I have the liners, now I need a shell

November 9, 2019 2:25 PM

I have a shell (jacket) with two liners. The shell is damaged, but the liners are still in great shape. How can I shop online for a new shell?

I few years ago I purchased a jacket shell and two liners from REI. The shell can be used by itself and zipped up. In this form it functions pretty much like a rain jacket.

The liners can also be used by themselves. Each liner has a normal zipper and works just like a regular jacket. One is relatively lightweight fleece, the other is artificial down and is good in super cold weather.

The shell can also be used in combination with one of the liners. The shell has a second zipper that is more interior. The zipper from the liner mates with the zipper from the shell on each side, forming them into a single jacket. Then I use the external zipper from the shell to zip the whole thing up.

I need to replace the shell. It is shot. The liners are still good. I'd like to get a new shell that will mate properly with the liners that I have. This doesn't necessarily mean matching brands. The original shell is Northface and the liners are both REI and they work fine together.

I'd prefer to shop for this online. It will take a couple hours out of my day to go to a store in person and I'd rather not spend that time.

The problem is that I've been absolutely unable to find the kind of jacket shell I'm looking. I must not know the right terminology. I've searched for "shell" "jacket shell", "double-zipper jacket shell", etc and not found anything. I just find regular jackets that already having the liners built-in.

Can anyone help me find the kind of jacket I'm looking for online?

posted by Winnie the Proust to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (8 answers total)

First, what are the conditions under which the North Face shell got wrecked? I had two NF shells become unusable when the bonded interior vapor liner separated from the fabric (leaving weird little white plastic crumbs all over my clothes when I wore it), and I wrote a letter to NF and they replaced them both for free. If the jacket might should still be functional, why not contact customer service about that, with the information on the tags & if you retained any records?

Second, have you browsed NF and REI websites (in particular, sorting the REI website on outerwear/brand/NF) to see what a jacket like that might be called now? I can find no fault with your terminology, but this is the course of action I would take.
posted by toodleydoodley at 3:21 PM on November 9, 2019 [1 favorite]

These are sometimes called 3-in-1 jackets, you might try searching for that. However, I think that you might have better luck by just calling your local REI or North Face store, or their 1-800 number and asking a customer support person. They will likely be able to tell you if they sell replacements, and if so, how to order one. There’s a good chance you could just place your order over the phone.
posted by skye.dancer at 3:30 PM on November 9, 2019 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thank you, skye.dancer! 3-in-1 jacket is the term I was looking for.

Now I just need to see if it's possible to buy the shell component without the liner component. If anyone has pointers to that online, I'd still appreciate it, but I can contact REI &etc about it as well.
posted by Winnie the Proust at 5:07 PM on November 9, 2019

You have zip-out liners; the North Face has a zip-in-compatible jacket page.
posted by Iris Gambol at 7:13 PM on November 9, 2019

I have an LL Bean shell-type jacket and wear a fleece vest under it. If you call LL Bean, they'll take the time to help you find something appropriate. REI, too.
posted by theora55 at 7:54 PM on November 9, 2019

I think your best bet is going to be calling The North Face. The zippers on the shells aren't usually compatible across brands, so calling other companies may not be much help.
posted by easy, lucky, free at 10:28 PM on November 9, 2019

Response by poster: I've now spoken with both REI and Northface. Neither company sells the shells separately from the liners. Sigh. I guess I'll try LL Bean and some other outlets, but it looks like I may have to get a whole new 3-in-1.
posted by Winnie the Proust at 1:31 PM on November 10, 2019

Check e-bay!
posted by hannahelastic at 11:15 PM on November 10, 2019