Outdoor Research vs The North Face:Which is more popular?
In September 2026, The North Face had more branded searches than Outdoor Research among waterproof jacket brands worldwide. The North Face had about 4.1 million branded searches, while Outdoor Research had 74,000. The North Face made up 34% of all waterproof jacket brand searches we track, and Outdoor Research accounted for 0.62%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about waterproof jacket brands, Outdoor Research appeared in three of the five answers and The North Face in two. Outdoor Research was mentioned before The North Face in every answer that named either.
Who do people search for more?
The North Face, about 55 searches for every 1 for Outdoor Research
Who does AI mention more?
Outdoor Research, mentioned in 3 of 5 answers, The North Face in 2
Who does AI recommend more?
Outdoor Research, named ahead of The North Face in 3 of 3 answers
Follow Outdoor Research vs The North Face and get free monthly updates on what changed
By continuing you'll get index updates and occasional product news from Brandwave. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy
Top waterproof jacket brands in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews
In three ChatGPT questions and two Google AI Overviews, Outdoor Research was mentioned in three out of five: in all three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. The North Face was mentioned in two out of five: in two of the three ChatGPT answers, but not in either of the two Google AI Overviews. Outdoor Research was listed before The North Face in every answer that named either.
Most recommended by AI
Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.
Patagonia1st
Arc'teryx2nd
Columbia3rd- Outdoor Research4th
Helly Hansen5th- The North Face6th
Rab7th
Barbour–
Carhartt–
Mentioned by AI
Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.
- Patagonia5 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Arc'teryx4 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Columbia4 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 2 of 2 Google answers
- Outdoor Research3 of 5Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- The North Face2 of 5Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- Helly Hansen2 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 2 Google answers
- Rab1 of 5Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- Barbour0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
- Carhartt0 of 5Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 2 Google answers
See every answer about waterproof jacket brands
5 answers
Asked ChatGPT
“Which waterproof jacket brand should I buy?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What are the best waterproof jacket brands?”
Asked ChatGPT
“What's the best waterproof jacket brand for heavy rain?”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“waterproof rain jacket”
Searched Google, AI Overview
“waterproof jacket womens”
Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in the United States on October 19, 2026.
Is Outdoor Research or The North Face more popular in search?
This chart shows how often people search Google for Outdoor Research and The North Face by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all nine waterproof jacket brands we track, month by month, from English-language searches worldwide.
Share of searches by month for The North Face, Outdoor Research. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | The North Face | Patagonia | Arc'teryx | Barbour | Helly Hansen | Carhartt | Rab | Columbia | Outdoor Research |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 37.7% | 23% | 15.4% | 10.3% | 4.6% | 4.6% | 1.7% | 2.1% | 0.51% |
| Nov 2025 | 42.7% | 19.2% | 15.7% | 7% | 4.7% | 5.8% | 1.4% | 2.9% | 0.52% |
| Dec 2025 | 40% | 18% | 18% | 8.1% | 4.4% | 6.6% | 1.3% | 3.1% | 0.59% |
| Jan 2026 | 39.4% | 21.7% | 17.8% | 6.5% | 5.3% | 4.4% | 2% | 2.5% | 0.58% |
| Feb 2026 | 37.5% | 25.2% | 16.8% | 6.2% | 5.1% | 3.4% | 2.8% | 2.3% | 0.83% |
| Mar 2026 | 33.2% | 29.7% | 16.2% | 8.9% | 4% | 2.7% | 2.7% | 2% | 0.66% |
| Apr 2026 | 30.5% | 30.7% | 16.8% | 9.2% | 4.1% | 2.3% | 3.4% | 2.2% | 0.83% |
| May 2026 | 35.4% | 29.1% | 15.9% | 7.1% | 4.8% | 1.8% | 3.2% | 2% | 0.79% |
| Jun 2026 | 32% | 32.3% | 17.7% | 5.3% | 4.3% | 1.9% | 3.5% | 2% | 0.87% |
| Jul 2026 | 36.3% | 29.9% | 16.4% | 4.9% | 4% | 1.8% | 4% | 1.9% | 0.81% |
| Aug 2026 | 35.2% | 26.3% | 17.6% | 7.9% | 4.3% | 2.4% | 3.5% | 2% | 0.71% |
| Sep 2026 | 34% | 22.9% | 18.7% | 10.2% | 4.6% | 3.8% | 3.1% | 2% | 0.62% |
How has the Outdoor Research and The North Face comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- The North Face was ahead of Outdoor Research in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Outdoor Research’s share of searches among waterproof jacket brands worldwide moved from 0.51% to 0.62%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 90.5K to 74K.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, The North Face’s share of searches among waterproof jacket brands worldwide moved from 37.7% to 34%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 6.7M to 4.1M.
How did search popularity change for waterproof jacket brands worldwide in September 2026?
2 changes
In September 2026, The North Face lost share of searches among waterproof jacket brands worldwide, from 35.2% to 34%.
Estimated monthly branded searches for Outdoor Research worldwide fell 18.2% over 12 measured months, from 90.5K to 74K in September 2026.
How are branded searches counted?
4 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Outdoor Research’s and The North Face’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
Outdoor Research
1 branded search term
- outdoor research
The North Face
3 branded search terms
- north face
- the north face
- thenorthface
Other head-to-heads among waterproof jacket brands
Put your own brand in this comparison
Brandwave tracks your branded demand next to the rival you actually watch, with your campaigns, spend and outcomes on the same timeline.