Your favorite/warmest parka

[Demidog]

Some day, I will be moving to the far north where I plan to continue hiking. As hiking will likely turn into snowshoeing, I'll probably also be picking up new activities like snowmobiling and snow trekking as well. Of course I will also be spending a lot of time outdoors walking my dogs.

I don't want to put the cart before the horse but I've been keeping an eye out for a good parka for when the time comes. I'd ideally like something that can withstand the harsh cold of the Alaska North Slope, not just the frigid winters of the southernmost Canadian cities. I'd like to know what suggestions everyone has for the warmest parkas.

I know that Canada Goose has a reputation for making the best and the warmest parkas in the world, but I don't plan on wearing anything with real animal fur or lined with down. I know that synthetic alternatives might be far inferior but that's okay as long as they are still reasonably warm. The parka is just part of the solution in the end since it's the layering of clothes underneath that's equally as important, or so I've come to learn myself. Regardless, I'd like the community's thoughts on their favorite outwear whether or not it is completely synthetic.

Edit: This probably belongs in The Haberdashery so mods, please excuse the thread and feel free to move it to the appropriate subforum as needed. Thank you.

 

[dws]

You'll be hard pressed to find anything that will stack up against down. I have friends who have lived in Nunavut and now in the Yukon Territory. Both swear by North Face down parkas for their Arctic gear. Great quality at a fraction of the price for Canada Goose, if budget is any concern. For climates in those regions, no expense would be spared, if it were me. Get the best your money can buy.

 

[Cumberland Sausage]

The Patagonia DAS Parka is about the warmest synthetic mountain jacket I know of, but it's nowhere near as warm as a good down jacket, weighs far more and won't last as long, since the synthetic fibres break down relatively fast.

 

[Demidog]

Thanks for the suggestions. I know that a synthetic isn't ideal but I'm willing to make some compromises. Budget is actually concern at the moment but as it was already stated, you can't put a price on keeping healthy and warm in those regions. Once I'm in a position to move, I'm sure that I'll have more to spend on a better parka anyway.

For now, I've been checking out the Alpha Industries parkas, but it seems like they just have a basic polyester lining so I doubt that they'd hold up well below freezing temperatures. I found some startup that seems like it has already gone through at least one name change, but they seem to be a direct competitor to Canada Goose with their synthetic offerings and they are just as pricey - way out of my range for now. Like the Patagonia DAS, it seems like the higher end synthetics use PrimaLoft, which is supposed to offer even more advantages over down.

 

[sidpost]

What's the reason your avoiding down? Goose down is the insulation of choice for a reason. As stated above, it doesn't have to be super expensive to be much better than almost all synthetics. Mid-grade down is pretty economical and is hard pressed to beat synthetics as long as it is kept dry.

Synthetics I have used lack an easy and natural movement in addition to being very heavy and needing frequent replacement in most cases.

 

[Raissermesser]

Decades ago I had a goose down hunting jacket. It was warm - for a time. Maybe it was because it got wet despite it's water repellant shell, or maybe just poor quality, but over time the insulation quality dropped dramatically. The down settled, and some worked out through the stitching. Poor quality, perhaps, but haven't cared for down since. So, what was I doing wrong with it?

Back in the day, before fire retardant rules, I had a work parka with synthetic filling, and that's held up for years. Still wear it on hard cold days and not doing power line work. My first fire retardant coat weighs twice as much and isn't anywhere as warm.

 

[cerna348]

I am assuming that it is an ethical issue for avoiding down. I don't blame you. Everyone has to made a stand for something or somewhere. I am wondering if this article that talks about the steps Patagonia and TNF are making are enough for you to reconsider: http://www.slate.com/articles/busin...free_down_industry_standards_for_ethical.html ? I am by no means trying to convince you to go with down, I am just wondering where the line is?

 

[cerna348]

and with reply to the insulation quality falling over time...
I highly recommend washing it with NIKWAX brand Down Wash and following the instructions.
https://www.rei.com/product/890310/nikwax-down-wash-direct
Wash in warm with the down wash in a front loading washer
dry on low heat with dryer balls or tennis balls in the dryer to break up the clumps of down

I washed a 30 year old down sleeping bag for a friend once. The bag wasn't in great shape and he was going to give it to another friend. He had me wash it for him since he didn't want to give it away dirty. I washed it for him and the down feathers and insulation was rejuvenated so much and the sleeping bag looked so good afterward that he decided to keep the bag after all.

 

[Cumberland Sausage]

Decades ago I had a goose down hunting jacket. It was warm - for a time. Maybe it was because it got wet despite it's water repellant shell, or maybe just poor quality, but over time the insulation quality dropped dramatically. The down settled, and some worked out through the stitching. Poor quality, perhaps, but haven't cared for down since. So, what was I doing wrong with it?

Back in the day, before fire retardant rules, I had a work parka with synthetic filling, and that's held up for years. Still wear it on hard cold days and not doing power line work. My first fire retardant coat weighs twice as much and isn't anywhere as warm.

Down and water don't get on at all well. Wet down loses virtually all of its insulation properties. If it isn't carefully agitated as it dries, it clumps together and loses a good deal of its ability to trap air, and hence to keep you warm. As noted above, however, if occasionally washed properly and dried carefully (in a tumble drier on a low setting, with an old tennis ball thrown in to break up the down clumps) then it can last virtually indefinitely.
Some down is now treated so it doesn't absorb water to the same degree, and this is much better for use in damp weathers. Even this treated down, however, isn't as effective as synthetic insulation in cool (rather than freezing cold) and damp conditions of the sort often seen in the UK and other countries with maritime climates. But for real cold, down is best.

 

[Demidog]

I am assuming that it is an ethical issue for avoiding down. I don't blame you. Everyone has to made a stand for something or somewhere. I am wondering if this article that talks about the steps Patagonia and TNF are making are enough for you to reconsider: http://www.slate.com/articles/busin...free_down_industry_standards_for_ethical.html ? I am by no means trying to convince you to go with down, I am just wondering where the line is?

Thanks for the article. As I've gotten older, my perspectives have changed on a lot of things. Several years ago, this probably wouldn't have been much of a consideration but now I take a pretty hard line approach to these things. Synthetic alternatives might still have a while to go in some areas, but by and large they've come a long way. I don't necessarily need the best of the best since I will mostly just be light hiking and walking my dogs, not camping outside in subzero temperatures.

As it was already discussed, synthetic insulation does seem to have some advantages, namely that it won't be ruined if it gets wet. With proper layering, I might be able to somewhat compensate for any shortcomings with the parka itself. Wully Outerwear claims to be a direct competitor with Canada Goose but they're relatively new. At their prices, they better be good. I'm sure that there must be some people way up north who wear synthetic stuff and get along just fine. If it doesn't work out, then maybe I'll reevaluate my perspectives for the sake of my own health.

 

[Bhugo]

A Filson double cruiser is a great cold weather coat. It's wool, and heavy, but I can tell you that it can get wet and still stays warm. It's a great hunting coat.