Stylish, ‘Sweatshirt’ Soft, Recyclable: The North Face Dragline Ski Jacket Review

A lot of hardcore skiers pretend they don’t care about outerwear aesthetics. They’ll talk about breathability ratings and features and (maybe, under their breath) admit that they like the look of a ski jacket.

Yes, performance matters when it comes to your ski jacket, but it also matters if you like how a kit looks. Look good, feel good, ski well. The North Face Dragline Ski Jacket looks good.

Looks are subjective, and I am hardly a fashion expert. But of a dozen jackets I tested this past winter, the Dragline kit is the only one I regularly got lift-line compliments on. A staffer from a rival apparel company even said to me, “I hate how good that kit looks.”

It also stands out for how light, flexible, roomy, and comfortable it is. The new DryVent Mono fabric isn’t a stretch fabric. But the fit and soft material make it easy to move in.

Because of how light it is, you’ll want to layer under it on cold days. And you’ll be glad it’s not heavier on sunny spring skiing days. On the flipside, the fabric isn’t as durable as beefy GORE-TEX Pro shells and might not last as long.

In short: The North Face Dragline Ski Jacket ($450) is a lightweight and roomy resort-skiing shell that performs great and looks sharp, especially when paired with the Dragline Bibs ($410). Though light, it’s still too warm and baggy for backcountry touring, but it will keep you dry, warm, and looking sharp from couloir to bar.

Read our full review below or the Best Ski Jackets Buyer’s Guide to see how The North Face Dragline Ski Jacket compares to our other favorite ski shells.

The North Face Dragline Jacket Review

The first thing I noticed when I got my hands on The North Face Dragline Jacket is how it feels nothing like a traditional ski shell. It’s not stiff, it’s not noisy, and it actually feels like malleable fabric instead of plastic. The face fabric has a tarp-like look when you get close enough, but it’s soft instead of slick.

I tested a Dragline jacket years ago (it’s been around since 2010), which used DryVent 3L, and it felt like pretty much any other shell jacket. The 2025-2026 Dragline uses a new DryVent Mono membrane that replaces the three-layer sandwich construction of GORE-TEX-style jackets with a single polyester fabric.

The North Face started as a niche technical climbing brand, but over the past few decades has become mainstream in fashion and streetwear. It still produces mostly outdoor apparel and equipment, including serious expedition-grade gear, but has leaned into high fashion, too — exemplified in the collaboration line with the Kardashian Skims brand.

Field Testing Conditions

I tested the Dragline for 25 days or so over 3 months of on-and-off testing. I live and ski above 10,000 feet, where snow and air are cold, and rain is mostly not a thing. For me, modest waterproof-breathability performance is plenty for resort riding. And I found myself reaching for the Dragline kit over a half-dozen other “better” outerwear options, because of the comfort and freedom of movement, not to mention the plethora of pockets.

If you live or ski somewhere more coastal, such as the Pacific Northwest, you might want to spend a bit more for a jacket with beefier waterproofing from GORE-TEX or one of their competitors. The North Face Summit Series Verbier Jacket fits the bill if you have an extra $300 for the upgrade.

Fit & Style

I’ve heard people suggest that the acquisition of TNF by outdoor conglomerate VF Corporation and the focus on fashion has led to a decline in technical performance. It’s the kind of thing that sounds smart on a chairlift, but is hard to prove one way or another. 

While I have a few concerns about the durability of the Dragline kit, I’m happy to see some influence from the fashion division of the company. As a professional ski gear reviewer who tests dozens of pieces of apparel each year and compares the specs and construction, there’s not much that differentiates the offerings from endemic ski brands besides the aesthetics. So it’s refreshing to see some different looks in the marketplace.

That said, the Dragline jacket isn’t avant-garde or some great departure from the norm. Some of the more high-contrast, neon color options speak louder than the black and brown kit I tested.

Oversized pockets on the front stand out. It kind of reminds me of a less steezy version of something the now-defunct Saga would’ve released in the 2010s.

The fit is relaxed without being too baggy. If you’ve skied recently, you’ve seen that the JNCO-style ultra-baggy pants are making a comeback with the youth. The Dragline kit is not that.

Also, I wouldn’t want to go backcountry ski touring in the jacket, because the looser fit would bunch up under a pack. But I loved it on lift-served terrain. The combination of the relaxed fit and soft, flexible fabric allows maximum freedom of movement.

Materials & Construction

I’ve already mentioned the DryVent Mono fabric, which is really the headline here and is what gives the jacket its character. What is that character, exactly? Light, flexible, and plenty of performance for resort riding, but not on the level of beefier mountaineering-style shells with more expensive three-layer membrane systems.

The North Face wouldn’t offer specific waterproof or breathability ratings for the new DryVent Mono construction. But the brand highlights the fact that because each of the three layers making up the shell is polyester, it’s much easier to recycle — something they offer to do for customers in-house.

Despite using PFAS-free DWR (which is less durable than traditional DWR but more environmentally friendly), I had no issues with the face fabric wetting out. Water still beaded up on the jacket even after more than 25 days of field testing in plenty of weather.

Because TNF doesn’t list waterproof or breathability ratings for DryVent Mono, I have to assume. Based on the jacket’s price relative to GORE-TEX options in the brand’s lineup and the performance of previous iterations of DryVent, I’d guess it’s middle-of-the-road in waterproofing and breathability — likely something like 15K/15K. 

Plenty of Pockets

There’s nothing earth-shattering about the pockets. But they’re big and there are a lot of them, which I learned to love.

The two spacious, cargo-style square pockets on the front could hold a box of granola bars if you wanted them to. Behind each is a more secure, zippered pocket that’s a bit slimmer. Below are two zippered hand pockets.

Inside, you get dual mesh stash pockets. And the left sleeve has the requisite pass pocket along with a handy tethered goggle wipe. In total, we’re talking nine pockets total, which is on the upper end of jacket storage.

Durability Concerns

What I like most about the Dragline jacket is also probably its biggest downside. The thin, light, and flexible polyester fabric is a breath of fresh air compared to stiff shells. But it doesn’t feel bulletproof. Despite the Dragline jacket holding up well all season, only time will tell if that softer, lighter fabric will hold up to long-term abuse. 

The jacket still looks like new, but I have a few cuts and abrasions on the Dragline Bibs. And one of the elastic cuff cinches pulled completely out.

While you save a little upfront by going with the relatively cheaper Dragline than top-of-the-line shells, it’s likely to have a shorter usable lifespan. The North Face does have a limited lifetime warranty for manufacturing, but it won’t cover wear. Though the brand does offer a small kickback credit when you submit a product through the take-back recycling program — between $10 and $50, based on the item’s eligibility.

The North Face Dragline Ski Jacket: Conclusion

The departure from high-contrast colors makes this piece more palatable for less fashionable types. And the center-ground price tag makes it approachable for mortals.

For folks that don’t need to withstand heavy rain and wet snow regularly, the relaxed style and comfort of the Dragline Jacket pairs nicely with the middle-of-the-road resort-riding performance of the DryVent Mono construction.