>>125432I went on a climbing trip with Mark Synnott last year. He's a North Face sponsored athlete: he told me that the North Face product development people are constantly getting their athletes to try new products and incorporate their feedback into what they bring to market. I've been super-happy with everything I have that's made by TNF.
I think people hate on TNF because it's trendy, not because they make bad products. I think their prices are comparable to other name-brand manufacturers, maybe a little higher but I think the quality is higher, too. I think their technical equipment is particularly better than other manufacturers: their tents, bags, etc. hold up way better than REI-tier products.
Another reason I think people hate on TNF is because they've introduced a low-priced tier of equipment to compete with other low-priced outdoor equipment manufacturers. Don't buy a $30 TNF backpack and expect it to hold up the same as a $120 TNF backpack. Expect it to hold up better than a $60 Patagonia backpack, though.
