ashenBy now you are quite familiar with some of the brands popular for manufacturing outdoor clothing, since we introduced most of them in our posts of travel wear. They are renowned and recognized in the industry because of the nature of their products, the durability plus the functionality. Customers who opt for these brands are less likely to suffer a loss or deal with a low class product. They have earned their reputation for a long time and are continuing to do so. So in today’s post we will compare two of the most popular brands within the outdoor enthusiasts community. We will take a brief glimpse of how these companies emerged, how they compete with each other and some of their top recommended products. Stick with us for the Marmot vs The North Face debate and find out which is the best for you.
Marmot vs The North Face: How They Began And Evolved
Before diving headlong into the product comparisons of both the companies, it is better to gain an understanding of the history and what strategies they implemented to reach their success with outdoor gear and clothing. Let’s begin with Marmot;
Marmot
According to Marmot “It All Started on an Alaskan Glacier in 1971” when Eric Reynolds and Dave Huntley bunked school and started a social club for climbing mountains instead. If anyone wants to join, they have to climb a peak first and then serve as president of the club. Soon they launched Marmot Mountain Works where they began making sleeping bags and parkas. And later in 1973 with the inclusion of Tom Boyd, they expanded the prototypes and manufactured down vests, sleeping bags and sweaters. It was in 1974 that they emerged an astounding win, when they were asked to design and produce Golden Mantle Parkas for a Clint Eastwood movie which was named The Eiger Sanction.
The innovations continued in 1976 when they used GORE-TEX in their products making them the first American company to do so. This made a rapid boost of their product popularity and brand recognition. Since then, Marmot has evolved to Women’s war and other outdoor gear with enhanced quality, durability and lightweight material with optimum functionality. The latest achievement was the Warm Cube Technology in 2020. Outdoor clothing is Marmot’s primary product, but they also produce excellent quality tents and other outdoor gear that are well received by campers and hikers.
The North Face
The North Face is a bit older than Marmot and has been operating since 1966 which makes them over 50 years old. Interestingly their journey began in San Francisco’s North Beach neighborhood despite their fame of mountain gear and clothing. Two hiking enthusiasts chose this location to open up a small mountaineering retail store. The group progressed as climbing and backpacking equipment manufacturers good enough to sponsor expeditions to far corners of the world. They launched extreme skiwear products by early 1980s and since then they have secured their spot among the outdoor enthusiast community. With their product quality continuously evolving and diversifying, The North Face is now one of the most trusted and go to brands of explorers.
Marmot vs The North Face: Product Materials And Build Quality
We have already talked about their materials in our previous posts. However we will have a bit more than an overview here to get a better understanding. Let’s start with The North Face.
The North Face
GORE-TEX® is one of the first and foremost technologies that they partnered with. It is lightweight, breathable and provides protection against the rain and snow. The tiny pores in GORE-TEX allows the perspiration to pass while blocking external water entering.
North Face too have developed their own technology for fabrics that are breathable and waterproof and that is called Dry Vent. It is lighter and flexible because it is PU-based fabric engineered where the water is repelled from the outer surface. WindWall and FlasDry are two other forms of fabric. The latter as the name implies dries quickly and is breathable. The WindWall is for protection against strong gusts of wind and rain. However FUTURELIGHT is their ultimate fabric technology against bad weather.
They call it their most advanced and breathable waterproof technology. Some layers are created with 90% recycled material and are ultra-thin. Being nature friendly is another aspect of the north face products that contributed to their reputation. As for insulation, they utilize two types of technologies. One is the well known Goose Down insulation. They test the gown for loftiness, moisture resistance and ability to regain loft after compression. The fill power of the down they use is of the highest power commercially available. Meaning the products are high quality and durable. Next stage of insulation is Thermoball which is a result of a partnership with PrimaLoft®. And the results were very impressive, insulating even when wet and remarkably sustaining cold.
Marmot
Marmot too essentially started off with the same Nylon and Polyester and then later evolved into top quality fabrics. They too began the product material journey with GORE-TEX followed by EVODry and NanoPro. EVODry was made from recycled material for complete wind and rain protection. NanoPro as the name implies is a microporous coating for better breathability while waterproofing. Polartec is an advanced fabric manufactured for harsh conditions and intense activities.
