Winter Parka (Goose, Nobis, Mackage etc.)

[harryx2]

Has anyone tried Vallier? It’s an altitude sports house brand I think but their warm winter parka, the outremont (sp?) looks really nice to me. They’re made in China but they use 800 fill power responsibly sourced down. For the price (600 Canadian right now) that seems hard to beat).

It does look nice and 800 fill power is good. A bit on the heavy side though: Jacket size Medium weights 2,24 KG / 4,9 LBS.

 

[mykii2704]

I'm surprised at some users comments here about Canada goose. I can safely say mine (a GQ limited release at Bloomingdales 2yrs back) is the best clothing item I own, fullstop. It still looks new after 2yrs, and I've never even zipped it up - only buttoned (so a pretty good endorsement for quality and warmth).

I will say some of the design ethos and practicality (in design terms) of the newer jacket models make me frustrated, because I literally want to buy a second jacket and can't pinpoint one I would like to own from an ergonomics standpoint, everything else is top notch.

 

[gaseousclay]

I'm surprised at some users comments here about Canada goose. I can safely say mine (a GQ limited release at Bloomingdales 2yrs back) is the best clothing item I own, fullstop. It still looks new after 2yrs, and I've never even zipped it up - only buttoned (so a pretty good endorsement for quality and warmth).

I will say some of the design ethos and practicality (in design terms) of the newer jacket models make me frustrated, because I literally want to buy a second jacket and can't pinpoint one I would like to own from an ergonomics standpoint, everything else is top notch.

I briefly owned a chilliwack bomber and the lodge down vest. I returned the bomber and sold the lodge vest last year. I don't deny that CG is top tier in terms of warmth and such but I just couldn't get past the stigma of owning a CG jacket/vest. I actually felt self conscious wearing their stuff. The only people I see wearing CG are suburban soccer moms and hipsters who only seem to wear them as a status symbol. Seeing tons of celebrities wearing CG doesn't help either. These are just my opinions of course. I don't begrudge anyone for wanting to buy CG if it suits their environment and is within their budget. It's just not for me.

 

[LaymanX]

• Nobis is crap quality control and warranty service. Issues with premature pilling and down leakage all around. Made in China.
• Newer CG are overpriced and mediocre quality as well. Made in Canada for most parts, but non-core items are made in China.
• Moose Knuckles are well made and fairly priced but my god that hideous logo. Made in Canada.
• OSC is overly warm for most people's needs, not that well made *but* you can easily find them for 40-50% off. Just make sure to try it on in person as they fit weird. Made in Canada
• Mackage is okay if you get it during a 40% sale. Designs are off-putting to me, but that's subjective of course. Not sure where they're made.
• Parajumpers, lol

Still want to get my hands on a Quartz parka to see what it's like. I personally rock a Snow Peak down parka (https://huckberry.com/store/snow-peak/category/p/47220-waxed-down-jacket) for normal wear, and an old school CG parka (https://www.nagpeople.com/en/canada-goose-heli-arctic-parka.html) for colder climates. If I was in the market for a new parka, I'd take a close look at Quartz, Norse Projects Thor parka or this thing:

Indestructible Puffer. First Edition | Vollebak

We’ve taken the puffer jacket – traditionally one of the weakest and most delicate pieces of clothing you can buy – and rebuilt it from the strongest fibre ever made. Every fibre on the outside of the jacket is up to 15x stronger than steel, so even if you were wearing a steel-plated jacket that...

www.vollebak.com

 

[cb200]

Handled some Quartz pieces, well made, nothing fancy. Face fabric was lighter than CG parka weight interior was fairly soft. Fill amount seemed fair nice weight but not heavy. Ones I saw had fur hood trim that was real and removable. Overall impression was quite that they were straightforward in design and construction and without being "minimal/modern" or slapped with big goofy logo, didn't try it on so no idea about fit.

 

[modagg]

• Nobis is crap quality control and warranty service. Issues with premature pilling and down leakage all around. Made in China.
• Newer CG are overpriced and mediocre quality as well. Made in Canada for most parts, but non-core items are made in China.
• Moose Knuckles are well made and fairly priced but my god that hideous logo. Made in Canada.
• OSC is overly warm for most people's needs, not that well made *but* you can easily find them for 40-50% off. Just make sure to try it on in person as they fit weird. Made in Canada
• Mackage is okay if you get it during a 40% sale. Designs are off-putting to me, but that's subjective of course. Not sure where they're made.
• Parajumpers, lol

