Women's Apex Flex GTX Jacket: The North Face
Who says winter has to be cold and miserable?
The North Face ultra-soft, impossibly dry jacket engineered with Gore-Tex® will keep you looking adventure fashionable and undeniably dry whatever the conditions.
Our Leaders at Women Want Adventure tested the WOMEN'S APEX FLEX GTX JACKET to review it’s practically from hiking in the mountains to kayaking in the sea.
Full Review:
It only took a big down pour in Jervis Bay on Australia’s South Coast to quickly realise that if we could own only one jacket- this would be it.
The jacket does its job to keep water off. The Gore Tex soft-shell keeps you dry, which in turn helps to keep you warm. You can literally pour water on the sleeve and watch it roll off. This means it’s storm worthiness and a jacket we can trust.
The shape allows you to wear multiple under layers and keeps you well protected. Its high neck design is great for keeping the wind off your neck along with the spacious hood to keep your head dry. There are also adjustable strong to pull the hood tight around your head when it’s super windy.
While temperatures didn’t get below 6 degrees during our testing, we believe this jacket would keep us warm if they dropped any lower. There is an ultra-soft knit in the interior, which helps to keep you warm and comfortable.
The jacket performed better than we expected in raining conditions and we didn't have any issues with penetrating wind, due to its shell. On our kayaking adventure we particularly noticed its mobility when paddling. Usually a rain shell is hard and can be restrictive around the shoulders and arms. The jacket allows plenty of room to move and sweat too. We sweat a lot on our trips and there is nothing worse when you feel there is not room for ventilation.
Besides keeping us super dry, the jacket is also very stylish. Always a bonus to dash it up a little on the trails. We have the Coastal Blue although the jacket also comes in black and red. Nice.
What we didn’t like:
The shell prevents the jacket rolling up small in your backpack. We actually tied it in the back pocket on the outside of our bags and did up the zipper. Our thoughts were - if it were raining – we would be wearing it.
The Price:
$450. Expensive but an investment where you literally only need this jacket. You are paying for quality. View the jacket HERE.
The Verdict:
Overall, this jacket is a guarantee to keep you dry. The North Face are always on point with their jackets and we know this is one we can not only wear on our women’s adventures, but offer to ladies who may forget a jacket on a trip. We would never lend anything we didn’t love… and trust.
Photo by: Chris Burkard