Exclusive: The North Face Summit Papsura Futurelight aims high
The North Face has designed its lightest, most breathable technical outer shell jacket in the form of the new Summit Papsura Futurelight Jacket. Designed for fast and light adventures in the most challenging conditions, where your gear needs to be compact, light (at an incredible 224g for a Medium), but also robust, the Papsura is part of the brand’s top-tier Summit Series technical apparel, as worn by alpinists such as Alex Honnold. In fact, a lot of the design cues came from TNF’s athlete requests, and it has already been extensively tested in the field.
The jacket is made of 100 per cent recycled nylon (with a non-PFC DWR). The Futurelight 3L material is an impressive combo of waterproofness, breathability and lightweight that offers excellent protection while packing down nice and compact.
It’s always a balancing act trying to merge the two opposites of lightweight with robust protection, but the Papsura looks to have succeeded, while offering high versatility; that incredibly light weight and compact packed size also makes it ideal for trail runners, mountain bikers and hikers.
Clever design features include the removal of shoulder seams, which ensures less bulk, while eliminating the chance of rubbing from a backpack’s shoulder straps. The gusseted under-arms further boost comfort and manoeuvrability in the field, while the hood is fully adjustable and includes a bonded brim and cinch cord.
Other details found on the Papsura include a full-length front zip, secure-zip (and covered) pockets (the left pocket includes an internal mesh pouch; the right has a gear loop). The jacket packs into the right-side pocket (yep, it’s that compact). The Papsura has a retail price of $700 which, considering its high-end technical design and features, is decent value.
See The North Face for more info on the Summit Papsura Futurelight Jacket and all TNF gear.
