REASONS TO BUY
Designed for performance
Soft interior lining
Comfortable stretch-knit cuffs
Quickly packable
Lots of pockets
REASONS TO AVOID
Very narrow through the hips
Expensive
The North Face Summit Breithorn Hoodie - Women's Review
Delivering high performance and a narrow but comfy fit, this quickly packable jacket, avoids bulk and shines for its weight to warmth ratio and plethora of pockets
Credit: Sara James
By Maggie Nichols ⋅ Senior Review Editor ⋅ January 13, 2025
Contributions From: Sara James
RELATED: The Best Down Jacket for Women
Our Verdict
The fit of the The North Face Summit Breithorn made it a polarizing jacket among our testing team. Despite its longer torso, this slim jacket doesn't leave much room for hips. Many testers opted for a larger size and came to adore the Breithorn. This well packed puffy is warm, with good coverage and a spacious hood. Stretch-knit cuffs are soft and highly effective at sealing our wrists against the cold. We wish the hood volume adjustment could get smaller, but in our experience, it's great over a beanie. Though this slim-fitting jacket isn't for every body type, but if a narrow fit works, it may be just the right down layer for you.
Our Analysis and Test Results
The North Face Summit Breithorn is a well stuffed puffy jacket, filled with RDS (Responsible Down Standard) certified 800-fill ProDown. Its exterior is 20D 100% recycled nylon ripstop fabric with a DWR finish. The Breithorn has a narrow fit through the hips with a small drop hem, weighs 15.0 ounces in size Large, and packs into its hand pocket.
The Breithorn is a warm, comfortable jacket that we love - as long as it fits your hips!
Credit: Maggie Nichols
Warmth
The Summit Breithorn is packed with hydrophobic 800-fill ProDown. Its medium-sized baffles are slightly wider than average, cutting down on the number of seams leaking cold air onto your core. The updated version is cut with vertical baffles across the shoulders to further minimize cold spots. The helmet-compatible hood has plenty of space to be worn over a thick beanie on a cold day, and the stretch-knit cuffs hold tight to the wrists, effectively stopping cold air from rushing up the sleeves. A longer torso with a small drop hem adds some coverage, as does the high chin guard. A single adjustment point along the hem lets you pull it tight — though the Breithorn is so narrow through the hips that we rarely needed to use it.
The cozy cut of this jacket helps to hold in warm air and keep you feeling toasty warm.
Credit: Sara James
Comfort
A lot of the comfort of the Breithorn comes from finding a size that works for you. This jacket was not designed with curvy women in mind. Our lead tester is 5'4" with 36" hips. She generally comfortably wears a women's size small across the board and could barely keep the Breithorn zipped and down around her bum while walking. Some of our testers who typically wear the same size but have wider hips couldn't even fit into this very slim jacket. Many testers opted to size up from their usual size and were subsequently pleased with the comfort of the slim line fit. It has raglan-style sleeves and a gentle stretch within the material, which made it comfortable to wear on the move.
This Breithorn boasts a whopping six pockets. One chest zippered pocket with internal mesh stash, two very large zippered external hand pockets which also worked great for venting, and finally, two very large internal stash pockets, great for transporting gloves, skins, or even a 48-ounce Nalgene bottle of your favorite warm drink.
The cut of the TNF Breithorn Summit helps it to move well with your body.
Credit: Sara James
Portability
Weighing 13.4 ounces in size small and 15.0 ounces in size large, the Breithorn is on the heavier side of the array of jackets we tested for its loft. Yet, while wearing it, it feels like a soft cloud and offers excellent warmth, mobility, and coverage. We think the extra few extra ounces are worth it. It compresses into its own hand pocket, with a little coaxing and squeezing. Once packed away, it becomes a long, slender package with a fabric carabiner loop located at the end of the zipper, letting it hang at an angle off of your pack.
The North Face Summit Breithorn was quick and easy to pack into its pocket and comes with an integrated loop to clip onto a backpack.
Credit: Sara James
Weather Resistance
The Breithorn's thickness and wider baffles help stop the wind from coming straight through to your core. Its slender fit and tighter hem with a strong cinch cord also come in handy when you're out in blizzard conditions. The hood design is great for warmth, though when worn over a bare head, we were unable to fully cinch it around our faces to seal out the wind. The ProDown insulation is designed to retain loft (and therefore warmth) even when wet, and a DWR finish helps to seal out moisture. The reverse-coil zippers also help keep water out.
The hood is adaptable, cinching down when worn alone, thin enough to fit under a helmet, and stretchy enough to fit over a helmet.
Credit: Sara James
Breathability
As a thicker, warmer model, the Breithorn suffers a bit regarding breathability. It lacks venting features to make it more breathable, and its slender fit doesn't allow for easy air exchange without unzipping the whole thing. We found ourselves occasionally needing to remove it while snowshoeing the uphill sections of a trail on a mild winter morning at 8,000 feet.
The slimline cut along the body and wrists prevents much air from escaping unless you vent with the pockets or open the center zip.
Should You Buy The North Face Summit Breithorn?
The biggest consideration when purchasing the Breithorn is whether or not it fits your hips. If you have slender hips, this jacket's trim and close-fitting design may be exactly the down jacket you're after. It's warm, cozy, and comfortable for those seeking a slim-fitting layer. If your hips are average width or wider, it may not be the right choice for you.
For those on our testing team who could comfortably wear the Breithorn around their hips, they love how it fits, feels, and protects.
Credit: Maggie Nichols
What Other Down Jackets Should You Consider?
If you're not a narrow-hipped human but you're after a warm, technical jacket for active pursuits in cold environments, the Mammut Broad Peak IN Hooded is an excellent and mobile fit that we love. Or if you want a medium-warm jacket that's easy to layer and wear every day or on adventures, the Arc'teryx Cerium is a versatile jacket that we solidly recommend.
There's a lot we like about this impressive jacket from The North Face's adventure-ready Summit Series.
Credit: Maggie Nichols
Side-by-Side Comparison
Compare The North Face Summit Breithorn Hoodie - Women's versus top competing products:
—Maggie Nichols and Sara James
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