The North Face Papsura Jacket

Deep in the Indian Himalaya, there’s a mountain known as the ‘Peak of Evil’—Papsura. Some time back, OK decades back, I spent more than a week backcountry skiing in the next valley over, near Ali Ratna, but diabolical conditions and constant avalanches meant very little skiing took place. In fact, it seemed for the most part that setting foot beyond our safe location was asking to be swatted away by the next slide. Evil, indeed.

One thing I remember about the trip, however, was the weight of my pack; it was crushing. At the time, I never would have imagined how much lighter gear would become, and that, down the track, the ‘Peak of Evil’ would inspire The North Face to make a technical alpine jacket weighing less than a third of the one I wore at the time, a jacket so featherlight that it nearly floats, the 226g Papsura.

For a 3L, fully seam-sealed, waterproof-breathable shell, that’s preposterously light. Its waterproofness and lack of heft comes courtesy of its 7D x 15D 66 g/m² Futurelight-backed shell, which happens to be recycled nylon BTW, and it has a non-PFC DWR finish as well. This is a jacket a librarian would love; it’s so quiet that if it makes a noise at all, it’s never more than a whisper. Flap your arms about and you barely hear a thing. It feels nice against your skin too, a function of it being both supple and the lining feeling almost a bit on the silky side. Of course, if you get clammy in any jacket, a smooth lining won’t mean a thing, but thankfully the Papsura breathes well. I took it on multiple winter trail runs in rain in temps hovering between five and ten degrees (actually, conditions were pretty nasty) and, certainly on lower-intensity outings, it kept me dry. The key here though was low intensity; once I upped my efforts to a moderate level, I had about 45 minutes to an hour before the interior-moisture buildup began really rising. Remember, though, this was not walking but running; I’m yet to find the jacket that doesn’t build up moisture once you begin actually pushing it in rain for an extended time.

It has two good-sized pockets, with one of them having an internal mesh pouch that’s perfectly sized for most phones. I’ve grown to love internal mesh pouches in jackets; they keep your phone positioned vertically rather than having it slip into a horizontal position from where it can impede mobility and comfort. And while the hood is big enough to fit over a helmet (remember, the Papsura’s got mountaineering roots), I found that for everyday, non-helmeted outings, it doesn’t flop around or restrict vision thanks to the ability to cinch it down well with an elasticised cord. Speaking of elasticised, though, that brings me to my one minor niggle with the Papsura; the cuffs are elasticised, while I personally prefer the adjustability of velcro-tabbed cuffs.

Most weight weenies, alpinists, and other adventurers who want a truly light waterproof-breathable jacket won’t care about things like velcro cuffs, however, especially since the elasticised ones aren’t horrible. What they’ll prefer in a technical, high-performance jacket like this is unapologetic minimalism and weight savings at every opportunity. And on those fronts, it’s hard to argue that the Papsura doesn’t deliver and then some.

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