Was North Face Better Quality 10 Years Ago? - North Face Nuptse Review

The North Face Nuptse jacket became an immediate classic in the 1990s worn as much on the streets as it was on the backs of outdoor adventurers. But as of maybe 2 or 3 years ago, the puffer jacket came back in a big way and looking for a nice warm jacket last winter, I picked one up.

Here's the thing - I recently came across my friends 10 year old Nuptse and immediately saw some differences. Both are jackets are 100% authentic, both are North Face main label but their Nuptse had detailing and material differences from mine. I initially thought "woah, is your North Face a higher quality than mine??" What gives? In today's episode I attempt to answer the question and I encourage you guys to let me know below if you have more info about the Nuptse riddle.

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My equipment:

[johnharris]

As an outdoorsman, I've seen other brands such as Arc'teryx rise to the top for tech-outerwear quality while North Face started to position themselves as more of a fashion brand. There are tech pieces out now that aren't as bulky and just as warm, so the Nuptse falls more into the fashion category IMO. Maybe that's why they left out the collar lining and inner pocket?? That being said, TNF really is the only brand that is blending the world of fashion and techy outdoor wear (collabs with Maison Margiela, Gucci, Supreme, TNF Black Series, etc.)

[LOGICAL-JAY]

They were stronger back in 1994.. i miss "tent and trails" store that use to be located downtown manhattan..back then you could find top notch northface products there..i still own my 1994 black north face himalayan baltoro gore dryloft(which was later rebranded as summit series in 2000) and its superior to the newer released version of today

[xiiSamiix]

Christian, I really appreciate your videos. Keep it up! I love seeing you make your mark on Fashion YouTube. Videos like this don't really exist and are very informative! Thanks!

[PrincipalSkinner]

Lol people buying 30 year old helmut lang blank Tee's for $200 cause "They just don't make em like these anymore"

[michealvick]

I think the biggest difference between the two is who the target customer was at the time, i remember around 2012 everyone in middle school and early highschool trying to get a northface fleece pull over. Synthetic insulators have some benefits over down when wet, such as not loosing loft, and drying quickly (wool also insulates when wet but it doesnt dry quickly). Its like arcteryx their products where for a long time aimed strictly at climbers and military, but now thanks to their popularity in techwear and street wear some of their product offerings aren't aimed primarily at those two customers

[ryant]

A lot of assumptions here.

Your nuptse is based on a modern revision that they changed the nuptse to in the past 15-20 years until about 2016 when they (tnf) decided for the fall season to go back to their original design of the 4 baffle nuptse as it was originally. However they simply went from 5 baffles to 4. The 5 baffle ruled for many years prior. This resulted in less baffles, but a more puffy coat but the benefit is its warmer because as everyone knows the seams of baffles are cold spots since there is no down. Soon after they created the nuptse 2 which got rid of the reversible zipper on some batches. Originally the reversible zipper enabled it to be zipped into their mountain jacket or a few other triclimate shell jackets. They also added a flap on the collar to allow you to fold away your hood. Years later they have changed the styling again so it's now the retro 1996 nuptse with the reversible zipper but throughout the changes the past few years they've kept with the 4 baffle design. I'm not sure why yours has more baffles if it was bought recently. There were a few variations of nuptse with more baffles over the years but they had different names.

Regarding the textile, I've witnessed variations in seasonal batches of the north face nuptse jackets. A spring batch vs a fall batch saw changes to the shininess of the material and it was worse for the women's version as it was a noticeably heavier and thicker material. It wasn't the shine that changed it was the textile change that enabled it to be lighter and more packable which made it easier to pack into the inner chest pocket. I know you mentioned it would be more prone to rips and tears but realistically.. the jacket is an insulated mid-layer styled jacket and in order for you to wear it in day to day harsh conditions of the typical city-goer lifestyle, you'd need a shell over it as intended. This shell would protect the nuptse, provide the windproof and waterproof necessary to allow the nuptse to reach its full potential in keeping you warm, uninterrupted.

[BondyRips]

Great, informative video. Love how much effort and research goes into your vids, keep it up!

[kaidoshun]

dont know why i had the original nuptse from literally 1996 in my mind when you said 10 years ago.. man time is moving fast

[normansilver]

I have a North Face jacket I purchased new in 2004. I still wear it every winter. I did purchase another last year. Same type of jacket. Yes, the quality has gone down considerably BUT the prices are now not reasonable either.

[liamivarsson]

also, you should make a ”boxy sweatshirt guide” like the tshirt one!

[pradayou]

loved the video, appreciate the time that goes into them!

[sabrinab]

This is a really well researched video. I learned something new about down to feather ratios

[gaybrosvlog]

Can‘t believe that there‘s snow in October Lol

[robwasnj]

Interesting video, i have an original mountain jacket that I bought in 1986, it's extremely well made! But, if I recall it was something like $375 THEN so in today's money you could likely get an even better jacket. North Face was mountaineering gear back then, later it became a fashion brand but the quality still seems decent.

[jaffaorange]

Lining in the collar of my new 1996 Nuptse would have been nice. It just feels a bit cold at first, after putting it on.

[edtwyman]

The next video: Can you tell the difference between these two Christians?

[anthonyulasi]

Everyone’s quality is down from 10yrs ago let’s be fair.

[jamesclifton]

Awesome to hear John Mulaney give a review

I know absolutely nothing about jackets. But I know a thing or two about their hats. 10 years ago their baseball caps used brass buckles only, I still have one from 2008. These days they use plastic buckles yet charge the same price as a new era hat.

[jacksoninabox]

New drinking game: take a shot every time Christian says nuptse