Canada Goose Resolute Parka

Owned three Resolute Parkas, lived and worked for years right there in Resolute Bay! I have mixed feeling about the Resolute. They are great for around camp or while doing labor that is kinetically abrasive. They are durable and warm, there is no doubt.

Besides living and working with it every day, I spent a year living on the land on Cornwallis Island with this parka and developed a love-hate relationship for it.

Sedentary it is awesome. Working doing labor that may compromise other gear, you will never be disappointed in its durability. But the outer main pockets had to be resewn and reinforced on my first two, and done preventatively for the last one.

They will outlast you if you take care of the down. But on the move, it's a different beast. Skiing or running with dogs and you'll feel every last gram of its weight. You will also sweat like a pig and find yourself quickly wanting to remove the layer.

Sadly, in dark season high arctic conditions this might seem fine but equates to a more comfortable core yet frostbite in minutes! For my short thicker stature, trekking or skiing results in premature failure on bottom velcro segment and zipper creep. A constant annoyance. 

For emergencies, outdoor arctic workers, this is the go-to parka for sure. But for comfort and practicality for active users it's not ideal.

The internal skirt is good; use it. The adjuster cords for waist and hood are fine in calmer conditions, but seem to work loose often when fighting the wind around the Archipelago. Parka ices up pretty quickly in prolonged extreme cold and one of the more difficult parkas to deice. Six days would be the limit before you really need to freeze it well and beat out the ice crystals.

Background

Three parkas and a few thousand kilometers of mixed labor and travel in high arctic. Travel by dog, ski, trekking, skidoo. Primary parka on the land for a year at N75. First two bought new, Tudjaat Cooperative, Resolute Bay. Third bought used $250CAD. All locally. Owned from 2005-2018. Still live in (much lower) Arctic, and use better layering systems with anaraq type shells or wind suits, and lightweight down puffer-type (EMS) mountaineer style. Ski expeditions with my now children to begin again soon in the Ungava Bay area!

I have had the Resolute Parka for more than 15 years. I keep it up north and when I need to run out it is my go-to coat. It does have that hydro worker look to it, but it is a truly warm, well made, and functional coat.

I also have the Snow Mantra —  use that for extended periods outside. I also have the Expedition (actually two as the medium I bought was a bit too big and ended being comfortable in the small). The Resolute was my first Canada Goose and I have continued to buy their products.

As for warmth) 1. Snow Mantra, 2. Resolute (not as technical but a bit longer than the Snow Mantra), 3. Expedition (not quite as warm as the other two but fits into an urban environment without you looking like just got off a utility truck to work on some downed power lines).

Now this is a parka!

Long snorkel hood, trimmed with Coyote fur and wire reinforced. No cheap drafty zip-off hood here! Who wants to zip the hood off their parka anyway?
Down filled draft flap, big inside pockets with two little pockets for hand warmers.

Nice big D-rings on the front for carrying extra equipment. Three haul loops (one on each shoulder and one center back). Long cuffs that bellow with the sleeves.

This parka was designed by someone who worked outside in extreme cold. And this parka is warm. Worked outside for 4 hours in -48 with wind chill and I was very comfortable.

Downside?
The neck could be a bit bigger but I have a pretty large neck.

This is the best parka money can buy if you need to be outside in the extreme cold. I live in Saskatchewan and it can be life-threatening cold here.

Highly recommended.

When I bought it in the previous millennium it was advertised as the best parka in the world, and the only one that Canada Goose (then Snow Goose of Canada) made.

I believe it. I've worked outside in the arctic and Northern Ontario at -50C and was warm as toast. It (and I) have survived blizzards, ice storms and unseasonal rain. A friend's gloves fell out of his pockets, my spares attached to the d-rings saved his hands when the temperature plummeted.

The only maintenance I've given it is a sponge wipe with soapy water. That's all it ever needed. My only problem is deciding who will inherit it when I kick the snow bucket.

Today it's regarded as the second best, next to the Snow Mantra (also by GC).