North Face Khumbu - Women's Review

Likes
The Khumbu jacket by North Face is a standard fleece. It has a slightly more tailored cut than the Denali jacket, but still has a bulky fit because of its thickness. It is warm, has a wind flap behind the zipper and a storm sealing drawcord hem. It does have a zip-in feature, so if you have other North Face jackets like a shell or ski jacket, the Khumbu would be handy to zip inside as a second layer. It is the least expensive fleece I reviewed, and if price is a concern, it functions well for the cost. It also comes in at least 11 different color options, so it could be easy to find one you really like.

Dislikes
This jacket feels relatively bulky but it is thinner than the Denali jacket, so it makes a better mid-layer. Unless you have a North Face outer jacket, (which I don't) the zip-in feature is pretty useless. It is also not very breathable when hiking or running, and doesn't pack down particularly well.

Best Application
The Khumbu is a good general outdoor use fleece. It is thick and warm and is the most basic fleece jacket option, with just the right amount of convenient features. It layers under bigger jackets and is roomy enough to be an outerlayer over a couple shirts. I wouldn't choose this as a fleece to bring into the mountains, but it would be a nice basic layer to have for other time spent outdoors.

Value
This is the least expensive fleece in this review, ringing in at $80. It is a good quality jacket for the cost. If you are concerned about price but still need a general use fleece jacket, this is an excellent choice.