- -10° C
- The ideal glove for handling medium to heavy loads.
The Oxford parka closes off the openings cold air normally uses. Inner cuffs seal around the wrist beneath the sleeve, a drawcord pulls in the hem, and the hood stows in the collar once the rain stops.
Cold protection, down to −15 °C*. Meets EN ISO 20471 class 3 and EN 343.
* Indicative temperature. Perceived warmth varies with activity, body type, humidity, wind and the layers worn underneath.
The Oxford parka combines 160 g/m² of polyester padding with a 180 g/m² Oxford outer fabric that blocks the wind, and taped seams. Above all it takes care of the openings: inner cuffs close around the wrist inside the sleeve, a drawcord pulls in the hem, and a press-stud storm flap covers the centre-front zip. The hood stows in the collar when it is not needed, and a hidden pocket runs alongside the main fastening, in addition to the three outer pockets and the inner chest pocket.
The warmth of a parka rests as much on its openings as on its thickness. Three of them count: the hem, the collar and the wrists. The first two close on almost every model; the wrist, on the other hand, opens every time you raise an arm, and that is where warm air escapes when you work with your hands above your head. An inner cuff settles that point once and for all, and you notice it most by the third hour.
Polyester padding insulates by holding still air between its fibres: it is that air, and not the material, that stands between you and the cold. The dense, tightly woven Oxford outer stops the wind replacing that air and carrying the heat away as fast as the body produces it. The taped seams close off the needle perforations, the only route left for water once the fabric is treated. That leaves the openings of the garment, which decide the rest: the inner cuffs close the wrist beneath the sleeve, the hem drawcord stops cold air travelling up the back, and the press-stud storm flap covers the zip line, the longest gap in the whole garment. Rain protection is rated class 3 for water penetration and class 1 for breathability under EN 343; the third test, which is optional, was not carried out, and that is what the X marking means. For visibility, the parka is rated class 3 under EN ISO 20471, the highest level of the standard.
Because it deals with the openings as much as with the thickness. Cuffs at the wrists, a drawcord at the hem, a flap over the zip, a hood in the collar: these four points are what separate a parka that feels warm in the fitting room from one that is still warm at the end of the day. And class 3 for visibility is the highest level of the standard.
The three-layer system:
* Indicative temperature. Perceived warmth varies with activity, body type, humidity, wind and the layers worn underneath.
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