When we started planning our arctic adventure to Lapland, we knew we would be in for a big change in climate—especially after spending the last winter in Vietnam, Costa Rica and Mexico, where we successfully managed to avoided winter weather completely. Needless to say I was a little nervous I would be horribly unprepared for temperatures below freezing, thoughts of frostbite and endless nights shivering uncontrollably running through my head. So with our flights booked to Stockholm in the dead of winter and nothing but swim shorts and suntan lotion in my bag, it was time to get some legitimate cold weather gear.
Enter the North Face Resolve Insulated Jacket.
I wore this jacket literally everyday for 2 months while traveling through Lapland—and I loved every second of it.
The first test was exploring the city of Stockholm. Casey and I love wandering through cities by foot, but it takes a good bit of insulation to walk around a city for 4-5 hours and stay warm and comfortable. The insulation in the North Face Resolve Jacket did a great job of staying warm and breathable, without feeling too bulky.
But Stockholm was child’s play compared to what would come next: the Arctic.
We threw everything at this jacket, from cross-country skiing to snowmobiling, even ice fishing and dog sledding. The North Face Resolve Insulated Jacked held up strong. I’ll have to admit I am not a very graceful cross-country skier. There were a couple of times I ended up on my back, but the jacket kept the snow out and the warmth in throughout the whole trip. Even when we were cruising across a frozen lake at 40 km an hour with the wind in our faces (this was snowmobiling, not cross-country skiing), the chill didn’t get to me.
Then we took the jacket to Norway. The Lofoton Islands gave us one heck of a rainstorm, but we grabbed our bikes and headed out anyway. No amount of wind or rain was able to penetrate through the jacket and I was able to stay high and dry. Though admittedly biking wasn’t all that great…
Now we’re in the south of France, where luckily the temperatures are a bit warmer and I don’t need to get all bundled up to step outside. However, I am still putting the jacket to good use. I’ve unzipped the removable insulation and now have a fashionable fleece to wear around while we’re sipping on wine at the hundreds of vineyards that surround us.
Here are my thoughts:
My Favorite Features
- The inner fleece has snaps on the sleeves to prevent the arms from sliding up when you remove the jacket.
- The snow skirt keeps wind and snow from entering through the bottom of the jacket.
- The hood is adjustable so that it fits onto your head and doesn’t get blown off in high winds.
- There’s a plethora of pockets inside and out.
Room for Improvement
- The hood felt a bit awkward. Though it’s adjustable, the top kept coming over my eyes, and I needed to wear a hat to push the visor up.
Overall, I would highly recommend the North Face Resolve Insulated Jacket. I received mine from Millets. The company boasts a large variety of outdoor gear, as well as travel accessories and gadgets.
I was sent my North Face Resolve Jacket in exchange for a review. I was not asked to write a positive review, or to wear the jacket daily for two months. Keepin’ it real with all my own thoughts, as always.
We are walking advertisements for North Face. After our first year in Japan at -12 we decided we needed to up the anti and get a really good jacket. Stacks of research later we bought North Face. LOVE it. Now if North Face is reading this I would like a deal with you. I think between us we own half of our products.
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This is my first time using a North Face and I don’t think I’ll wear anything else :-D
For somebody like me who absolutely dreads cold should buy this jacket. :) Thanks! I like your pics – the one where you are sitting inside a snow room.
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I am definitely not a cold weather fan either and I knew I would need something to keep me warm, especially while sleeping in the Snow Village! There is a saying that “there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes.” If you’ve got good clothing then you can take on just about anything :-D
Hi,
Thanks for the review. I’m thinking about buying either this jacket or the non-insulated Resolve. You mention in your review when in France that you were able to unzip the insulated lining and wear it as a fleece. This is the only place where this is mentioned.
Can you really unzip the insulated lining? If so, I’ll be getting this one.
Also, if you could post a pic of what the fleece looks like on its own after it’s unzipped, I would really appreciate it.
Cheers,
Steve
Hey! Thanks for reading. Yes The inside definitely does unzip – I wear the fleece all the time. It’s similar to most fleece jackets you’ll find on the market. I really love it. Unfortunately I’m in Costa Rica though, so don’t have it with me here to share a photo.