The Best Parka For Women Review

There are two types of women's parkas that comprise this review. First, there are the stylish, longer cut, around town parkas, that are usually warmer and heavier than the lightweight jackets in our Women's Down Jacket Review. These make the best jackets if you are looking for something to keep you warm during winter as you drive to work, head to the grocery store, and hit the occasional ugly sweater Christmas party. (At least you will be looking sexy until you take your jacket off…)

The second type of parka is the thick, warm, and burly jacket designed for functionality over style, being extra warm and protective for extremely cold conditions. These are technical parkas are suitable for serious outdoor activities, including mountaineering, backcountry skiing, or ice climbing.

Though these two types of jackets are not very similar to one another, we feel that they both classify as parkas, which we define as warmer, longer, and of a separate purpose than your average lightweight down jacket.

Warmth
A parka is warmer based on the amount of down it contains, where more = warmer. The two parkas with the most down per area of the jacket are the Rab Neutrino Endurance, which contains 7 ounces of 800 fill down and the Patagonia Downtown Loft Jacket with 8 ounces of 800 fill. Compared to the similarly sized Patagonia Fitz Roy, which has 5 ounces of down, the Fiona with 4.5 ounces and the Ultralight Fiona with 4.7 ounces, the Neutrino Endurance and the Downtown Loft are significantly
warmer.


The Mountain Hardwear Chillwave and Downtown Coat both use 650 fill, which is lower quality down and less warm for its weight. The North Face Metropolis uses 600 fill, which is the lowest quality of any of the parkas we reviewed. For its warmth, it is much heavier than one with higher quality down, but it is still warmer and thicker than both the Fiona parkas because it has more down inside it.

Comfort & Coziness
Most of the parkas have features designed to make them as comfortable as possible such as fleece-lined pockets for tucking cold hands, and a fleece-lined chin-guard to keep from scraping and chapping your chin and face. The notable exceptions to this were the Fiona and Ultralight Fiona, which skip on both of these features in order to remain lightweight. Both of these parkas are better suited to mild climates, whereas the thicker and warmer parkas like the Metropolis and the Neutrino Endurance have these comforting details.


Style
If the definition of a “parka” is a jacket, either synthetically insulated or down, that is thicker and warmer than the lightweight technical jackets, then there is an automatic downside to the feminine style of a parka. The warmer and cozier a jacket gets, the rounder and puffier you look while wearing it. In the words of one of our male reviewers, thick parkas can “turn the most curvaceous babe into a homogenous blob.”

If you are shopping for a technical, warm parka for an expedition or for some serious winter outdoor adventure, this issue might not even cross your mind. Looking rotund is far preferable to freezing to death. However, we have begun to notice that there is a large market of ladies who want to stay warm during the winter season without looking like they ate too many Christmas cookies. What is the perfect apres ski jacket? What jacket can a classy lady who happens to live in a winter climate be seen in around town?

This review covers both technical parkas, and thankfully, notably stylish parkas. We found that the most tailored and best fitting parkas were the Patagonia Fiona Parka – Women's and the similar Patagonia Ultralight Fiona. Both of these long jackets come in at the waist in and attractive and feminine manner. These are also the thinnest parkas we reviewed. The North Face Metropolis has a longer hemline, and is slightly baggier around the waist, but is still flattering while being much warmer than both Fiona models. The Mountain Hardwear Downtown Coat – Women's is long, but thicker and warmer than the Metropolis. It also has a faux fur-lined hood for extra flair (which can be removed if you dislike it.) The Patagonia Downtown Loft is an excellent mid-length jacket. It is slightly longer than most lightweight down jackets, but shorter than the longest parkas, which allows it to be more versatile and worn in more situations. It also contains more down than both the Fiona models, making it much warmer.


Construction
If you are interested in a burly technical parka, the construction method can factor heavily into your decision about what to buy. Our Women's Parka Buying Advice Article has more information on two types of construction to look for, sewn-through and box-baffles. The only two parkas that we evaluated that use box-baffles are the Mountain Hardwear Chillwave and the Patagonia Fitz Roy Down Hoodie – Women's. This allows for the down contained within the jacket to expand to its full loft potential, and allows these parkas to have a smoother appearance. The box-baffles also make these jackets less likely to have cold spots where the stitching is located than on the other jackets that use sewn-through baffles.

Durability
The weaknesses of parkas tend to lie in the fabrics and the zippers. Fabrics can tear, and if the parka is made of down, it compromises the insulation by leaking feathers. Zippers can stick and break, which is one of the most frustrating of parka failures.

