, and poking my skin. My friend had bought the same McMurdo parka a year before me, from TNF directly, and his inner lining was much thicker, with no feather leakage. The stitching binding the velcro to this coat also began to fall apart after a few weeks of wear. Thankfully the return process at REI was easy.

Been using this coat for a few weeks. Inside fill constantly leaks and sticks to my outfit. The sound of velcro being undone every time I need to unzip my jacket is also embarrassing. Wish this jacket used buttons instead of velcro. Anything in the hand pockets will fall out unless they're zipped up as well. I regret purchasing this. The only redeeming quality of this jacket is that it's warm enough for a Midwestern winter.

I needed a new coat in 2025 for winter in Chicago. So far I’ve worn the McMurdo Parka through 5 inch snowstorms, brutal wind, and frigid cold. It’s got everything needed to withstand that - warmth, windproof, lots of pockets for storage of gloves/phone/keys/chapstick, etc. All of the zippers work well (i.e., smoothly, and they don’t get caught). I’m 6’1, 165 pounds and normally like my winter coats to have room for bulky sweaters. I ordered a medium and it’s a good fit. The coat runs a little bit on the larger size, so I would suggest sizing down if between two sizes. Important to get the right fit because the coat doesn’t cinch - if too bulky, cold air will blow up from the bottom. That’s why I chose a medium after trying a large. Looking forward to wearing this coat for many winters to come.

The zipper didn't last two weeks. I bought this on sale for the following winter so the website is telling me the time to return it is over. The dry cleaner says their seamstress cannot replace the zipper. I bought this item thinking that REI has a good return policy but this is not the case. I regret this purchase and will not be coming back.

I was going to purchase the North Face parka even before the price was lowered, I applied for the REI credit card and saved more. The parka is still a little stiff but will relax the more it's worn. Its warm on those early mornings walks with the dog.

I did a lot of comparisons to land on the McMurdo Parka. The down fill is plush and allows the coat to be worn in freezing temperatures with comfortably.