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Latest Gear: The North Face Fuse Brigandine Jacket
Some clever developments in outdoor clothing technology
The North Face is probably the biggest and most recognisable outdoor brand in the world. Despite having a logo that now appears as much on the high street and it does on the mountain, one thing they’ve always managed to do is maintain their presence and relevance at the technical end of the market.
This winter season is a real case in point as they have emerged with a couple of new and important clothing technologies. The first is Thermoball insulation – a synthetic insulation developed in conjunction with Primaloft which actually first appeared last winter, although it seems that it’s really taken off this winter. The second is Fuse Form Technology which represents a very interesting development in fabric and garment construction.
Fuse Form is a process of fabric construction that enables different weights and strengths of fabric to be placed is certain areas, without the use of seams. The North Face are able to do this by altering the yarn as the fabric is being produced. A garment pattern is then made and the jacket is created by using the one piece of fabric with different face fabric weights seamlessly woven in.
Manufacturers have been placing different fabrics in different areas to combat things like rucksack abrasion for a long time, but this is the first time those areas are seamlessly mapped into the fabric. This eliminates taped stitch lines which reduce breathability and form a potential weak point in the construction. Taped seams also add weight and bulk to a garment and effectively reduce its overall breathability. Fuse Form solves these issues by elimination the need for seams at all. It really is very clever stuff and could potentially revolutionise clothing and equipment design and construction.
The Brigandine jacket is one of the first garments in the range that features Fuse technology. It’s part of the The North Face’s ‘Steep Series’ of products and is aimed at freeride and backcountry skiers and snowboarders. Features wise the Brigandine has everything you’d expect from a top end backountry shell including a big helmet compatible hood, a snow skirt with the facility to clip it to compatible legwear and plenty of well thought out pockets for carrying everything needed for a day riding powder.
Due to the Fuse manufacturing process, the Brigandine is made using Hyvent Alpha fabric rather than the Gore-Tex which is prevalent in most of the company’s top end shells. Hyvent is a proven fabric that The North Face have been using for years and the Alpha version is the most durable and highest performing fabric in the Hyvent family, so it should stand up to the goods without any problems and be pretty breathable too. The beauty of Fuse Form construction can be seen in the Brigandine’s face fabric - a regular 70 denier weight is used in the main body of the jacket with a super durable 320 denier fabric on the shoulders, down the side of the torso and inside the arms.
The big question is where can The North Face take Fuse Technology next? On the face of it, it’s something that could really revolutionise the way not just outdoor clothing is manufactured, but also equipment. Imagine a rucksack or duffle bag made using this technology, a tent fly and even potentially footwear too. I think Fuse Technology could well be a game changer and have a big influence on how performance products are made in the future.
RRP: £520
Find out more on their website (link top right on this page) or check out the video below.
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