Good value parkas

[radio3]

I’d love to be able to afford a Moose Knuckles parka (see attached the nice one). They’re freakin beautiful and your greatest friend in the world 3 months of the year. However, my budget is probably really for something like a Uniqlo parka (see attached the bland one). If only they weren’t so dreary looking.

Anyone have any suggestions on a really nice looking parka that works well and might be a cut above the Uniqlo, but still very affordable?

 

[johng70]

The range of parkas is all over the board. A lot depends on the features that are important. How cold is the temperature during the winter there? And how much time are you spending outside? How wet is it? Lots of the thin baffled jackes like that uniqlo really aren't very warm - especially when it is windy. The outer shell is designed to be light and fashionable (which is fine when it's not really cold or wet) but if it's really cold you need a better shell material. And, of course, if you're only ever outside for just 5-10 minutes at a time it's not as critical - but if you're outside for an hour or more, it becomes problematic. When buying a winter coat, start with requirements around how cold, how wet and for how long.

 

[radio3]

The range of parkas is all over the board. A lot depends on the features that are important. How cold is the temperature during the winter there? And how much time are you spending outside? How wet is it? Lots of the thin baffled jackes like that uniqlo really aren't very warm - especially when it is windy. The outer shell is designed to be light and fashionable (which is fine when it's not really cold or wet) but if it's really cold you need a better shell material. And, of course, if you're only ever outside for just 5-10 minutes at a time it's not as critical - but if you're outside for an hour or more, it becomes problematic. When buying a winter coat, start with requirements around how cold, how wet and for how long.

Well, I’m in The northern half of Europe, so it is pretty cold, but a I don’t spend a huge amount of time outside. Do you know of any warm jackets say around the $300-500 price range that are remotely as nice as a moose knuckles or Canada goose? I don’t need extreme weather survivability. But you are right something like that Uniqlo is not enough. So I do both want more style and more warmth.

 

[johng70]

At the top of your budget, but I would look at Fjallraven - they're a well made jacket and definitely have the warmth factor.