Canada Goose Langford Parka | $1,050 | Canada Goose
Walk around New York City in the winter and you’re bound to notice it. It’s everywhere. You’ll see it on the sleeves of businessmen, NYU students, and Brooklyn hipsters alike. Pretty soon, like me, you may start to wonder what it is about that circular red and white logo that’s made it such an omnipresent force in the city. Perhaps you’re inclined to find out. I know I was. That’s why when Canada Goose reached out to me with the opportunity to learn more about their legendary parkas, a staple wardrobe piece for New Yorkers in the winter, I jumped at the opportunity to do so.
I won’t lie: even with the prestige the brand seemed to carry amongst friends, trusted writers, and New Yorkers who know better, the price tag on Canada Goose jackets is what stopped me from checking them out for the longest time. Coming in at over $1,000, it was the sort of expense I just couldn’t fathom. It’s nothing personal—it’s hard to think about spending a thousand bucks on much of anything, you know? But when the jacket arrived and I was able to try it on amidst the brisk cold of a New York December, I quickly realized how wrong I’d been to think of a Canada Goose parka as an unnecessary extravagance. This is, after all, a jacket people have summited Mount Everest in. My walking across town (or these days to pick up groceries and back, to be more accurate) hardly compares.
Here’s the thing: if you’re reading this and live in a state where the winters are moderate, this review doesn’t necessarily apply to you. I grew up in Richmond, Virginia, a place where the winters are far from mild (we are, after all, right between mountains and the ocean) but not unbearable by any means. I was long able to get through the coldest months and the occasional snowfall with a leather jacket and hoodie combo, some gloves, and boots. There’s a chance you can say the same.
But I’ve now been in New York for nearly four years. I don’t plan on leaving any time soon. And winters here? They can be brutal (DISCLAIMER: If you live in a colder city it’s fine, this isn’t a competition! I’m sure Chicago and Toronto are very cold as well!). But stepping out in freezing cold, precipitation-heavy winter weather with a Canada Goose Langford parka on was a genuine revelation.
Their Arctic Tech down cotton, which makes up the jacket’s exterior, proved instantly helpful in protecting against the elements (rain and wind in this case) while the two-way fur-lined down hood kept my head and neck shielded as well. Sharp winds failed to cut through the jacket as they so often do in cheaper parkas I’ve used since moving here and despite the dense feather lining of the coat it never felt constricting, hard, or immobile.
It’s only improved over the weeks as I’ve broken the jacket in. Rain, wind, cold mornings, cold evenings, and (presumably, as we’ve yet to have any this season) snow are no match for it. It became a wardrobe staple so instantaneously that I quickly found myself reconsidering what spending a grand on a parka really represented.
When you live in a place prone to cold climates, a good jacket isn’t a luxury. It’s a necessity. Spending $1,000 on one isn’t like dropping that same amount of money on a pair of sneakers or a TV. It’s more akin to a car repair or home improvement; a necessity rather than a want. A Canada Goose parka is going to last years and get daily use throughout the coldest months they bring. It pays for itself quickly. I started to wonder how I’d gone this long without one, relying instead on cheap hand-me-down parkas that didn’t safeguard me from the elements nearly as well as I needed them to. And it made me realize that I’ll never make that mistake again, no matter where I live or what its climate requires of me.
Now I’ll address the elephant in the room: as I was sent a complimentary sample unit for review, you may think it’s a bit hypocritical of me to insist that it’s worth the money. And hey, you’d be right! But for what it’s worth, a loved one is going to have a Canada Goose parka gifted to them from me this holiday season and it’s one I paid full price for. That’s how sold I was on the Langford after wearing it around for a few days. Give it a shot. It’s worth the investment.