A Look at The North Face Pumori Down Jacket

Sport climbing, trad climbing, or bouldering in the winter often means getting the stickiest conditions of year – but only if you can handle the cold. Keeping warm in between boulder attempts is a really challenge, and any climber who has belayed in cold temps knows that too long of a belay can ruin your day, making numbing out during your next attempt on the wall inevitable.

While belaying or resting between attempts, cold weather climbers need a jacket that’s ultra-warm, but also lightweight and easy to pack down for the hike in. The North Face Summit Series Pumori Down Parka does the seemingly impossible, maximizing warmth while minimizing weight. Designed with alpine mountaineering adventures and winter backcountry expeditions in mind, the Pumori is also at home as a state-of-the-art down jacket for staying warm at the crag and boulders, allowing you to climb in the coldest conditions possible.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a puffier puffy than the Pumori. It re-lofts quickly after being unpacked and its 800-fill goose down bring exceptional warmth, rated to -25 degrees Celsius. The down used in its construction is The North Face’s proprietary ProDown, which is hydrophobic to keep you warm in the event the jacket gets wet. The outer nylon is coated with DWR to repel water but this is not a waterproof jacket. Pair it will a shell if you think it has a chance of getting wet.

Available in sizes men’s small to extra-extra large, the jacket only weighs a stunning 600 grams for the men’s medium. It comes with a stuff sack, shrinking down into the size of a volleyball, or even smaller if you really squish it down. The Pumori’s hood is helmet compatible and filled with ProDown to keep your neck and head warm. The hood is adjustable to find that perfect fit around the head and helmet.

The Pumori comes with two outer zippered hand pockets as well as two internal drop-in pockets for stowing items. The hand pocket zippers as well as the two-way front zip are high quality, with smooth action and easy operation while donning bulky gloves.

Compared to other jackets in its category, the Pumori has a loose, rectangular fit. For a given size, it easily fits over a harness and a few other layers of clothing. Surprisingly, the jacket doesn’t come with any elastic cords or straps around the waist or wrists, leaving the wearer unable to tighten up the fit. These were likely excluded for weight considerations, but they would have been a nice addition to help block out drafts.

Because the Pumori is constructed with ultra-light materials, it isn’t as durable as heavier, bulkier jackets. The outer fabric in particular is not built for sustained and frequent abrasion on rough rock. The jacket is best saved for alpine adventures, winter backcountry trips, and ultra-cold days out climbing where you need the warmest of jackets to keep the heat in. With its high price tag, you might not want to use the Pumori as your workhorse puffy, getting stuffed in and out of your pack all fall, winter, and spring.

Although the Pumori will stand up to the cold temps of Calgary or Toronto, it doesn’t look like a typical “city” puffy jacket. It’s a highly technical piece of kit, and it looks the part. The boxy cut, shiny metallic colours, and oversized hood make it look much more in place in the mountains than walking around downtown.

If you’re a climber that mountaineers, skies or hikes backcountry, and/or climbs in the coldest of conditions and is worried about weight – and you’ve got the budget – then you can’t go wrong with the Pumori. It brings an unparalleled combination of warmth, lightweight packability, and technical ability in the harshest environments winter can throw at you.