Through frequent use, we found that the thicker the main materials, the more durable the parkas seemed to be. Thick materials, though heavier, are less likely to tear or snag. We felt that the Pertex Endurance material with its additional water resistant membrane on the Rab Neutrino Endurance and the thick 2.1 oz per yard polyester that makes up the North Face Metropolis were the most durable of the parkas we had the opportunity to use. The most fragile material was the recycled polyester on the Patagonia Fiona and the Patagonia Fitz Roy.

So far in our tests the only zipper issue we have come across is with the North Face Metropolis. Sometimes the zipper sticks and is hard to get started. This is partially due to the length of the zipper as well as to the quality of the zipper used, however this is not a deal breaker for us.

Wind Resistance
Many of the parkas we evaluated were made using a windproof face material: the Rab Neutrino Endurance, the Mountain Hardwear Chillwave Jacket – Women's, and the Fitz Roy. Even the Patagonia Fiona is windproof. The notable exception is the Fiona Ultralight, which does have a water resistant DWR added, but the material itself is not rated as windproof.

Water Resistance
All of the parkas we evaluated use a low-absorbency main fabric such as nylon or polyester to prevent the jackets from soaking up water, and most of them have an additional DWR coating to further prevent moisture absorbing into the insulation. On its own, the most water-resistant parka is the Rab Neutrino Endurance. This parka is made out of a material called Pertex Endurance that includes a highly water resistant membrane, which protects the down from taking on water. This allows this parka to retain its loft and remain functional in snow and light storms. It would not withstand a full drenching in a downpour, but the added protection from the membrane allows it to be a more versatile piece.


Throughout our tests and usage we wore these parkas through several snowstorms, and felt that they withstood the elements well. In particular, the North Face Metropolis offered excellent protection while walking though wet, snowy weather. The one that offered the least protection was the Ultralight Fiona because they is the thinnest and is made out of a material than is not windproof.

Weight & Compactness
As longer and thicker than typical down jackets, parkas are overall less compressible and packable. The long casual parkas in particular do not pack down very small or very well. The exception to this is the 0.64 lb Patagonia Ultralight Fiona Parka – Women's, which uses 800 fill down and comes with its own stuff sack. It packs down to a very small and manageable size, especially for a longer cut jacket. This packability allows for the Ultralight Fiona to be a wonderful choice for traveling or even the occasional camping trip where a long parka would not get in the way. The Rab Neutrino Endurance also comes with an included stuff sack and due to its high quality down, packs down fairly well. It results in a larger bundle than the Fiona Ultralight, but is surprisingly compressible for such a thick and warm parka.


The heaviest parka is the North Face Metropolis, which uses a heavy material to add durability, but it also adds weight and takes away from the compressibility of the parka.

Editor's Choice Award
Most women want a warm jacket for the winter months, but they prefer it to be a subtle combination of style and function. If a coat looks flattering, women are more likely to love it and wear it frequently. This is why we gave our Editors' Choice award to The North Face Metropolis Parka. It is an ideal blend of a stylish winter coat that is warm and protective. Cut to just above the knees, this parka offers the most insulated coverage of all the parkas we evaluated, and the material it is made out of is decently wind and water resistant and very abrasion resistant. The removable hood allows for added versatility. We love the long, feminine look, but for petite women the waist is still a little baggy. Though the Patagonia Fiona and Ultralight Fiona are more tailored, they are not as warm as the Metropolis Parka.

Best Buy Award
The Patagonia Downtown Loft Jacket is an excellent combination of fashion, function, and versatility, all for a good price. With a hip-length cut, it is shorter than the other casual parkas, making it more functional for outdoor pursuits as well as around town activities. Our testers loved the look and feel of this parka, noting that it is feminine and more dressy than most parkas. With 8 ounces of 800 fill down, it is especially warm as well. To top it off, it is the least expensive parka we reviewed, giving the most bang-for-your-buck by far and earning it the Best Buy Award.

Top Pick Award for Best Technical Parka
We awarded the Rab Neutrino Endurance the Top Pick for Best Technical Parka due to being the most protective and most versatile parka that we evaluated. A technical parka rather than a casual parka, the Neutrino Endurance has useful features such as a helmet compatible and adjustable hood, adjustable cuffs, an included stuff sack, a longer cut in the back for added warmth, and a highly water-resistant membrane incorporated into the fabric to increase its versatility. Packed with 7 ounces of 800 fill down, this is also the warmest technical parka. It is less expensive than other technical parkas we evaluated, making it an excellent deal for such a high performing parka.