I moved to Buffalo in 2015, and my longtime winter jacket from back in Virginia certainly didn’t keep me warm in double-digit negative temperatures. Since Buffalo was home now, I knew I needed an actual good winter coat, but I didn’t have the budget to spend $1,000 or more on the leading parka, cold-weather brands. Could I brace Buffalo’s infamous snow and plethora of outdoor activities without spending four figures?
Thanks to Askov Finlayson’s Winter Parka, the answer was yes. When I first saw the Winter Parka’s $495 price tag, I definitely looked twice — I’ve never spent that much on a jacket. However, it clocks in at more than half the price of other comparable parkas – and even performs better.
The Winter Parka is lab tested at Kansas State University and rated comfortable to 20 degrees below zero. It certainly gets that cold here on January nights! Its water-resistant shell would be unbeatable against the lake-effect snow, while the scuba-fit hood and insulated interior collar to keep my neck and head as ultra-toasty as my arms, legs, and torso. Even the five external pockets – and another pocket that would turn off my phone’s cell and WiFi signals and keep me focused in the moment – would stay warm and dry, since the Winter Parka features a solid, button down, storm flap to cover the impermeable zipper.
The Winter Parka is built on real-life experience. The jacket’s design is based on the outerwear archive of famous Arctic explorer Will Steger. All the features this explorer had on his clothing, like sealed cuffs and covered zippers, made their way into the Winter Parka.
Askov Finlayson co-founder Eric Dayton observed the superiority of Steger’s synthetic, ornament-free outerwear and compared it to commonplace down jackets. Eric knew their could be a way to create a sustainable jacket that performed better for a much lower cost than down jackets. He teamed up with Fortune 500 company 3M to create the very first parka to use the 3M Thinsulate 100% Recycled Featherless Insulation. This product is as light and warm as down but performs when wet and is radically sustainable.
Askov Finlayson’s Winter Parka was also low-price since the brand only sells direct-to-consumer. Whereas most hyped-up parka brands go through all kinds of price-raising wholesale hurdles and middlemen before reaching customers, Askov Finlayson eliminates all those barriers. That’s why I paid so little for the jacket’s Steger-inspired, often fully-recycled synthetic features: like the 100% recycled poly shell, and the ultra-soft, Bluesign-certified, micro-ripstop taffeta lining. Plus, I’d be spending my money ethically since Askov Finlayson invests 110 percent – yes, more than 100 percent! – of its yearly carbon footprint for a climate positive impact.
With the One Winter guarantee backing my purchase — I could always return the jacket if I was unhappy with it — I bought it right as Buffalo temperatures began dipping. But since I finally felt fully, thoroughly warm on even the coldest days, I never even thought about returning my parka. I stayed just as toasty during nighttime walks to and from the supermarket, which I could never do with my old jackets, as they did on a local ski trip.
For all of last winter, I wore the Winter Parka any time I left the house. Never once did I shiver or in any way feel cold – it was almost like I was being the warmth I felt. Sure, this summer has been warm, but – I never thought I’d say this – I can’t wait for winter to return so I can step back into my Winter Parka and feel incomparably comfy.
If you too need a winter jacket that’s affordable and actually suited for extremely low temperatures, get your Askov Finlayson Winter Parka now for a $50 discount with code: SAVE50. For a limited time, achieving unbeatable warmth in utterly blistering conditions will be even more affordable than it already is – don’t miss your chance.