Parka

[TacDoc]

Hello M4carbine.net folks,

I'll be heading for Vancouver, Canada (Whisler) this next Jan 2008. I need a good "overall" parka. I intend to do some ski/snowboarding, lots of hiking/climbing, snowmobiling and long walks.

I'm leaning towards down, but I dont want to feel/look like the Michelin man. Also, waterproof is a most.

As you may notice, I live in the Carribean (Summer all year long), so I know almost nothing about winter clothes.

I have searched www.backcountry.com, www.landsend.com, and a few other places but I need help deciding for a GOOD parka that does not have a $400+ price tag and still be a warm/reliable jacket.

Anyone have experience with this one:
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?id=0050065922326a&navCount=28&podId=0050065&parentId=cat601886&masterpathid=&navAction=jump&cmCat=jcp-cat601809-cat601886-cat601886_TGP&catalogCode=XH&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat601886&hasJS=true

Any help will be greatly appreciatred :)

[militarymoron]

i'd recommend an uninsulated or very lightly insulated/lined waterproof shell (like a technical shell), instead of an insulated parka, and rely on base/mid layers for warmth. you mentioned skiing and snowboarding - i've done both, and found that i'd often overheat with the old style michelin-man parkas, and did better with a removable mid layer that i'd stow in a small pack. same thing with hiking in cold weather/snow - it's surprisingly easy to overheat on the move. look at the technical shells on backcountry.com - they've got some decent, reasonably priced shells like north face etc.
i'd suggest a thin base layer top and bottom (long johns) of wicking, antimicrobial material and some sort of lightweight fleece mid layer under the shell.

[Striker5]

While it is water "resistant", not water proof, I really like the military issue Goretex parka and am thinking about getting one in OD for civilian/outdoor wear. It is intended to be worn with layers: brown polypro, green/coyote fleece, or heavy "black bear" fleece. I like the layering concept, and it breathes if you have to exert yourself in a wet environment.

[5POINT56]

Excellent advice....and ditto on the snowboarding/hiking stuff...been doing it for years myself.

A Gortex outer shell, non-insulated, a good quality fleece jacket, a sweatshirt and long johns (bottoms and tops) is all I have ever needed.

I have a shell and fleece that both have zips in the arm pits, so cooling down doesn't require removing clothing and having to carry it. You will warm up doing strenuous stuff and you will become too hot easier than you might think. Always have a good day pack too. In the event you need to remove or add layeres, it comes in very handy to have that available....and that means snowboarding too.

The insulated parka is really good for extremely cold mountaineering....and prolonged extreme cold camping. B.C. doesn't qualify...or at least where you'll be. Some of the best snowboarding in North America is there....have a blast!

[rubberneck]

I use polypro against my skin, covered by a North Face Polartec 300 fleece jacket for warmth and a Mountain Hardware Traverse Trifecta outer shell. The fleece will run between $125-150 and the jacket runs $250. I have shot an IDPA match in 20 degree weather and I never got cold with the three and the jacket is waterproof. The nice thing is that with the layers you can handle everything from 70 degrees and rainy to 20 degrees and windy and everything in between, without the bulk of a down jacket.

http://www.mountainhardwear.com/Product.aspx?top=1&prod=164&cat=36&viewAll=False

[Voodoochild]

North Face good products that wont break the bank.

[UVvis]

As a certified Popsicle, I agree with MM.

Heat management in the cold is difficult, plus it takes a while to find out what you really need.

A parka is easy to focus on but don't forget the other things, like warm hats, wearing the right boots, and gloves, balaclavas and neck gaiters (invaluable and multi use), warm trousers/bibs, and wind goggles.

If it is cold or cold and wet, avoid cotton, synthetics work better and don't hold the moisture. Keeping warm is simply about minimizing heat loss and making sure you are generating enough heat to stay warm.

So some basic tips and advise...

Wind shells keep the warm air trapped close to your body, making insulators. Loft like fleece and down trap air spaces. If it isn't windy, open up your wind shell to help vent.

Food, don't eat big meals, they take to much blood to digest and will make your feet and hands cool. Eat all day long, but little snacks. Try to balance protein fat and carbs, as you body burns them all different and the balance helps keep you warm.

More important than food, drink lots of water. Drinking keeps your blood volume up, helps you digest food, and keeps heat moving around in your body. In cold dry air you can loose half a gallon a day breathing. It is not unusual for me to drink 3-5 gallons of water a day when doing moderately physical activities in extreme dry/cold conditions. Drink continuously as your body can only take water in so fast.

Don't tolerate anything getting cold. Deal with it right away. If you wait you may find yourself on a slippery slope, and all of the sudden you can't help yourself anymore.

If your feet are cold, add more pants.

I generally like having a good spacious wind shell top and bottom, and layering up under that. I like heavier nylon If I stop and am sitting around, i tend to break out those compact able puffy down filled jackets to keep my core warmer, and big 'camp gloves' and hats for sitting around. Lightweight polypro is a good first layer, then fleece and/or heavy weight poly pro, then a windshell. I try to regulate heat out of the top of my head first (not face or ears) by wearing not to warm hats.

In serious blowing snow, zip up all your pockets. I've had wind pack snowballs magically appear in my pockets before.

If it is wet and cold or near freezing, try your best to keep dry. If you are wet and there isn't any precip coming down, keep moving to warm up and change out of your wet stuff ASAP. No cotton, only fast drying synthetics. If the weather is calm you can also remove your wind layers and steam the water off by being physically active.

Keep your water bottle upside down, water freezes top down. i keep a small 500mL bottle in my parka to keep topping off with snow so I can have water to drink.

Fuel gives instant frostbite at under -10F. Wear gloves.

[TacDoc]

Gents, thanks for all the replies. I really appreciate your help.

So, layering is the trick! Good to know...

[Low Drag]

Get yourself one of these babies, you won't be disappointed.

http://www.actiongear.com/cgi-bin/tame.exe/agcatalog/level4s.tam?xax=3508&pagenumber%2Eptx=1&M5COPY%2Ectx=8062&M5%2Ectx=8062&M2%5FDESC%2Ectx=Headwear%20%2D%20Cold%20Weather%2C%20Fleece%2C%20Face%20Masks&level3%2Ectx=results%2Etam&query%2Ectx=sas&backto=%2Fagcatalog%2Fresults%2Etam

There's also lots of civi versions of this type of thing.

I've worn one on all my cold weather ops, including 2 trips to Norway in winter, ski mobile.

EDIT: One of these head overs will give you another 10-20 degrees colder with whatever parka you wear. It's worth every single penny.