The North Face Freedom Pants Review

The North Face Freedom Pants for skiing and snowboarding come in two versions — insulated and uninsulated. Both have the same core features, but the insulated option includes The North Face’s Heatseeker Eco insulation.

If you’re considering the Freedom Pants or Freedom Insulated Pants, this is what you need to know:

The North Face Freedom Pants Review

The North Face has been making its popular ‘Freedom’ ski and snowboarding pants for years. Because The North Face Freedom Pants pair excellent quality with affordability, they might be the most popular ski and snowboarding pant in North America for beginner and intermediate skiers.

Key features include a waterproof and breathable seam-sealed DryVent 2-layer shell with a non-PFC DWR water-repellant coating.

To help you cool down on warm days or awesome back-to-back runs with short lift lines, The North Face includes zippered inner thigh vents. We’re big fans of seeing venting options on affordable gear. In this case, it means that you can wear The North Face Freedom Pants for leisurely groomer runs with the family . . . or bust out a series of harder runs and not overheat.

 

 

You also get articulated knees for great mobility and reinforced kickpatches at the hem to protect the lower legs from sharp ski edges. The tops of the built-in gaiters are made of mesh, which The North Face says helps with heat management and breathability. We’re not sure that it makes a very noticeable difference, but it sure doesn’t hurt.

Waterproof Performance

I wore The North Face Freedom Pants during a multi-day weekend ski trip this year, and they performed flawlessly in both cold and sleety conditions. The waterproofing and DWR did its job, and even after sitting on wet lift seats nothing leaked through.

The inner thigh vents are not waterproof zippers, so they’re not as impervious as much more expensive hard-shell ski pants — but due to their location they’re well protected.

Overall, I was impressed by the performance of the uninsulated Freedom Pants — they’re relatively lightweight with an agile cut.

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Pockets!

A key differentiating feature of The North Face Freedom Pants at its price point is the inclusion of a cargo thigh pocket.

The typical zippered front hand pockets are useful, but the cargo pocket makes the Freedom Pants more flexible and useful for whatever you need to pack around.

I like to stash an extra pack of hand warmers in there just in case.

 

Insulated vs Uninsulated

If you’re considering The North Face Freedom ski and snowboard pants, the biggest question you probably have is if you should buy the insulated or uninsulated version? I can help with that decision.

If you tend to run cold and want simplicity when you pack and dress for the slopes, choose the Freedom Insulated Pants. The extra layer of Heatseaker Eco recycled polyester insulation will cut the chill.

On the other hand, if you want the lightweight flexible performance of an uninsulated hardshell — but want a more affordable price point — the uninsulated Freedom Pant is hard to beat.

The uninsulated Freedom Pants leave you with more room to mix-and-match your base layers to fit the day’s activity and conditions.

All you have to do is plan your base layers. I usually wear a lightweight merino wool base layer then wear a thicker synthetic track or jogger-style pant. If it’s a warmer day, I might skip both those options and simply pull my ski pants over an agile everyday pant like the Eddie Bauer Guide Pro Pants.

You can’t go wrong with either the insulated or uninsulated version — choose the insulated version if you don’t have good base layers and choose the uninsulated version for flexibility if you do have base layer options in your closet already.

However, the uninsulated Freedom Pants fit differently compared to the Freedom Insulated Pants.

Fit Characteristics

I’m about 6’3″ and 220 pounds, which means I typically wear an XL in most outdoor clothing. When I tried on an XL in both the Freedom Pant and in the Freedom Insulated Pant, I was surprised to find they fit differently.

The Freedom Insulated Pants were definitely tighter and fit trimmer than the uninsulated version. It feels as if The North Face cuts the fabric exactly the same for both pants . . . but after adding in the insulation, the resulting fit is tighter because of the extra material.

For me, I thought the insulated XL fit a bit trimmer than what I expect from a typical North American XL pant. The uninsulated Freedom Pants version, on the other hand, fit spot on perfect.

You can also think of it like this: The uninsulated Freedom Pants leave you with more room to mix-and-match your base layers to fit the day’s activity and conditions.

 

Choose Your Length

One awesome benefit of the Freedom Pants is that The North Face offers them in three different length options: Short, Regular, and Long.

We appreciate these inseam options because it lets you dial in the fit.

At 6’3″, I have long inseams and the XL Long fits me very well.

Shop The North Face Freedom Pants at Backcountry.com and get FREE Shipping on orders over $50!

Competitive Alternatives & Options

If you’re considering The North Face Freedom ski and snowboarding pants, here are some competitive alternative options that could also make your shortlist:

Helly Hansen Legendary Insulated Ski Pants — Like The North Face ski pants, the Helly Hansen Legendary Insulated Ski Pants are a long-time popular ski pant. They cost a bit more than the Freedom Insulated Ski Pants but the quality and performance is just as good. The overall features are nearly the same, including inner thigh vents. However, you don’t get a handy thigh cargo pocket. If you want to take a closer look, check out our full review of the Legendary Insulated Ski Pants.

REI Co-op Powderbound Insulated Pants — The REI Co-op Powderbound Insulated Snow Pants offer a very competitive price-to-value ratio. REI doesn’t make them in as many color options as The North Face Freedom Pants or the Helly Hansen Legendary Insulated Ski Pants, but REI offers a Men’s Tall size option in addition to a Men’s Short version if the regular inseam doesn’t fit you.

Columbia Bugaboo IV Snow Pants — Columbia has been making its popular Bugaboo IV Insulated Ski Pants for years. The biggest benefit of the Columbia Bugaboo IV Snow Pants is its lower price point — it costs a bit less than the competition. In our experience, The North Face and Helly Hansen deliver slightly better fit and overall quality, but the price-to-value ratio of the Bugaboo IV Snow Pants is hard to beat. The fit tends to be a bit looser overall. They’re very good for casual skiers and snowboarders and they’re great for parents trying to outfit growing kids. The biggest drawback for skiers is the lack of interior reinforcement patches at the hem. If you end up scuffing or cutting them, you can use AquaSeal to repair tears to most any waterproof fabric — including underwater gear like fly fishing waders. (AquaSeal is good stuff!)

The Bottom Line

All-in-all, The North Face Freedom Pants are an excellent, affordable all-around ski pant. We particularly appreciate the option to choose insulated or uninsulated versions, as well as the many length and size options. They’re fantastic for beginners and intermediate-to-advanced resort-focused skiers. Very highly recommended.

Get the Gear:

• The North Face Freedom Pants — men’s
• The North Face Freedom Insulated Pants — men’s
• The North Face Freedom Insulated Pants — women’s

Check pricing & availability:

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