Outdoor Gear Glossary

The North Face innovative vaulted footbox provides sufficient space to allow the feet to flex and move naturally in the base of the sleeping bag, eliminating dead air space and keeping feet warmer and more comfortable throughout the night.

VaporWick fabric moves moisture and sweat away from the skin to the outer surface of the fabric where it can evaporate. It is often used in rucksacks.

Ventilation via the mesh chest pockets allows air to circulate around the top half of the jacket. When using the pockets in this mode, fold back the flaps and tab into place to improve airflow. When the pockets are closed, a double storm flap ensures waterproof integrity.

Each baffle sidewall is inclined at an angle and joins its neighbour to form a series of V's within the wall of the sleeping bag. For a given size of sleeping bag and for a constant width of baffle, the greatest number of baffles is obtained using the "V" design. "V" gives twice as many baffles as boxwall construction, given equal measurements. For a fixed quantity of filling, the more baffles there are the less chance of the filling being displaced - hence "V" is better than boxwall as regards warmth. Its disadvantages are weight and cost, since in order to create twice the number of baffles requires additional sidewall fabric.

The North Face VX-2 rucksack suspension consists of two integrated tubular aluminum stays that are placed in an X pattern with the stays extending from the top of the ruckacks hip-belt to the top of the pack. - transferring the packs weight directly to the hips. In addition, VX-2 Suspension has a second set of custom extruded aluminum stays that are placed in a V-pattern from the load filters to a small plate that connects to the back of the hipbelt of your rucksack. See X Frame.

Load bearing 3-layered composite, with 30 degree X-ply fibres that create a fabric with superior performance and amongst the best weight to strength ratio in the rucksack market.