Which brand is better – The North Face, or Patagonia?
You will invariably come across these two titans when shopping for outdoor goods like a jacket, fleece, or vest: Patagonia and The North Face. Both brands produce premium outdoor clothing and equipment.
If you cannot decide between the two brands, this article will be of great help to you! So, scroll through to know about these amazing brands!
Company History
The North Face
The North Face is an American manufacturer of outdoor leisure gear that was established in San Francisco. Doug Tompkins, a teenage climber, used his funds to launch a revolution in 1966.
A little store in San Francisco quickly developed into a cultural exchange hub where the Beat Generation discussed novel ideas, the Grateful Dead performed live, and famous American climbers stopped by after completing Yosemite’s circuit.
Douglas Tompkins and his wife Susie established The North Face in 1968 as a shop location for climbing gear in San Francisco. The company’s logo, which was inspired by Yosemite National Park’s Half Dome, was created to supply climbers. Two years later, Kenneth “Hap” Klopp bought it.
By concentrating on street couture by the late 1990s, the brand had reached out beyond outdoor aficionados, and since the 2000s, it has been considered a streetwear style emblem label. It was purchased by VF Corporation in 2000.
Patagonia
Patagonia is an American outdoor apparel shop. Yvon Chouinard established Patagonia in 1973. The brand has its headquarters in Ventura, California. Yvon became passionate about the outdoors at a young age, especially pursuits like fishing.
Yvon Chouinard’s passion for the outdoors and climbing only grew once his family relocated to California. However, he was unable to locate any climbing gear that he believed met his demands.
So, following in his father’s footsteps, he started manufacturing it himself at the age of 19. He founded Chouinard Equipment in 1964 in collaboration with aviation engineer Tom Frost.
Brand Popularity And Number Of Stores
The North Face
The North Face holds a highly dominant position in the market for name-brand goods. You have probably heard of this brand before and considered buying anything from them. The business has put a lot of effort into becoming known as one of the top producers of performance clothes.
The North Face’s successful designer partnerships, which have helped this historic performance-wear brand stay contemporary, is one factor in its appeal. The North Face and MM6 Maison Margiela collaborated on a capsule line of fleece vests last year that Hailey Bieber adored.
It is understandable why the brand is well-liked given that its design appeals to a broad audience and maintains gender neutrality. North Face currently has 200 stores globally. North Face’s official Instagram page has 5.2 million followers.
Patagonia
Patagonia is a smaller brand in terms of sales and popularity. It manages about half of The North Face’s worldwide sales. The brand has hundreds of concept stores in 10+ countries across 5 continents.
This, coupled with the fact that Patagonia has factories in 16 countries, is a testimony of Patagonia’s international reach. Currently, Patagonia’s official Instagram page has 4.8 million followers, which makes it a strong competitor of The North Face.
Both brands have a strong international presence!
Types Of Products The North Face And Patagonia Offer
The North Face has a wide range of products that include outdoor apparel for women, men, kids, and infants. Jackets, vests, accessories, and bottoms are some common categories under the apparel section.
The North Face also sells equipment like tents, luggage, sleeping bags, technical packs or gear, and backpacks. It also sells footwear, an item that is not part of Patagonia’s range of products.
Patagonia is mainly known for its upscale outdoor clothing range that is sustainable. The brand has a range of outdoor apparel designed for sports like climbing, surfing, skiing, snowboarding, fly-fishing, and trail running. Like The North Face, the range of apparel is available for men, women, children, and infants.
Apart from apparel, Patagonia also offers athletic equipment such as backpacks, climbing gear, and sleeping bags. The brand also sells food and drink specifically for camping purposes, something that The North Face’s product range lacks.
How Costly Are Their Products?
When it comes to pricing, both The North Face and Patagonia have apparel that is slightly expensive due to their high-performance product range which is made using sustainable materials and revolutionary eco-friendly technologies.
Both brands provide premium outdoor wear, which is why the products are priced at a higher rate. Products from Patagonia typically cost more than comparable ones from North Face.
For example, when it comes to jackets, The North Face has jackets starting from $60, while Patagonia’s jackets start from $100 onwards. This is typical because Patagonia goes above and above with the quality of their materials and production, as you can see in some of the product comparisons below.
