Best (lightest) winter parka

I have had an awsome experience using gear by a company called Northern Outfitters (http://northernoutfitters.com/). Check out their Vaetrex tops. Their gear is made using closed-cell foam. It is a little more bulky and heavier than your primalofts, ect, but the warmth it provides beats them hands down. I have fallen through ice with their gear and still kept warm.

Nicholas,

These look interesting. Thanks for posting. A few questions though… How much does it weigh and what size do you have? What size does it pack down to? What is the coldest you have used yours in?

Thanks,

Roy

The RAB jacket/parka may be the best.

Do you want a parka or an insulating layer? You mentioned upgrading your bag to 4 season– is the idea to upgrade the bag via insulated clothing?

If you’re going for insulation, the BMW Cocoon garments are nice. For down, check Western Mountaineering, Feathered Friends, or MontBell. For less extreme cold, the Patagonia MicroPuff items are good.

A parka to me is a coat with a hood and may be insulated. An insulated parka is more of a commuter garment to me. For Winter weather I would rather have a hard shell and an independent insulating layer. I like Marmot’s jackets a lot. Pit zips and other ventilating features make them much more comfortable. Check the hood carefully– I’ve had a could jackets I really liked but for the #$%^& hoods.

Thanks for the input guys. The Vaetrex tops look really interesting… if the weight is right. I didn’t see weights listed on their web site. I’ll have to do some more research on those.

I’ve considered the RAB parka because of it’s glowing reviews here, but I’m not so sure about sewn through construction and the price. I’m just not sure a sewn through garment should cost that much, no matter how well made it is. Along with the fact that I would not be able to try one on before buying makes me lean away from the RAB.

Dale, I was thinking of an insulated parka, not a insulating layer for under a shell. I typically wear just a winter weight softshell over a t-shirt with a light hat or balaclava when I’m active down into the negative temps Farenheit. If it gets colder, which I haven’t experienced yet, I’ll beef up my head gear and throw on a long underwear top. What I was thinking was that for rest stops and cold nights and mornings in camp I would just add a thick insulated parka to my standard gear. Along with some Cocoon or MicroPuff pants I figure I could bring my summer bag instead of a heavy winter one.

Is my reasoning correct? If not, it’s back to the drawing board. If so, I’ll look into the Vaetrex stuff, WM, FF, and Montbell. It also looks like one of my local stores will be carrying the Patagonia down parka, so I’ll check that out. Thanks again for your comments.
-Eric

The stuff made by Northern Outfitters truly is the best cold-weather gear currenlty on the market. Anyone who spends large amounts of time in extreme temperatures will know about NO. I have used every single piece of their gear due to sponsorships, and can truly say that the temperature rating they state for their gear is correct. In fact, their Arctic system, rated to -60, has worked for me in temps below that. I’m a dog sledder, and have only recently got into backpacking, and through that, lightweight backpacking, and have tried to use the gear I have – meaning the Vaetrex stuff. I wouldn’t necessarily use this stuff in the spring-fall seasons, when during the day, this gear would more than likely be in your pack. It is slightly bulkier and heavier than primaloft, etc, and certainly down, but for the winter season, where you may be wearing an insulating layer at all times – I would wear nothing else. I would never wear down during any winter activity that might involve periods of exertion followed by rest without some sort of vapour barrier layer. I have no concern with sweating in my NO gear, as it stays just as warm when wet, and it dries even faster than other synthetic jackets. The vaetrex gear follows a different route than your usual layering system as it encourages you to wear the gear directly against your skin at all times, followed a shell.

Anyways, I’m kind of rambling on now – but I truly cant say enough good stuff about this gear. Highly recommended for any person who loves to play in the cold!

hahahaha

gotta laugh – they are in FLORIDA!!!

products look great BTW, but it really made me bust a gut when I saw their address.

Are those the guys that promote their gear as next to skin? I thought they used open cell foam (rather than closed cell… similar to some of the DIY gear that the boy-scout fieldbook talks about). Certainly looked interesting when I looked at them a while back.

I BELEIVE (but could absolutly be wrong) that they began their business by making clothing for working inside industrial freezers… Those things will freeze your ne-ne’s off even if they are located on the equator.