ThermoBall is one of The North Face’s most popular insulating materials. The namesake for its wildly popular jacket line, TNF reintroduces this insulation for 2018 with recycled materials.
The North Face ThermoBall jackets are popular for good reason. The synthetic puffy jackets use an exclusive PrimaLoft ThermoBall insulation that works when wet and dries crazy fast.
The jackets themselves are durable and versatile. They work as layering pieces under shells or alone as outerwear.
And last month, the brand announced it will make this jacket from recycled materials. The North Face introduced ThermoBall Eco into hooded and nonhooded puffy jackets for $199 to $220.
ThermoBall: Now Recycled
According to The North Face, the new ThermoBall Eco is the same lightweight down alternative jacket at the same price. And it has the same performance as the previous iteration. But there’s one important difference: It’s made from recycled polyester fabric and recycled insulation.
“Just the recycled insulation alone, sourced from our partners at PrimaLoft, is spun from at least five plastic bottles that are diverted from the landfill,” The North Face said in marketing materials.
ThermoBall: A Solid Choice for Wet Conditions
Personally, I’ve put the ThermoBall insulation to some hefty tests. It really thrives in wet, cold conditions.
In one such test, I dunked a ThermoBall jacket in a frigid mountain stream in the winter. I then put it back on and hiked up a gradual incline for about an hour while a winter storm built around me.
Long story short, the jacket performed flawlessly. By the time I returned to my car, the jacket was almost entirely dry.
Thus, ThermoBall put itself high on my list of go-to jackets for nasty weather. In cold conditions, water is enemy number one. A jacket that can help keep it at bay makes a lot of difference.
With the introduction of a recycled version, The North Face follows a lot of brands using recycled polyester and nylon. It seems to be a strong trend for 2018 and beyond.
And if products continue to perform at their previous levels while helping chip away at the heaps of plastic pollution we create every day, ThermoBall Eco is something we can get behind.
