The North Face Evolution Triclimate

Having reviewed the Amplitude Triclimate recently, I thought I'd also review a similar jacket, The North Face Evolution Triclimate. This is another triclimate jacket with a Hyvent outer jacket and a fleece inner jacket. In fact the outer jacket is exactly the same as the Amplitude Triclimate outer! The difference is in the inner jackets - the Amplitude has a Heatseeker insulated jacket whereas the Evolution has a fleece inner jacket, making it a little cheaper. The outer jacket is made from Hyvent, North Face's DWR fabric that is around half as waterproof as Gore-Tex but possibly slightly more breathable as it doesn't have a membrane in the material as the Gore-Tex does. You only really need to worry about the waterproofness of the jacket if you're going to be out in the rain all day, if you are, The North Face have a new Gore-Tex triclimate out for Autumn/Winter 2008 - the All Terrain Triclimate (which I'll be reviewing soon!).

Back to the Evolution though - it's a good looking jacket made from reasonably thick material, so good for situations where you'll be active. There are pit-zips for some extra ventilation, helpful in cold weather when you don't want to unzip the jacket and let your neck get cold! The inner jacket is a standard fleece jacket with, well, pockets and zips and a drawcord. Nothing to write home about, but it does the job - it's a medium weight so should do for reasonably cold weather. This is a good jacket if you want a high quality waterproof and breathable jacket with a zip-in fleece that suits most casual and outdoor activities without paying a fortune. And let's not forget that it looks good too - The North Face is definitely paying attention to styling these days!

As always, this is available both in-store and online, in both Men's and Women's versions:
The North Face Evolution Triclimate