Warranty And Replacement
Patagonia
Patagonia’s products offer a lifetime warranty for all their products, including used products. Patagonia’s ironclad Guarantee program assures customers that if they are dissatisfied with any of their products, they can return them to the Patagonia store they bought the product from.
The product can be replaced or the customer will be provided a refund. Patagonia also offers an option for repairs. The brand carries out all repairs free of charge. Once the repairs are done Patagonia ships the items back to you without charging you for shipping. In peak times, repairs can take from 6-8 weeks.
The North Face
Compared to Patagonia, The North Face offers a Limited Lifetime Warranty. Products from The North Face Renewed Line and footwear have a warranty period of only one year.
Other products have a lifetime warranty that covers manufacturing and material defects but does not cover normal wear and tear, negligence, or damage. If any item falls under the warranty, it will be replaced or repaired free of cost. Like Patagonia, repairs carried out by The North Face typically take 6-8 weeks.
Availability Of Used Items
The North Face officially sells used items under its website, North Face Renewed. Used coats, outerwear, and other clothing from The North Face are restored to an almost new condition and sold at a significant discount on The North Face Renewed website.
However, The North Face does not give customers the option of selling their North Face items as Patagonia does. Currently, customers can only buy used items from the Renewed line.
Patagonia officially sells used products under its Worn wear Patagonia program. Like The North Face, Patagonia is unrelenting when it comes to sustainable practices, and it firmly believes in extending the life of its apparel and equipment.
Therefore, it introduced a different section under its official website, called Worn Wear Patagonia. Through this, customers can buy used products or sell their Patagonia products in exchange for credit points on their future Patagonia purchases. The option of trading used apparel and equipment is also offered.
Do They Give Back Something To The Society?
The North Face
The North Face strives to be sustainable from the start to finish. From using sustainable packaging to using recycled materials for manufacturing products, The North Face takes sustainability seriously. The brand has pledged to use 100% sustainably sourced material for its apparel by 2025.
To enable equitable access to nature, the brand established the Explore Fund Council as part of its social initiatives. This international fellowship collaborates with a variety of specialists in the arts, sciences, and outdoor recreation to develop and implement workable solutions.
Through their Explore Fund award cycle, the company also assisted charitable groups that broadened access to exploration. Through their Move Mountains filmmaker fellowships, the brand also increased the number of female filmmakers.
The brand has also launched Reset Normal, a new worldwide campaign, which will promote more equality and strive to bring inclusion to outdoor adventure.
Patagonia
Where Patagonia is concerned, it is a brand that strongly believes in sustainability and environmental ethics. It uses eco-friendly and recycled materials. Under Worn Wear Patagonia, the brand takes things up a notch by setting up the marketplace of used products to encourage customers to buy and sell used Patagonia products.
The brand has also pledged 1 percent of its total sales to the restoration and conservation of the environment and natural habitats. It carries out this cause under the ‘1% For the Planet’ initiative.
Patagonia also takes its social responsibility seriously and has developed a powerful social responsibility program. The program focuses on creating a positive impact on the lives of those communities and workers that are part of the company’s supply chain.
Which Brand Is Better –The North Face Or Patagonia?
It is extremely difficult to determine which of the two brands is better. Both brands are excellent choices when it comes to high-performing, weather-resistant apparel, and equipment. Both brands have a wide appeal globally and are known as premium brands.
Both brands offer a wide range of outdoor products. However, Patagonia has more warranty options under its Ironclad Guarantee, as compared to The North Face, which has limited warranty options. On the other hand, The North Face has a more affordable range of apparel as compared to Patagonia.
Both brands actively participate in environmental activism, but Patagonia is a slightly more sustainable brand than The North Face. When it comes to quality, both brands have their strengths.
Ultimately, the brand you choose will depend on your preferences, for example – a specific product design you are looking for, or a specific price range that you seek for a product.
We have also done a comparison of Patagonia and Marmot. You’ll get a ton of new information in that article.
Final Words
Patagonia is for the slightly more relaxed person who wants to take in the fresh air and take in the scenery as he climbs a jagged mountain, whereas The North Face attempts to appeal to the overachieving weekend warrior.
The best choice for the consumer depends on their lifestyles, needs, and personal preferences. Objectively, both brands are excellent choices. No brand can be called better than the other.
So, it is safe to say that The North Face and Patagonia will continue to shape many explorers’ lives positively for many decades to come.
