The North Face Denali Jacket

If you buy one piece of The North Face gear you should probably get this jacket. The Denali is just fashionable enough to wear out at night and just nice enough for me to wear to work everyday. The 300 series Polartec polyester fleece is warm enough to wear into the 40's or 50's over a t-shirt and also has just enough wind resistant to stand up to about 10 mph gusts. The polyster is also naturally hydrophobic so when it gets wet it retains heat and dries quickly. You can shake this jacket and watch the water come off.

For the outdoors the Denali holds up as a solid 3 season backpacking jacket. It is a little heavy and oversized for my taste but its versatility has forced me to bring it along regardless of its shortcomings. The polyester breathes well while insulating and the shoulder fabric is strong enough to endure hours with backpack straps rubbbing against it. I think my favorite thing about it is that it makes the perfect camp pillow. Fold the jacket up a few times, stick it in a soft shirt, and you have the perfect vehicle to rest your head on. It is warm and soft and does not compress too much (like a down jacket) or spread flat to be uncomfortable by the end of the night. I enjoy using this as a backpacking pillow so much I have considered bringing it on summer trips when I truly did not need it.

Pretty much everyone I know has one of these jackets for wearing around town, but few people realize this is an excellent piece of gear for backpacking. My only complaint is that it should be a little more stout against the wind; if it was I would bring this jacket on every backpacking trip.