Summit Superior FUTURELIGHT Jacket / The North Face
The Summit Superior is a three-layer FUTURELIGHT waterproof shell built deliberately light, around 230 grams, for fast-and-light alpine days and trail running rather than heavy mountaineering. FUTURELIGHT is The North Face's nanospun membrane: spun rather than cast, it is unusually air-permeable for a waterproof fabric, which gives it a notably soft, almost softshell feel and high breathability. The North Face places its moisture-vapour transmission well above conventional membranes, though it does not publish hydrostatic-head figures. The shell is a recycled-polyester ripstop with a non-PFC water-repellent finish, fully seam-sealed, with an adjustable hood and an internal pocket the jacket stows into. It keeps rain out while staying breathable enough to wear while working hard, which is the brief.
Design intent
- +FUTURELIGHT's nanospun structure lets air move through the membrane where most waterproof fabrics block it: liquid rain is held out as droplets while water vapour and air pass, which is why it breathes and feels soft rather than crinkly.
- +Keeping the jacket to around 230 grams and packable into its own pocket is the defining choice: protection that can be carried all day and worn on the move, not a burly expedition shell.
The Summit Superior is a three-layer FUTURELIGHT waterproof shell built deliberately light, around 230 grams, for fast-and-light alpine days and trail running rather than heavy mountaineering. FUTURELIGHT is The North Face's nanospun membrane: spun rather than cast, it is unusually air-permeable for a waterproof fabric, which gives it a notably soft, almost softshell feel and high breathability. The North Face places its moisture-vapour transmission well above conventional membranes, though it does not publish hydrostatic-head figures. The shell is a recycled-polyester ripstop with a non-PFC water-repellent finish, fully seam-sealed, with an adjustable hood and an internal pocket the jacket stows into. It keeps rain out while staying breathable enough to wear while working hard, which is the brief.
Design intent
- +FUTURELIGHT's nanospun structure lets air move through the membrane where most waterproof fabrics block it: liquid rain is held out as droplets while water vapour and air pass, which is why it breathes and feels soft rather than crinkly.
- +Keeping the jacket to around 230 grams and packable into its own pocket is the defining choice: protection that can be carried all day and worn on the move, not a burly expedition shell.
Trade-offs
- -The FUTURELIGHT membrane needs upkeep, periodic re-treatment of the water-repellent finish and careful washing, to keep performing, an overhead simpler coated waterproofs avoid.
- -At Summit-line specification and price it is far more shell than UK hill-walking needs; much of what you pay for is performance you are unlikely to test.
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