Some insulation technologies are Featherless, PrimaLoft and the latest trend called WarmCube. It is a 3D baffle construction that creates maximum loft for optimum warmth. And the tech is not limited just to these elements. There’s so much more to Marmot. Some of them are Down Defender, COOLMAX, AirExchange and SolarShield. The functionalities are diversified and collectively work for the best product experience. Some of them are even apt for warm weather. They optimize condensation exchange, protection against UV rays, warmth and light weightedness.
Also the significant fact to be noted is that Marmot too, just like The North Face, manufactures products with the least impact on nature. Some such measures are eliminating inks containing PWC and Phtalate in manufacturing products.
Marmot vs The North Face: Popular Products
To complete our comparison, let us take a quick look at some of their famous products such as tents and jackets and see how they rival against each other. Let us begin with some of the marmot vs the north face jackets.
Marmot Featherless Jacket vs The North Face Men’s Tall Thermoball Jacket
The Marmot jacket has 3M Thinsulate Recycled Featherless Insulation which is almost good as 700 fill power down. Zippered hand pockets, Elastic bound cuffs and Elastic drawcord are some other notable features of this Marmot jacket. Also the Zippin system allows you to attach it directly with the pants, blocking any possible entry of raindrops or that sort of thing from the outside. It is also hoodless and weighs 12.3oz.
The North Face jacket on the other hand uses the ThermoBall technology we talked about earlier. 100% Nylon with DWR finish for the material of the shell. Polyester with DWR finish in the hand pockets to maximize cold spot reduction. This is one of the most praised jackets of The North Face also hoodless.
Marmot PreCip Eco Pant vs The North Face Men’s Paramount Active Convertible Pant
The materials used in both the pants are almost identical. The Marmot Precip uses PFC-free DWR Marmot NanoPro nylon ripstop fabric with fully sealed seams. TNF uses Elastane, Polyester and a DWR coating. Both are stretchy, breathable and comfortable. Marmot has two zipper pockets while TNF has only one and another welted pocket on the back right. Additionally, Marmot has the ankle side zips with snap tabs at cuffs for better customizing your journey. Both the pants keep earning good vibes from the customers all around the globe despite the manufacturing changes. Common compliments include great versatility, breathability, non restricted mobility and comfort, mostly for the folks who are cycling.
Marmot vs The North Face Outdoor Gear
Next we will take a peek at tents for both the companies are pioneers in high grade camping gear and tents are a reasonable comparison. We chose to compare Marmot Halo 4 Person Family Camping Tent and The North Face Alpine Guide Tent 3-Person 4-Season, although it mightn’t be entirely fair.
The North Face Alpine Guide tent is made out of Nylon, Polyurethane and Fabric. Weighs 7lbs and is enough for 3 people. It is highly breathable because of the dual top vents to boost airflow and the material. You can also secure all of your camping gear because the tent has ample space to house all of its occupants. Floor Area 38.4 square feet Vestibule Area 27.5 square feet. The tent is easily accessible and withstands any harsh weather condition.
Marmot Halo 4 tent is also made out of the same material and can host up to 4 people along with the camping gear remaining secure too. Seam taped full coverage fly with vents and interior pockets for ease of organization. For entrances you get one super-sized double door and one side D shaped door. Overall a tent that has received a lot of positive feedback with the occasional complaint of less headroom.
Conclusion
As you can see clearly now, both the brands have a profound reputation backed up by years of well received service. Therefore it is quite difficult to point out one directly and say that it’s the best out there. When it comes to price, the north face is pretty expensive compared to Marmot. Rightfully so, because of the nature of material and build quality. Especially the jackets specifically for extreme weather conditions. The Marmot gear and wearables on the other hand are less expensive, stylish and also functional. Some of them might not carry the extreme measures taken by the north face to enhance optimum functionality. But they are still widely used and are great even for the toughest weather conditions.
As a final verdict, I guess it is safe to say that the north face jackets perform well in extreme cold conditions whereas the Marmot is effective with any weather condition. Also the Marmot jackets are affordable and lighter in weight. However in terms of outdoor gear, Marmot produces better products but the warranty is limited. The North Face products come with lifetime warranty. In the end this guide is just to shed some light on both the brands. The end choice is yours and it is according to the nature of your travel.
