Men’s North Face McMurdo Parka Winter Jacket Review

Bottom Line

The North Face McMurdo Parka is an iconic piece of winter wear built with The North Face’s strong reputation. Named after the famous station in Antarctica, the McMurdo promises extreme warmth and weather resistance to be one of our best winter jackets.

We love the McMurdo for its performance in extreme cold. As the ocean froze over along Alaska’s Cook Inlet, we were comfortable and warm in this jacket on a day when the mercury dipped well below zero. Its 600-fill power down, combined with waterproof DryVent 2L outer, makes it resilient in cold and wet conditions. We will keep using this jacket on some of the coldest days of the year when encountering everything a winter storm can muster.

Fit for some of the harshest elements found, the McMurdo is still designed as a stylish winter jacket. Most at home around town, the McMurdo is a common sight on winter city streets. While too heavy and bulky for backcountry use, the McMurdo is an excellent choice for days when trying to stuff this jacket into a backpack isn’t necessary. An excellent layer of one, the McMurdo is an excellent choice to throw over whatever you are wearing to provide extreme resistance to the cold and weather.

How We Tested

On subzero days when glacial winds poured down the Knik arm, The North Face McMurdo Parka was brought out to test its limits. Over three months, we wore the McMurdo on chilly days around town, on snowshoeing adventures, and on winter hikes in the Chugach Range. The McMurdo has been through the wringer to squeeze out every bit of performance.

Warmth

While its 600-fill power down may sound underwhelming, the McMurdo offers extreme warmth thanks in part to its dual construction. Its windproof and waterproof outer shell protects the inner loft, creating excellent dead airspace within the jacket. On a single-digit day with temperatures well below wind chill, we wore only a base layer under this jacket and stayed warm enough to spend all day in the cold. The faux-fur ruff adds another layer of warmth close to the face and helps block wind from entering the hood.

This jacket is best for low aerobic activities, or for standing and working in one place all day. It’s too warm to be used on days above twenty degrees and we quickly overheated in it while on a fast-paced hike. For that reason, we wished that it had pit zips to help reduce overheating. We pull this jacket out of our closet on the coldest days of the year, and it never lets us down.

Weather Resistance

We were impressed with the McMurdo’s extreme weather resistance. The waterproof and breathable DryVent 2L shell comes with a DWR finish for added moisture resistance. This jacket handled being pelted by blowing snow and ice without getting us soaked. While you probably won’t be choosing this jacket to take out in a rain storm, the two-layer shell is more than adequate for most winter conditions.

The faux-fur hood, while warm, is prone to collecting ice and snow. This results in walking around with a halo of ice and condensation that then thaws and drips all over when back inside. We like the warmth of the faux fur, but find that it does detract from the jacket shedding moisture and remaining ice-free.

Comfort & Functionality

At three pounds four ounces, the McMurdo is one of the heaviest jackets we’ve tested. As such, this jacket is most at home in the front country due to its bulk and heft. We tried packing this into a day pack for a winter hike, and it filled the entire pack, leaving no room for any other essentials. Because of this, we can’t recommend this as a backcountry jacket, but it excels in its intended use as a front country or casual wear parka.

The fit of the McMurdo can best be described as large. We tested our usual size medium and the jacket is extremely roomy. While this makes layering underneath easy, it is boxy and large through the body and arms. We had to cinch the velcro cuffs to the maximum to fit our arms. Without any hem tensioner, the jacket hangs down in the front or back which adds to the bulky feeling. This is not an athletic cut jacket, but one designed for withstanding harsh days and trapping lots of body heat.

Features

Coming equipped with no fewer than seven pockets, the McMurdo has an impressive array of features. The two chest pockets are excellently designed as hand warmers as well. We found this ideal for working in cold environments where we needed the dexterity of bare hands but had to warm them up quickly.

If the faux fur ruff is not your style, it is easily removed with snaps that attach it to the edge of the hood. However, we found it hard to tighten the hood down to block the wind and elements. The toggles on the elastic tensioners are hard to use with gloves and when tightened, excess cord is left around the face and the top of the zipper. Overall, the McMurdo offers features that make it ideal for working in cold environments and customizing the look to fit your style.

Should You Buy the North Face McMurdo?

You’ll probably be happy if you did. We reserve The North Face McMurdo for some of the coldest days of the year. Being simply too warm for temperatures above twenty degrees, the McMurdo sits solidly as an extreme weather stand-out performer.

We recommend this for anyone working outside in the cold, or spending long periods exposed to the elements. Its excellent loft and weather resistance make it perfect for braving blizzards and whatever winter can throw at you.

Heavy and bulky, the McMurdo is not a backcountry jacket. It takes up most of a backpack and is hard to compress any smaller. With enough style for the city, this jacket is great to throw over baselayers or dress clothes for a night on the town and is warm enough to be a standalone outer layer. Finally, this coat works for sledding with the kids, chores around the yard, and date nights. It is warm, comfortable, and stylish and you’ll probably end up wearing it a lot.

What Other Winter Jackets Should You Consider?

Check out our other best winter jackets for men or dive deeper into our recommendations that are similar to the McMurdo.

Fjallraven Nuuk Parka Review: A similar style and construction, the Nuuk Parka offers extremely durable construction and similar features to the McMurdo like a removable faux fur ruff and many pockets.

Outdoor Research Super Alpine Down Parka Review: With heavier fill power, but with a lighter overall weight, the Super Alpine is more fit for backcountry adventures than the McMurdo.

Feathered Friends Khumbu Parka Review: The warmest jacket in our lineup, the Khumbu offers even more warmth than the McMurdo and is packable as well.