The North Face 1996 Retro Nuptse Jacket vs Black Diamond Deploy Down Pullover Hoody

The North Face 1996 Retro Nuptse is the warmer, tougher, more forgiving jacket, and its 4.8 rating from about 13,000 owners backs that up. The Black Diamond Deploy Down .5 is a specialist: 1000-fill down in a 5 oz. shell that packs down to almost nothing, but it is slim-cut and thin-shelled. Buy the Nuptse for cold city winters and lift-served days; buy the Deploy for fast alpine missions where weight and pack size decide.

• Choose the Nuptse if you want a boxy, hip-length down jacket that handles real winter cold, stows its own hood, and has a long track record with thousands of owners.
• Choose the Deploy Down .5 if you want maximum warmth per ounce in a slim layer that disappears into a pack and wears under a shell.