Type: Ski Jacket

Deceptive at first glance. I picked it up and looked it over, wondering why something so light could have a higher price point. But once I slipped it on, it made perfect sense.

It's a jacket that's made to keep you warm under extreme conditions, especially the ones brought on by getting involved in winter sports and activities.

The coat has to fit the bill of keeping you toasty whether you're moving and having powdered snow trying to get inside, or when you're standing still and waiting your turn for the ski lift.

So tally all that up. This coat needs to keep out not just cold, but wind and rain and snow and it claims to do all that.

Who is The Jacket For?

It's designed for people that are going to be in the cold for extended periods of time. It's especially for anyone who is going to be actively engaging the elements. As in not just walking into the rain and snow, but kicking it up. Maybe even falling in it.

Very Lightweight

This almost made me turn the coat down at the store. When a coat feels light like this, I instantly think that the wind is going to cut right through it. But I took the time to try it on and, well, I bought it.

I did some digging and found out that this jacket takes advantage of something called Futurelight. It's a technology that allows the outer membrane of the jacket to be woven so tightly that it's waterproof and windproof, but it also lets air in and out. So no water in. Excess body heat out.

And since that critical function is done on the outer surface of the coat, there isn't the need to compensate for trespassing ice and snow with extra layers. Cool, huh?

Plenty of Pockets

Storage space is not an issue with this jacket. There are four pockets on the outside. Two are for your hands and two seem to be made for storing your phone since there's a means of threading your earbud wires into the pocket. "Media Port" seems to be the technical term.

There are a couple of pockets specifically dedicated to storing your goggles. If you don't mind that the maker has made the assumption that you ski, then there's one space for your goggles and one space for your goggle wipes. It's not something I would have thought to include in a coat, so I feel like I've bought something with more than one piece of built-in innovation.

Snap-Away Powder Skirt

Here's another doodad I wouldn't have thought to include. Where I'm from, if you want to keep the snow out, you just wear a longer coat. But this feature is the ultimate safeguard against invasive snow. When I'm plowing through the soft stuff and it's going all around me like a cloud, it's trying to find its way into every opening.

It even tries to get inside the back of my coat. If there's a way to explain that with science, I can't find it.

But this adjustable skirt that stays close to you body keeps the powder snow out so you don't get ice and water into sensitive places. It's probably one of my favorite parts of this jacket. I don't feel like I have to hold my breath when I hit the slopes.

Ventilation Zippers

I'm one of those people that is either too hot or too cold. My covers in bed are completely on or completely off. Either the AC is blasting or the heat is pushing me into "rotisserie" status.

It's hard to find that happy medium when I'm out on the slopes especially. Unzipping my coat feels like overkill.

So this jacket's ventilation zippers around the arms are the perfect answer. I don't have to unzip the whole thing and let the North Wind inside to turn my sweat into icicles. And neither do I have to endure a buildup of heat.

Again, this is a warm jacket. You will have heat that you'll want to dissipate.

The North Face Lostrail Jacket Alternatives

My Recommendation

If you don't mind spending a little more than the average cost of a coat, then this jacket is going to be taking care of you on a near-perfect level.

The closest thing that I can compare this to is the drysuit that some deep-sea divers use. Even though the water is all around them, their bodies stay totally dry.

Same for this coat. With the powder skirt, the special technology (gore tex) that went into the outer wall, and the light-but-snug design, you can be all up in winter's face and it won't get inside. Unless, you know... you want it to. If you're weird like that, there are much cheaper jackets than this one.

Co-Author: Ruby Young

I am based in West Virginia, USA, but I travel extensively throughout Europe and the USA, who enjoys, travel, skiing and snowboarding. I try to combine the things I love with my work, so I write articles about things I find interesting that I discover in my life.