THE NORTH FACE

As of 1st Feb 2011, i am in a sponsorship agreement with The North Face!!! I'm very pleased and look forward to representing them in Singapore this year. The North Face, Inc. is an outdoor products company specializing in outerwear, fleece, footwear and equipment such as backpacks, tents and sleeping bags. The clothing and equipment lines are catered towards wilderness chic, climbers, mountaineers, skiers, snowboarders, hikers and endurance atheletes.

I've used some of their products over the last couple of years but the one thing which i absolutely cannot do without when i travel overseas is the Men's Nuptse Jacket.

This is a classic puffy 700 goose down fill jacket that thrives in cold weather conditions. It features an emergency hood, velcro adjustable cuff tabs and 2 hand pockets.

How does a down jacket keep you warm? Basically the jacket works by preventing heat loss from your body into the surroundings. Heat generated by the body is kept within the jacket itself, thereby insulating you against the cold weather.

Why i love this jacket? A couple of reasons:

1) Super light and super warm. The jacket weighs in at 782grams as compared to most synthetic jackets which weigh more then twice as much. I've been to crags where its between 0-10 degrees celsius and all i needed to wear underneath this jacket was a short/long sleeve t-shirt. No additional layers required. It also keeps the wind at bay and resists against a high wind chill, keeping you nice and warm.

2) Convenient. As this jacket eliminates the hassle of having to wear multiple layers of clothing, all i need to do at the crag is to take this jacket off and start cranking.

3) Water resistant. Keeps you dry in light showers.

4) Packs down small. Jacket can be stowed away into one of it's pockets. Useful when packing for a trip overseas.

I've had this jacket for 5 years now and absolutely love it. For the uninitiated, it really sucks big time to be cold and shivering at the crag. I can assure you that you will remember it for life.....after personally having my arse frozen off at the top of ceuse a couple of years ago.