The North Face Himalayan Parka

Decent jacket, but needs some fine tuning. The arms are the biggest let down, need more baffles to keep down in place.

Live in the far north Canada, -40° is way too common for my liking, and the jacket is pretty good except for the arms. It's way too warm to wear in -20°, unless you're just sitting around. If you're walking -30° to 40°. Not good for strenuous activity like skiing or biking, waaaaay too hot.

When the wind is howling it gets in through the bottom. An easy fix would be a powder skirt and a draw cord around the waist.

The XL fit is perfect. I'm used to getting an XL and it being designed for fat people. This XL fits perfect with just enough room for some serious layering if ever needed.

Not sure if the arm issue is just me, but it's the worst I've come across. My last parka was a Mammut and it didn't have the arm issue nearly as bad as. Before that was a RAB and again, not nearly as bad.  

My buddy got the Mountain Hardwear Absolute Zero and it's got the same arm issue.

Cheers and stay warm 

I have one of the original Himalayan Parkas made by the North Face way back in the 80's. It has helped keep me warm through some long Arctic winters, with temperatures dropping to -50C and colder.

It compresses well, into a small bundle, great for packing, yet when unstuffed it regained its loft quickly. The hood is exceptional and fits like a good sleeping bag. The outer material is both windproof and down proof, seams are all tuck-stitched eliminating snags.

Full baffling throughout has maintained the loft of this parka at about six inches and after 25 years of hard use I’d say that was pretty good. However, mine is an old “Brown Label” item made in the USA and I can’t say much about the newer models in particular or the direction the North Face has been heading in general.

This jacket is hands down the most expensive jacket I've ever bought. It's also the warmest. 

I've worn this in negative degree weather, without any layers underneath, and it still felt like a furnace.

The monkey hand gloves are awesome. They allow you to take your hands out of your gloves without your hands freezing and the neck zippers up far enough to keep heat from escaping through the collar. 

My only advice to a would be buyer is to buy it for what it was intended to be used for; frigid outdoor temperatures. It's not the kind of coat you wear to the mall. 

As far as complaints about it...my only complaint is that it doesn't come in women's sizes. My wife would love one.

Lifesaving jacket. Exactly everyone needs this to approach 8000 meter peaks.