Men's Severe Cold Hi-Vis Parka London — CXS
Protection Severe Cold
Weatherproofing EN 343 class 3
Safety EN ISO 20471 class 3
Thermal protection −20 °C*
5-in-1 system 5 garments for the whole winter
Two padded jackets that come apart, and five ways to wear them
The London parka brings together two complete garments, each with its own 160 g/m² padding. The outer jacket stops rain and wind, taped seams included, and is worn on its own through the mid-season. The inner jacket, itself high visibility, unzips and becomes a garment in its own right; its fleece sleeves detach and turn it into a bodywarmer. Together or apart, with or without sleeves, that makes five configurations — and visibility holds in every one of them, thanks to the 3M reflective tape carried on both jackets.
The Grand-Froid expert's view
The classification of this parka says something few product pages explain. The outer jacket on its own is rated class 3 for breathability; the complete assembly drops back to class 1. In other words, the more layers you add, the less moisture from your body finds its way out. The full configuration is built for waiting and for sharp cold, not for an hour of handling work. That is precisely why the sleeves and the inner jacket come off.
What is it for?
This parka suits posts held outdoors right through the season, where high visibility is required and where both the weather and the intensity of the work change during the day.
- Site and road works: work close to live traffic, from first light to after dark
- Driving and delivery: alternating a heated cab with short trips outside, where the inner jacket alone is often enough
- Logistics and maintenance: moving from a windswept yard into an unheated warehouse
- Security and surveillance: long outdoor posts, where visibility and rain protection are both required
- All-season teams: one parka covers autumn, winter and early spring
Thermal protection and weatherproofing
Polyester padding insulates by holding still air between its fibres, and this parka carries two separate thicknesses of it: 160 g/m² in the outer jacket, 160 g/m² in the inner jacket. Zipped together they form continuous insulation; separated, each remains a warm garment in its own right. The Oxford outer fabric blocks the wind and stops that insulating air being replaced, and the taped seams close off the needle perforations, the only route left for water once the fabric is treated. Rain protection is rated class 3 for water penetration under EN 343. Breathability, on the other hand, changes with the configuration: class 3 for the outer jacket alone, class 1 for the complete assembly — the more thicknesses there are, the less the vapour your body produces finds its way out. For visibility, across every size offered — S to 3XL — the complete assembly and the outer jacket are rated class 3 under EN ISO 20471, and the inner jacket worn alone class 2.
Technical features
Outer jacket
- Oxford fabric, water-resistant and windproof, with taped seams
- 160 g/m² polyester padding
- 3M reflective tape on fluorescent fabric
- Centre-front zip protected by a press-stud storm flap
- Hood stowed in the collar
- Cuffs adjustable with a touch fastener
- Adjustable waist and hem
- Pockets: two lower flap pockets, two chest pockets, an inner phone pocket on the right, an inner wallet pocket on the left
Detachable inner jacket
- High visibility in its own right, wearable on its own
- 160 g/m² polyester padding
- Detachable fleece sleeves, turning the jacket into a bodywarmer
- Pockets: two side flap pockets with touch fastening, one inner wallet pocket on the left
Standards
- Meets EN ISO 20471 — class 3 for the complete assembly and for the outer jacket, class 2 for the inner jacket alone, S to 3XL
- Meets EN 343 — water penetration class 3; breathability class 3 for the outer jacket alone, class 1 for the complete assembly
- Meets EN ISO 13688 — category II personal protective equipment
- Sizes S to 3XL
Composition
- Outer jacket: 100% polyester Oxford fabric, 100% polyester lining, 100% polyester padding 160 g/m²
- Inner jacket: 100% polyester Oxford fabric, 100% polyester fleece sleeves, 100% polyester padding 160 g/m²
How to wear it
Five configurations, chosen on the weather and the intensity of the work rather than on the calendar.
- Both jackets zipped together, sleeves on: frost, wind, rain, standing still. This is the warmest configuration, and the least breathable.
- Both jackets, fleece sleeves removed: the same protection on the torso, shoulders and arms freed for handling work.
- Outer jacket alone: a mid-season downpour, a mild windy day. This is also the most breathable configuration.
- Inner jacket alone, sleeves on: an unheated warehouse, dry cold weather, or a cab you climb out of often.
- Inner jacket alone, sleeves off: a warm bodywarmer for sustained effort in the dry.
One simple rule: add a layer before you feel cold, take it off before you feel warm. Once you are sweating, that damp will chill you as soon as the effort stops.
Size guide
Take your usual size: the parka is already cut to take both jackets together. The measurements below are those of the outer jacket laid flat, not body measurements.
| Size (cm) |
S |
M |
L |
XL |
2XL |
3XL |
| GARMENT LENGTH |
87 |
88 |
89 |
90 |
91 |
92 |
| GARMENT WIDTH |
60 |
64 |
68 |
72 |
76 |
80 |
| SLEEVE LENGTH |
81 |
83 |
85 |
86 |
88 |
90 |
Measurements in cm, taken flat. Manufacturing tolerance ± 5%.
The length moves by only 5 cm across the whole range, from 87 to 92 cm: it is the width that grows, from 60 to 80. That is the row to look at if you plan to wear both jackets together over a fleece or a thick jumper.
Care & Durability
- Separate the two jackets before washing: they clean and dry better apart than zipped together
- Close the zips and touch fasteners: left open, they catch the fabric and pull fibres out of the padding
- Wash inside out, at low temperature, on a delicate programme
- Use no fabric softener and no bleach: both attack the reflective surface and the fluorescent colour
- Do not iron the reflective tape — the heat of the iron lifts it off its backing
- Air dry, each jacket open on a wide hanger, so the padding recovers its loft
- Check the taped seams and the reflective tape regularly: on a safety garment, these are what signal replacement, ahead of any wear to the fabric
Returns or exchange — 30 days
You have 30 days from delivery to request a return or an exchange on this item.
Why choose the London 5-in-1 hi-vis parka?
Because it replaces several garments with one. Two jackets padded at 160 g/m², worn together or separately, with or without the fleece sleeves, and high visibility in every configuration. The outer jacket covers a wet autumn, the complete assembly covers the depth of winter.
The three-layer system:
- 1st layer — base: next to the skin. Captures body heat and moves sweat outwards.
- 2nd layer — mid (the inner jacket): it insulates and holds warm air around the body, and is also worn on its own.
- 3rd layer — outer (the outer jacket): it blocks the wind, stops the rain and keeps the heat produced by the first two.
A modular parka is not judged on its warmest configuration, but on the number of days it covers in the year.
* Indicative temperature. Perceived warmth varies with activity, body type, humidity, wind and the layers worn underneath.
