The North Face Retro Denali provides the perfect combination of casual style and standalone warmth. The material is thick, warm, and feels cozy next to the skin. The design includes some technical features, like a nylon overlay with a water repellent finish, pit vents, a chest pocket, and large zippered hand pockets, but we personally love it as a stylish layer that's warm enough to wear on its own during the change of season.
Even though the most recent iteration of the Denali features a much shorter, cropped waistline, it remains one of the warmest fleece jackets we tested. The material is a super-thick, 360-gram recycled polyester that has strategic panels of recycled nylon overlays. The stand-alone warmth was perfect for temperatures down to around 45°F, but we'd recommend layering over top in conditions any cooler than that.
This casual fleece was perfect for low-output activities like short hikes or dog walks, where you're not working up a sweat, as the thick fabric doesn't breathe super well without opening the pit vents. In high winds, we found the wind could cut through the fleece portion, while the overlays on the chest and shoulders felt more protective. The jacket also features a cinch cord on the waistline that's great for trapping additional body heat when you need it, while the tighter wrist cuffs help reduce draft, although they can be a little hard to get on and off. Even with the updated stylish cropped fit, we still think the Denali is a great fleece jacket for those seeking heavyweight warmth without sacrificing style.
The Denali is by far one of the most comfortable fleece jackets we've had the pleasure of testing. Its oversized (yet cropped) fit, combined with thick, soft, and cozy material, meant our testers didn't want to take it off. We wore this jacket for days on end. Our tester even admits to sleeping in it a few times during the final cold nights of winter transitioning to spring. The fit runs a little big, and the crop hits right at the hip. While some women may not love the boxy fit, our testers found it to be a great standalone layer in cooler temperatures, whether you're hanging around the house, the campsite, or out on the town.
The fabric features classic overlays along the chest and shoulders along with a DWR treatment that allows the Denali to hold its own during moderate rainstorms if you're caught without your rain jacket. Although the Denali does include some technical features like the DWR treatment, the pit vents for increased airflow on warmer days, a chest pocket, and two massive zippered hand pockets, we found it best suited for casual warmth as a stylish stand alone layer during the change of season.
While the Denali really shines when it comes to style, warmth, and comfort, we only recommend this thick, heavyweight fleece jacket for moderate activities that don't raise your heart rate or make you sweaty. Although the polyester fleece is fairly breathable, the nylon overlays and large pockets limit the breathability of the design through the shoulders and chest. Unless we fully opened up the large pit vents, the jacket lacked the breathability we'd prefer for pushing the pace during high-output activities.
During our objective uphill testing that had our testers running in each design in a specific location, it wasn't long before we needed to offload heat through the large pit vents and the main zipper. The Denali is perfect for staying warm, but not nearly as good when it comes to overall breathability. That said, it was one of our favorite fleece designs for cold weather and the perfect standalone layer for spring and fall when the mornings and evenings are crisp.
Layering the Retro Denali over a tank, t-shirt, or long sleeve base layer was quite easy, but layering a jacket over top was trickier. We could really only wear our largest puffy jacket over this fleece. Thinner and slim cut jackets don't work well over the bulky cut and heavyweight fabric.
When we tried to layer thinner jackets over top, the extra fabric would bunch at the bend in the elbows and limit our range of motion. That said, if you have a larger outer shell or a large puffy jacket with a slippery synthetic interior, you should be able to layer it with the Denali just fine. There are also snap tabs at the wrist that allow you to attach the Denali to other specific layers from The North Face layers for a singular cold-weather kit.
The Denali is the heaviest fleece jacket within our entire testing fleet, weighing 21.8 ounces for a women's size small, doubling the overall weight of some of our lighter fleece jacket options. However, the same features that increase warmth, comfort, and breathability are also the same features that increase the weight of the jacket. This isn't a jacket that's designed to be a lightweight piece of clothing for taking on alpine mountain missions, so we don't mind the weight.
We love the soft and cozy 360 gram synthetic construction along with pit vents, large chest and hand pockets, nylon overlays, and DWR treatment, however, it certainly adds extra ounces to the stylish design. The bulky construction and extra features also limits the Denali's packability. While most of the jackets in our review pack some to the size of a one-liter water bottle, the Denali is double the size, so we wouldn't recommend it as a packable backcountry performance layer, but rather a stylish way to move around town or the campsite.
The North Face Retro Denali is our favorite fleece jacket when it comes to overall style and stand-alone warmth. It's one of the thickest and warmest jackets we tested. We love the style and the inclusion of technical features like pit vents, DWR treatment for some water-resistance, zippered hand and chest pockets, along with an adjustable cinch cord at the hemline. If you're looking for a spring and fall layer for chilly temps, this is one of our top recommendations. If you need something you can wear as part of a layering system, however, we might look somewhere else, and it's difficult to layer over top of the Denali. Overall, we think this fleece is worth its cost and can be worn during multiple seasons, and our tester reached for it again and again.
If you're after a comfortable fleece that has enough breathability to perform during more intense outdoor pursuits like trail running or rock climbing, check out the Patagonia R1 Air Full-Zip Hoody. The Arc'teryx Kyanite Hoody is another great fleece jacket design that's around the same price as the Denali and includes technical features within a casual hooded sweatshirt design. If you're looking for a fleece jacket that's great for lounging around the house or the cabin, check out the REI Co-op Trailmade Fleece. It's perfect for those on a budget.
| Awards |  Best Combo of Style and Warmth |
|---|---|
| Price | $200 List Check Backcountry (on sale!) |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |
| Bottom Line | A cozy, cropped fleece that offers both warmth and style for chilly days |
| Pros | Quite warm, stylish, very soft and cozy next to skin, easy to layer with fabrics underneath, inclusive sizing, DWR treatment, pit vents for increased airflow |
| Cons | Lacks breathability, boxy cut, new crop fit sacrifices midsection warmth, heavy, bulky |
| Rating Categories | The North Face Retro... |
| Warmth (25%) | |
| Comfort (25%) | |
| Breathability (20%) | |
| Layering Ability (15%) | |
| Weight (15%) | |
| Specifications | The North Face Retro... |
| Type | Midweight |
| Main Material | Body: 360 g 100% recycled polyester; overlay: 118 g 100% recycled nylon with non-PFC durable water repellent (DWR) finish |
| Number of Pockets | 2 hand, 1 chest |
| Features | Woven overlay, pit vents, internal draft flap, can be zipped into other compatible layers |
| Measured Weight (Size Tested) | 21.8 oz (Size S) |
| Hood Option | Yes |
| Cuff Construction | Elastic cuff |
