A parka is a lot like an upright sleeping bag, except it doesn't simply keep you insulated. It also protects your frostbite-prone fits from Mother Nature’s icy clutches. Parkas originated in the Arctic, where the Inuit designed them to withstand bone-chilling temperatures, before making their way to the US military with the introduction of the N-3B parka in the 1950s. In more recent years, of course, they've been kept in vogue by one man, and one man alone: Oasis' Liam Gallagher, who has literally and metaphorically put almost the entire parka industry on his back.
Throughout its evolution, the parka's mission has remained unchanged: to keep not just your torso warm, but your thighs and rear end too. Seriously, you've already worn that waist-length Nuptse to death: Make like Justin Jefferson. Go long.
