GERRY Jackets vs North Face Jackets: Selection & Quality Compared

GERRY Outdoor and The North Face are two outdoor-supply retailers that, at first glance, seem similar. Both sell clothing designed to help you enjoy nature to its fullest, whether you’re hiking in the summer or camping in the dead of winter. Both have been in business for more than half a century; GERRY Outdoor was founded in 1946 and The North Face was founded in 1968. But, put in practice, outdoor enthusiasts will notice several striking differences between the two brands. We compare factors like availability, inventory, price, and warranty policies below.

GERRY Outdoor vs The North Face

One of the biggest differences between GERRY Outdoor and The North Face is their retail presence. The North Face has numerous standalone retail locations. It also sells through third-party retailers like Dick’s Sporting Goods, Journeys, Nordstrom, Macy’s, Dillard’s, Cabela’s, and more. GERRY Outdoor, on the other hand, doesn’t have its own brick-and-mortar stores. A post on the company’s Facebook page indicates that GERRY sells through third-party retailers only, including Dick’s Sporting Goods, Burlington, Nordstrom Rack, Marshalls, and T.J. Maxx. We also found GERRY Outdoor jackets on Amazon.

Both companies offer a variety of outdoor clothing items, but we’ll focus our review on GERRY Outdoor and The North Face jackets. Below, we’ll look at two different types of jackets, as well as cost and quality.

GERRY vs North Face: Insulated Jackets

GERRY Outdoor and The North Face sell insulated winter jackets that you can wear in inclement weather and while skiing, snowboarding, or snowshoeing. But there’s a big difference in selection.

On its website (as of press time), The North Face’s men’s section has more than 85 insulated and down coats to choose from. The North Face’s women’s section has about the same numbers, with 90 insulated and down coat options.

GERRY Outdoor has a much narrower selection. As of press time, Dick’s Sporting Goods offers only six GERRY coats. A search for “GERRY insulated jacket” on Amazon returned about 40 results, but many of the results were for pants and lighter clothing items that wouldn’t stand up to a day on the slopes.

As for pricing, GERRY has a clear edge over The North Face. For example, The North Face Men’s Down Sierra 2.0 Jacket retails for $279, while the GERRY Outdoor Men’s Cunningham Down Insulated Jacket retails anywhere from $30 to $130 on Amazon. And The North Face Women’s Carto Triclimate Jacket costs $240, while a comparable GERRY 3-in-1 Systems Women’s Jacket is about $70 on Amazon.

GERRY vs North Face: Lightweight Jackets

The situation is much the same for both brands when it comes to lightweight jackets, including raincoats and windbreakers. The North Face offers (as of press time) more than 60 lightweight jacket options for men — and the same for women. By our tally (as of press time), there are roughly 10 GERRY lightweight jacket options on Amazon for both men and women.

Prices show a similar divide too. The North Face Men’s Progressor Power Grid Fleece Hoodie is priced at $179, while the GERRY Outdoor  Men’s High Point Softshell Jacket is $50 on Amazon. Similarly, The North Face Women’s Progressor Power Grid Fleece Hoodie sells for $179, while the GERRY Women’s Lillian Softshell Jacket ranges from $25 to $70 on Amazon.

GERRY vs North Face: Quality

We’ve established that GERRY Outdoor jackets — insulated and lightweight — are the best budget option, but do you “get what you pay for” in terms of quality?

Independent reviews for both brands point out the occasional flaw or imperfection. A customer review posted on Trailspace for the GERRY Sweater Down Jacket noted that the sewn-through construction of this coat made it marginally cooler — and the jacket may lose some of its down over time. Similarly, a customer review on OutdoorGearLab for The North Face Vortex Triclimate reported part of the sleeve started to tear after very little use.

Personal preferences and experiences aside, the biggest quality difference between the two brands is the available warranty policies. With a GERRY Outdoor jacket, you will find yourself restricted to the retailer’s return policy, which varies depending on where you purchased the jacket. The North Face, however, has a durability promise and lifetime warranty; the company promises to repair or replace any product that fails due to a manufacturing defect. The warranty does not extend to damage from accidents, negligence, or normal wear-and-tear, but if your item is damaged and not covered by warranty, you can send it in for repairs “at a reasonable rate.”

In Summary

And that’s GERRY jackets vs The North Face jackets. GERRY Outdoor and The North Face both have a long history of creating outerwear, from insulated jackets to lightweight jackets and more. However, the brands have significant differences in where they sell their clothing, the variety in-stock, how much it retails for, and available warranty policies.