Men's Lightning Zip-In Jacket review

The North Face Men's Lightning Zip-In Jacket, style NF0A87GN, is a slim-cut rain shell whose clearest documented practical feature is underarm pit-zip venting. The maker also describes a waterproof, breathable, seam-sealed DRYVENT 2L construction and attachment points for compatible Triclimate layers. This is an assessment of the exact US product documentation, not a wear trial or a claim that a companion layer is in the package.

A two-layer shell with a specific material description

The exact US page calls the shell waterproof, breathable and seam-sealed and identifies it as DRYVENT 2L. Its body is listed as 75D, 126 g/m² and 100% recycled polyester with a non-PFC DWR finish. The maker separately describes recycled-polyester taffeta lining in the hood, lower body and sleeves at 66 g/m², with 50 g/m² upper-body lining. Those figures describe fabric mass, not the weight of the completed jacket. The product page does not state a total garment weight, and it does not identify the body weave as ripstop.

That specificity helps distinguish this style from jackets that share broad waterproof language. It is a two-layer shell, not a three-layer laminate, and the listed body is polyester rather than recycled-nylon ripstop. The page's non-PFC wording refers to the DWR finish; it is not the questionnaire's distinct statement that specified components are made without intentionally added PFAS. There is no numerical waterproof-pressure or breathability result on the checked page, so the maker's waterproof and breathable descriptions cannot be turned into a measured comparison.

Pit zips are documented; the effect is not quantified

Unlike a jacket whose feature list leaves underarm openings uncertain, the Lightning page explicitly lists pit-zip venting. That makes NF0A87GN a reasonable shortlist candidate when the presence of pit zips is a required documented feature. It does not establish how long the openings are, how much air they move, or whether a particular wearer will feel cooler. The listing includes no airflow or cooling measurement.

The front uses a reverse-coil zipper with a chin guard and internal draft flap. The attached hood has a pre-tensioned elastic opening, bonded brim and cord-lock adjustment; the cuffs use hook-and-loop tabs, and a cinch cord adjusts the hem. Hem-cord ends exit into the hand pockets. These are maker-described construction details, not proof of a particular storm-sealing result or of how the adjustments will work with your layers.

Zip-in compatibility is not a bundled warm jacket

The North Face describes the jacket as wearable on its own or as part of a layering system. Its Triclimate attachment system uses snaps at the center-back neck and loops at the cuffs to connect with complementing garments from the same maker. The exact NF0A87GN page does not list a separate insulated garment in the package. For a warmth decision, this record therefore supports a shell-only rain arrangement with layers chosen by the wearer; it does not support an insulated-arrangement match.

Before counting on the attachments, verify the exact complementary item and the maker's compatibility guidance. A shared Triclimate label or compatible loop does not show that an arbitrary fleece fits, that it is included, or that the combined set is comfortable under the slim outer cut. The page provides no temperature rating. Compare the current NF0A87GN size chart with your measurements and the midlayer you intend to use rather than assuming that a men's size range or the Slim label guarantees usable layering space.

Hand pockets are not a stated stow pocket

The feature list names reverse-coil-zip hand pockets, but it does not say the jacket packs into one of them. It also gives no packed dimensions or clip-in loop. This distinction matters if a pocket-stow jacket is essential: ordinary zip pockets do not demonstrate a self-stow route. The exact page does not establish that function, so the finder should not count this model for the self-stowing choice.

The official image for this edition shows a color-blocked gray-and-black hooded jacket with a center zip and hand-pocket zips. It is a visual reference for style NF0A87GN and the selected TNF Black/Smoked Pearl/Asphalt Grey presentation only. The photograph does not prove construction hidden beneath the fabric, pocket-stow function, fit, rain performance or package contents.

Separate it from other North Face zip-in shells

“Zip-In” appears in more than one North Face name, but the styles are not interchangeable records. Men's Lightning Zip-In NF0A87GN is listed as Slim fit, with a 75D, 126 g/m² recycled-polyester DRYVENT 2L body and pit-zip venting. The separately reviewed Men's DRYVENT Zip-In NF0A8J5G is a different style, labelled Regular fit, with a 75D, 122 g/m² recycled-polyester body and its own feature and lining descriptions. The All Terrain GORE-TEX Zip-In Shell NF0A8G0P is a third exact identity with a different fabric system. No feature is transferred just because all three names mention zip-in compatibility or a waterproof shell.

For someone seeking a men's slim-fit 2L shell with an explicit pit-zip listing and maker-described attachment points, NF0A87GN has useful, model-specific documentation. Its limitations are also clear: the page does not verify self-stow, 3L construction, recycled-nylon ripstop, a bundled insulating companion, total weight, center-back length, numeric membrane performance or the qualified PFAS statement. This review contains no ownership, personal fit, field testing or independent measurement. Verify the exact style, chosen color and size, seller, package description and return terms before acting; the style record does not establish a current offer or availability.