Still want to get my hands on a Quartz parka to see what it's like. I personally rock a Snow Peak down parka (https://huckberry.com/store/snow-peak/category/p/47220-waxed-down-jacket) for normal wear, and an old school CG parka (https://www.nagpeople.com/en/canada-goose-heli-arctic-parka.html) for colder climates. If I was in the market for a new parka, I'd take a close look at Quartz, Norse Projects Thor parka or this thing:

Indestructible Puffer. First Edition | Vollebak

We’ve taken the puffer jacket – traditionally one of the weakest and most delicate pieces of clothing you can buy – and rebuilt it from the strongest fibre ever made. Every fibre on the outside of the jacket is up to 15x stronger than steel, so even if you were wearing a steel-plated jacket that...

www.vollebak.com

Didn't Moose Knuckles get sued over the made in Canada claim? I tried one at Saks and it was hard to move in it, too stiff and the name/logo is ridiculous

 

[gs77]

Anyone has experience with Patagonia 3-in-1 type parkas? Looks practical...

 

[lefty]

Indestructible Puffer. First Edition | Vollebak

We’ve taken the puffer jacket – traditionally one of the weakest and most delicate pieces of clothing you can buy – and rebuilt it from the strongest fibre ever made. Every fibre on the outside of the jacket is up to 15x stronger than steel, so even if you were wearing a steel-plated jacket that...

www.vollebak.com

There's an awful lot of bullshit on that site.

If you're looking for light-weight performance in a down jacket take a look at the high-end mountain hunting lines like kuiu.com and the super down pro. Japanese technology proven in the field.

lefty

 

[harryx2]

There's an awful lot of bullshit on that site.

If you're looking for light-weight performance in a down jacket take a look at the high-end mountain hunting lines like kuiu.com and the super down pro. Japanese technology proven in the field.
View attachment 1311744
lefty

Very interesting, thanks!

 

[moondog-sparky]

if it's a goose down jacket you're after, i highly recommend Feathered Friends - i have a vest and jacket from them and they are best in class. they are mountaineering / expedition focused, of course, so may not work as an "around town" kind of jacket.

their lighter weight jackets should work well for most folks short of scaling Denali or Everest...

 

[WK2Diesel]

Handled some Quartz pieces, well made, nothing fancy. Face fabric was lighter than CG parka weight interior was fairly soft. Fill amount seemed fair nice weight but not heavy. Ones I saw had fur hood trim that was real and removable. Overall impression was quite that they were straightforward in design and construction and without being "minimal/modern" or slapped with big goofy logo, didn't try it on so no idea about fit.

I would agree with this statement. My Quartz jacket is very simple black jacket with a very small Quartz logo on the shoulder of one sleeve, mine has removable raccoon fur around the hood. My jacket is a 650 fill down and I have experienced very little to no down leakage in the 3 years I've owned it. As for fit, it is very similar to my Canada Goose Chateau parka, if anything it may have a slight bit more room.

 

[harryx2]

if it's a goose down jacket you're after, i highly recommend Feathered Friends - i have a vest and jacket from them and they are best in class. they are mountaineering / expedition focused, of course, so may not work as an "around town" kind of jacket.

their lighter weight jackets should work well for most folks short of scaling Denali or Everest...

LOL, not what I had in mind!

 

[LaymanX]

There's an awful lot of bullshit on that site.

If you're looking for light-weight performance in a down jacket take a look at the high-end mountain hunting lines like kuiu.com and the super down pro. Japanese technology proven in the field.

lefty

Oh yah, there's a lot of marketing fluff there for sure. Still, it's an interesting piece that I'd consider, just so I can saunter around the CG crowd and make remarks like "Oh what's your jacket filled with? Down? That doesn't sound very environmentally friendly. Recycled plastic bottles here."

 

[harryx2]

Oh yah, there's a lot of marketing fluff there for sure. Still, it's an interesting piece that I'd consider, just so I can saunter around the CG crowd and make remarks like "Oh what's your jacket filled with? Down? That doesn't sound very environmentally friendly. Recycled plastic bottles here."

You can get an Esemplare jacket or a Save the Duck then.

 

[lefty]

Oh yah, there's a lot of marketing fluff there for sure. Still, it's an interesting piece that I'd consider, just so I can saunter around the CG crowd and make remarks like "Oh what's your jacket filled with? Down? That doesn't sound very environmentally friendly. Recycled plastic bottles here."

It is a branding exercise masquerading as a clothing business. I'm all for high-tech fabrics (hence the interest in the Toray fabrics that Kuiu offers) but that pitch seems a little silly. If they work as promised text them with actual outdoors people not a stupid video dragging a hoodie behind a car.

Orvis just released a performance pro line and they tested for 18 months with a variety of accomplished anglers, then they took the feedback and tweaked.

Anyway, OP has lots of options.

lefty