{"id":57460,"date":"2023-11-06T04:50:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-06T11:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thebigoutside.com\/?p=57460"},"modified":"2023-11-06T05:47:29","modified_gmt":"2023-11-06T12:47:29","slug":"review-the-north-face-ceptor-jacket-and-bib","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thebigoutside.com\/review-the-north-face-ceptor-jacket-and-bib\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: The North Face Ceptor Jacket and Bib"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Winter Shell Jacket and Bibs
\nThe North Face Ceptor Jacket<\/strong>
\n$430, 1 lb. 9 oz. (men\u2019s medium)
\nThe North Face Ceptor Bib<\/strong>
\n$410, 1 lb. 12 oz. (men\u2019s medium)
\nSizes for both: men\u2019s S-XXL, women\u2019s XS-XXL
\nbackcountry.com<\/a>
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you love skiing, you commit yourself to enduring almost any weather conditions for your sport\u2014and that requires a shell jacket and pants that really<\/em> protect you from the elements. Through numerous full days of skiing at Oregon\u2019s Mount Bachelor and the full range of Cascades weather\u2014dumping snow, cold temps and wind, occasional sunshine and, yes, even winter rain\u2014TNF\u2019s Ceptor Jacket and Bib kept my college-age daughter, a former ski instructor, smiling and ripping all day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Designed for resort and occasional backcountry skiing, the jacket and bibs are both made with TNF\u2019s proprietary, three-layer DryVent waterproof-breathable membrane<\/strong>, which blocks wind effectively and has kept my daughter dry through long days of skiing in all the varieties of precipitation that winter in the Cascades delivers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\"\"<\/strong>Hi, I\u2019m Michael Lanza, creator of The Big Outside. Click here<\/a> to sign up for my FREE email newsletter. Join The Big Outside<\/a> to get full access to all of my blog\u2019s stories. Click here<\/a> for my e-guides to classic backpacking trips. Click here<\/a> to learn how I can help you plan your next trip.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n
\n
\"The<\/a>
The North Face Ceptor Jacket.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The Ceptor Jacket and Bib excel more for resort skiing, where wind penetrating a shell is a greater concern than sweat escaping it. Still, the DryVent membrane moved moisture from inside to outside well enough to gradually dry my daughter\u2019s base layers when warm sunshine and hard skiing had her sweating through them. However, its breathability<\/strong> doesn\u2019t compare with the best winter touring jackets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The jacket<\/strong> boasts a full suite of ski shell features, including a snow skirt with gripper elastic<\/strong>, hook-and-loop cuffs<\/strong>, and pit zips<\/strong> that extend from mid-bicep to a couple inches below the armpit, although they\u2019re not as deep as found on some backcountry shells. The spacious, adjustable<\/strong> hood<\/strong> easily fits over a ski helmet\u2014it even accommodates a puffy jacket hood over the helmet and under the Ceptor\u2019s hood. The jacket\u2019s comfortable, standard fit<\/strong> allows room for warm base and insulation layers underneath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It has four large, zippered pockets<\/strong>, two on the chest and two lower\/hand pockets; internal mesh drop-in pockets <\/strong>handy for goggles and items you may want to dry out or warm up, like gloves; and a zippered sleeve pocket<\/strong>, ideal for an RFID ski pass, which features a soft, goggle wipe cloth<\/strong> attached to a lanyard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At just over 1.5 pounds<\/strong>, this jacket tilts more toward resort use than the backcountry, where most users would want a lighter, less bulky shell. Still, that\u2019s not so heavy that it disqualifies the Ceptor Jacket for the backcountry; and the few ounces by which it outweighs leading winter backcountry shells is mostly explained by the longer, below-the-butt cut<\/strong> and the snow skirt\u2014reasonable tradeoffs for a few ounces if you want a shell jacket that crosses over between riding lifts and earning your turns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The<\/a>
The North Face Ceptor Bib.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Ceptor Bib<\/strong> has a comfortable, roomy yet low-bulk fit aided by adjustable suspenders<\/strong> and an integrated belt<\/strong>, enabling a full range of motion whether skinning uphill in the backcountry or skiing downhill. You can wear warm base layers underneath, augmenting the wind and weather protection a bib inherently provides by rising over the chest and above the waist in back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like what you’re reading? Sign up now for my FREE email newsletter<\/a>!<\/em><\/h4>\n

