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The North Face’s new FutureLight Tech | First Look

TNF have released a brand new waterproof technology called FutureLight, but what's it all about?

It’s fair to say The North Face have been consistently pushing garment technologies for the past few years, from the synthetic ThermoBall insulation, to their FuseForm technology where different blends of fabric thickness were seamlessly fused together to create transitions from tough to minimal zones on a garment.

News just in from the brand is that they’ve released another new flagship technology called FutureLight which sees next level breathability within the membranes of their fabrics whilst also keeping them fully waterproof.

This has been made possible by using a process called ‘Nanospinning’ which creates a huge amount of nano sized holes within their membranes, supposedly increasing breathability tenfold, to allow an extremely thin membrane to be produced.

The North Face put their ‘Nanospinning’ technology under the microscope.

This slender membrane can then be attached to a whole host of their various outer fabrics giving their designers the ability to adjust the weight, stretch, breathability, durability and texture to exactly match the needs of their consumers and athletes.

To put it simply, imagine your dream breathable and lightweight softshell jacket that is able to claim full hardshell waterproofing without the much loathed tough outer fabric that is usually coupled with a high level of waterproofing.

In essence, this new tech has given The North Face the chance to make an extremely comfortable garment that can retain full waterproofing.

What’s also interesting about this new development is that it’s not just limited to clothing usage, with the U.S. brand hinting that they’ll be using it in tents, packs, gloves, you name it…

Up close with the new FutureLight clothing in a ski touring trip in the Himalaya.

The North Face's team of athletes have been putting the new FUTURELIGHT technology through its paces.

The only bit that matters to you and I is obviously real world testing, cutting through the ‘ideal world’ marketing talk and looking at how the product really performs before we part with our hard-earned cash for the latest and greatest tech. TNF has put its FutureLight technology through its paces for the past two years, joining their athletes in many environments where breathability, comfort and weight are key. Hilaree Nelson and Jim Morrison, for instance, wore it during their much coveted first descent of 2100m Lhotse couloir found on the stunning east face of the world’s sixth highest mountain, Lhotse (8516m).

“In all my years in the mountains, I’ve never experienced a product that moved and performed as well as FutureLight. It is creating a new paradigm for what I expect out of a waterproof material.” Jim Morrison

Whilst fabric development all sounds like a dream come true, we of course will not give it our full seal of approval until we have put it through its paces in true UK style – Welsh ridge scrambling in the driving rain, or classic Scottish ski touring in sleet and 50 mph plus winds spring to mind!

FutureLight is set to be released to the public within their top products in the A/W 2019 range – we feel this is definitely an exciting shift in technologies to keep an eye on.