Waterproof: The North Face Hydrogen Jacket
20th Mar 2009
Weighing in at 87g this is a seriously light zipped waterproof shell. It may not be breathable (rip-stop nylon), but then again it’s not designed for trekking with a heavy sack on. This is the perfect garment for stashing in your pack (or even your pocket) when out and about. If it rains – hey presto you’ve got a fully waterproof shell that you barely noticed carrying with you
Features wise it is pretty basic, hence the low weight. With non-adjustable eradicated cuffs and waist and a single miniature pocket just big enough for a small mobile phone or set of keys, oh and some reflective logos to make you more visible at night.
In use it fared very well. I literally do take it with me whenever I go out these days, and have used it biking, running, walking and climbing. When biking the lack of adjustment around the waist means that it flaps around (and spray from my mud-guardless back wheel soaked my lower back which was irritating). The tiny pocket is a shade too small for my liking, but otherwise it’s a fantastically lightweight addition to my wardrobe that is seeing a lot of use. Importantly it comes with a small stuffsack which will surely prolong its bottom-of-rucksack life.
Reviewed by Matt Heason on behalf of planetFear