<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"The<\/a>
The North Face Ceptor Jacket hood.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The side zips<\/strong> open from the hips to the upper thighs for good venting when skinning uphill in the backcountry. Their one-way zippers<\/strong> open from the top\u2014held in place by a snap at the top\u2014which makes more sense than opening from the bottom, where snow can more easily enter (flying off poles when skinning uphill). Nonetheless, those should be two-way zips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Four zippered pockets<\/strong>, including two useful chest pockets and one on each thigh. The internal snow gaiter<\/strong> at the leg cuffs stretches over ski boot tops to seal out snow and the insides of the leg bottoms have reinforced kick patches<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Plus, at under two pounds<\/strong>, the Ceptor Bib\u2019s weight comes within a few ounces of many backcountry bibs of comparable quality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The jacket and bib are not insulated<\/strong>, which means you can adjust insulation layers as needed for varying temps, conditions, and activity levels when skiing at resorts or in the backcountry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The durable, 75×160-denier, polyester shell fabric<\/strong> will hold up to hard use better than many lighter shell jackets and pants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Verdict<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Although there are lighter options for backcountry skiing, The North Face Ceptor Jacket and Bib deliver solid protection in all winter weather for resort skiing while sporting the features, durability, and reasonable weight that allow them to crossover to backcountry ski touring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

BUY IT NOW<\/a><\/u><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You can support my work on this blog, at no cost to you, by clicking this link to purchase the men\u2019s or women\u2019s The North Face Ceptor Jacket and Bib at backcountry.com<\/a> or rei.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

See all of my reviews of outdoor apparel<\/a> that I like at The Big Outside, including \u201cThe 10 Best Down Jackets<\/a>,\u201d \u201cThe Best Gloves for Winter<\/a>,\u201d \u201cThe Best Mittens for Winter<\/a>,\u201d \u201cThe Best Clothing Layers for Winter in the Backcountry<\/a>,\u201d plus \u201c12 Pro Tips for Staying Warm Outdoors in Winter<\/a>\u201d and \u201cHow to Dress in Layers for Winter in the Backcountry<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Big Outside helps you find the best adventures.
\nJoin now<\/a> for full access to ALL stories and get a free e-guide and member gear discounts<\/a>!<\/h4>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

NOTE: I tested gear for Backpacker magazine for 20 years. At The Big Outside, I review only what I consider the best outdoor gear and apparel. See The Big Outside\u2019s Gear Reviews page<\/a> for categorized menus of gear reviews and expert buying tips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2014Michael Lanza<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Winter Shell Jacket and Bibs The North Face Ceptor Jacket $430, 1 lb. 9 oz. (men\u2019s medium) The North Face Ceptor Bib $410, 1 lb. 12 oz. (men\u2019s medium) Sizes for both: men\u2019s S-XXL, women\u2019s XS-XXL backcountry.com When you love skiing, you commit yourself to enduring almost any weather conditions for your sport\u2014and that requires a shell jacket and pants … <\/p>\n

Read on<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":57463,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"ub_ctt_via":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[221],"tags":[558,230,278,4810,541,917,5430,5429,918,916,2583],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tbo-media.sfo2.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/06225005\/The-North-Face-Ceptor-Jacket-lead-2.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1","author_info":{"display_name":"Michael Lanza","author_link":"https:\/\/thebigoutside.com\/author\/michaelalanza\/"},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tbo-media.sfo2.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/06225005\/The-North-Face-Ceptor-Jacket-lead-2.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paNGJs-eWM","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebigoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57460"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebigoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebigoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebigoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebigoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57460"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/thebigoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57460\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60763,"href":"https:\/\/thebigoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57460\/revisions\/60763"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebigoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57463"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebigoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57460"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebigoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57460"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebigoutside.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57460"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}