The Best Men's Winter Parka Is the One You Need—Like, Now

A workhorse among The North Face's outerwear collection, this puffed-up parka is made with a durable ripstop nylon and packed with goose down fill, making it great for commuting or a weekend excursion upstate. (And if you’re heading upstate, might as well go with “Visible On the Side of a Mountain” yellow.)

Parkas have a defined job, and the good ones do that job well, so it’s understandable that we wouldn’t really expect more from our closet’s enforcer—but you absolutely can, if you’d like, because Patagonia has made a 3-in-1 jacket that does three things at the highest levels imaginable. The removable down jacket is as good as any on the market, the H2No® shell is a world-class rain coat, and the Voltron version is as bomber a parka as you can find.

The goose is not loose.

Ok, so this one probably won’t be seen atop any notable summits in the near (or distant) future, nor will it make much much sense in whiteout conditions (although it will be very visible), but not every cold day is a snowy one, we’re not all trying to be alpinists out here and there are currently zero rules preventing anyone from going tf off when it’s freezing outside. Anyways, this jacket is stuffed with down and will absolutely go tf off when it’s freezing out.

Some parkas are like radiators, in that they have a single setting (hot) when on, regardless of season, and that all you can really do is ventilate to adjust for this. Others, however, give you that thermostat power, allowing you to modulate based on need—like this double-layer, raw edge-less parka from C.P. Company, which has a full-length, completely detachable down liner that comes through when you need it and can stay at home when you don’t.

Burberry's outerwear acumen isn't limited to its legendary trench coats. This baller fishtail parka with its water-resistant gabardine fabric and Liam-Gallagher-coded removable fur-trimmed hood make that abundantly clear.

Giving into the bleakest months of the year <<<< dressing like the sexy M&M.

A classic, refined parka just waiting to become a daily driver during the worst winter has to offer.

All the bells and whistles of more technical-looking outerwear—water-resistant Arctic Tech shell, channeled down, fleece-lined pockets, two-way zippers, storm cuffs—in a more subdued package. Bonus points for the internal backpack straps for those in fickle climates.

Technical fabrics are very good at what they do, but that doesn’t mean an ultra-beefy carded wool won’t keep you just as warm 90% of the time. And this vintage-inspired, raglan-sleeved stunner from Arpenteur just might make you forget about Gore-tex altogether.

Some parkas scream "TECHNICAL" from like 300 yards away—shoutout those, BTW—but that doesn’t mean subtlety can’t yield the same performance results. This Nanamica jacket, for instance, has a waterproof Gore-Tex 2L nylon outer and is filled with Kodenshi, which is a ceramic-infused down that stores body heat and emits it when needed—which 100% sounds like something still in Napkin Idea Phase but very much already exists.

Unlike the kind of puffer jackets that swallow you up, the Alpha parka was designed for a man on the move. Crafted to handle the rigors of alpine climbing, it's lightweight (17.3 oz.!) and packable, so it won't weigh you down or hold you back from whatever adrenaline-busting adventure awaits—even if it's just sprinting to catch the morning train. In other words, a parka you’ll never call “cumbersome.

With 100% recycled PrimaLoft insulation wrapped in a 100% recycled polyester outer and a price that will make you double-take. (And for those looking for a (more) sustainable option, the only things that aren’t recycled on this parka are the zippers and some trim.)

Clumpy fill means less protection against the cold. So L.L.Bean packs its parka with DownTek, a material specially coated to absorb less moisture and dry faster than typical alternatives, so you don't have to worry about it flattening out if you get caught in a downpour.

Naturally, the Scandi design gurus at Rains know a thing or two about ensuring the cold winter air doesn't come anywhere close to making contact with your body. How? Down made out of recycled plastic bottles, a fleece-lined hood and pockets, and all the cuffs and fastenings you could possibly need when the wind is nipping mercilessly at your back—plus a waterproof nylon outer for when it’s more than just cold air.

A weather-beating beast of a coat that claims to shield you from temperatures as low as -25ºC (we say “claims to” because stress testing that number is harder to do than you’d imagine), this vintage-inspired parka employs a waterproof, windproof GORE-Tex outer and comes packed with high-fill duck down, so that number does track.

Nigel Cabourn takes his inspiration from oft-forgotten silhouettes of the past, painstakingly recreating them for the (deep-pocketed) customers of today. The Everest is the cult-loved British designer's homage to the parka Sir Edmund Hillary wore summiting the earth's highest peak, down to the drawcord waist, puffy cut, and sheepskin lining.