North Face jackets are reasonably good, but they are very expensive. Their store prices are daylight robbery and I would not recommend buying their items from a North Face store. Then again, Patagonia, which is an all-around stronger brand with better quality and reputation, is sometimes even more expensive in store. But TNF is also increasingly a favorite for casual (not just wintersports) fashion among rich college kids and their ilk, so the prices are particularly outrageous.

For the record, Arc'teryx is the absolute best, but it is also the Ferrari of winter clothing. I could never afford any of their clothing unless I worked as an investment banker or venture capitalist. I don't think you need an Arc'teryx unless you are a ski instructor and/or live in Canada (aside: up until recently, Arc'teryx was manufactured exclusively in Canada, but they eventually moved to China just like everybody else).

I am originally from an equatorial climate, so I have a low threshold for cold. I have several pieces of unbranded winter clothing, but somehow they have not kept the chill out as well as the well known winter brands. I also love skiing and the winter outdoors, which makes me additionally biased towards branded winterwear. So I would still recommend the big brands (Patagonia, Mountain Hardwear, Marmot, TNF etc.) but encourage you to look for better prices online.

The solution is Backcountry.com. They have top winter brands at very good discounts (the items are usually from previous seasons or have unusual colors). You can return them anytime (paying only shipping cost) if the items are poorly sized or have served you poorly in any way, the latter being extremely rare. They have great deals over holiday periods. I also like Evo.com, which has a slightly less generous return policy (still one whole year!!) but has even better deals on quality wintersports apparel.

I like to go to the TNF and Patagonia stores (they have stores in Boston), look for items that I like, then go online to find previous-season but still similar and much cheaper versions.