This is the third Canada Goose Jacket I have owned (one returned though). As with all CG jackets it is very high quality, but also has some quirks some good, others not so.
Pros:
Not made in China!
Slim styling, not as big and bulky as my big Resolute Parka but still plenty warm so this one is ideal for around town wear when conditions are not severe.
Clean appearance I vehemently dislike the "pineapple" type jackets that are so popular these days.
Longer length providing better coverage than Bomber parkas (like the Chilliwack which I returned).
Removable hood with drawstring also has a "real collar" unlike the non-removable hood parkas.
Back Strap for hanging (though it does say "Constable" in bold letters, it is neatly covered by the hood when down).
Cons:
Would be nice if the collar was fleece lined.
Some reviews have mentioned the draft effect. There is a waist drawstring but it doesn't have "keepers" so you must tie it in a knot (weird). I haven't had the draft problem, but I could see if one was really skinny it might be a problem.
No "pen pocket" on the sleeve like some of the other CG parkas.
Pockets are not fleece lined for hand warming purposes. Not a huge issue if you carry gloves, but I can see this as one of the biggest complaints I have with this jacket.
Now for the surprising part.
First: This is the first CG jacket I've owned where the sizing was spot on. My Resoulute Parka is a medium because the large was big enough for two full grown adults, while the Chilliwack was sized small so I bought an XL. This time the Large fits just right.
Second: Clearly, this parka is advertised for the "tactical" side zippers supposedly designed for law enforcement allowing quick access to a sidearm. While I really didn't even consider this when buying the jacket, this turns out to be the best feature of the jacket! The side zippers really do work! allowing instant access to my cell phone and belt carried flashlight, regular pants pockets for keys, change, etc. And even easy access to my wallet in the back. In today's age of electronic, belt carried gadgets, I'm surprised more jackets don't have this feature! NICE!
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First Impressions:
The coat seems to be well made, with heavy stitching and heavy duty looking Velcro and zippers. One note: the zipper is backwards from what we're used to in the US. Meaning the part that you slide up and down is on the left side of the coat instead of the right. Not a huge deal, but it takes a few days to get used to, and trying to zip up the coat in freezing weather the first times is not an easy task. Nevertheless, it is something you get used to pretty quick and isn't something I would consider to be a big deal. It isn't all that heavy really in terms of weight--but that's why down is so awesome.
Good: This coat is incredibly warm, in case that wasn't obvious already from all of the products from Canada Goose, and not something I could see being worn above somewhere in the lower 30 degree range, and even then you will probably be unzipping it if you're very active. I've never had a coat any better than your average North Face coat that you'll find in sports store across the country (I'm in NC, so it's not like we have Michigan weather coats everywhere down here). I received it earlier this week, and it just so happens that we had some well below freezing weather over the past couple of days. The best way I can come up with to explain how this coat feels, if you've never worn one, is to say it feels like you're walking around covered with a down comforter. Today it was under 20 degrees (F) a large portion of the day, and I was warm between my wrists, head & waist (I have no nice mittens and was just wearing jeans). Last night was in the teens, with wind chill factors getting close to 0 degrees (F). I had to jump start my car this morning, and while my hands were cold because I do not own a pair of nice mittens, the parts of my body covered by this jacket were quite comfortable. After I started moving around more I actually had to take the hood off and unzip the zipper a little bit because I was getting so warm. The hood is quite warm as well and makes a huge difference in helping you stay warm, even with some 20+ MPH winds that we had today.
This afternoon I was driving and left my coat on--big mistake. I ended up with the heat set to COLD and windows down because the coat is so warm. I could have just taken it off, but what fun is that? In short, this thing is no joke. This isn't a run of the mill jacket that you buy at a department store, and isn't for everyone in all (or even most) climates.
Now, the bad: The pockets suck. There is no insulation whatsoever. The pockets for your hands are basically just covered by one later of the same material the coat is made out of, and no down. I have no idea who made the decision to make the pockets like this--maybe they expect people will be wearing mittens and the pockets just need to hold things and not really be that warm? I have no idea, but whatever the logic was, it didn't work. In terms of having enough pockets to put things in, this coat does great. In terms of keeping your hands warm without gloves--not so much. Not to say they don't help, but they could most certainly be better with some sort of lining in them. I can't imagine it taking much effort by the manufacturer to line two pockets with something warm. Right now they are not lined with anything and it's just whatever material the outer layer of the coat is made of (sorry if it has a special name, I don't feel like looking it up)
The second thing I did not love was how the hood snaps around your face. While the hood itself is filled with down and is quite warm, in the front it does not seal very well, allowing wind to below in and pushing heat out of the whole coat. What I mean by that is if you put the hood on, pull the pull cords tight pulling the hood tight around your face and then button the two snaps to close the flaps around your face, there ends up being a gap between the flaps you just snapped around your face and the collar of the jacket, basically leaving the area under your chin all but exposed to the elements This leaves openings where wind will go right through the jacket, and you. I am not sure what they could have done to improve this--perhaps some well placed Velcro would do the trick?
My last issue was the waist strap, or lack thereof. When walking it was easy to feel a draft going up the jacket as it does not hold very tightly around the waist. Pushing the jacket towards my stomach a little helped a lot, so I could see straps making a huge difference here. There are cords on the inside rear of the jacket that will tighten around the waist area, however, there are no holders to hold tension on those straps after you pull them tight (the hood does have these holders and they work well). I'm not sure why these were left off--I might try to find some and put them on myself just to see if it actually helps.
Other thoughts: I purchased the black version, and it shows dog hair / lint very easily. Obviously this is not a fault of the manufacturer or coat, but is something you might want to know.
Summary: While I believe I wrote more about the bad than the good, that is not to say that this coat is a bad coat at all. It is by far the best coat I have ever owned, and you will most likely be very happy with it. This thing makes me wish I lived in colder climate, as in about a month it will be too warm to wear for another 8 months at least.
Final note on sizing. It looks like these coats run a bit big, but I think that's pretty common for Canada Goose. I am 6', 160lbs and a small fit me well. In most coats I wear a medium, so it may be worth find one to try on before you lay down this kind of money on one.
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Bought it 4 years ago, as with all CG-ses, a bit oversized. I am 181/75kg, and usually wear L size, bought this parka in M, and it fits well.
Compared to my Expedition parka, it is nothing comparable in terms of warmth, they are two different products. Around -20 -25 celcius it becomes not comfort to wear Constable outside for any prolonged period. So around that temperature i put on my Expedition, and it keeps me warm up until -50 celcius. On the opposite, until -15 -20 celcius it is impossible to wear Expedition, because it is too warm in it. In this way theese two parkas complement each other.
Constable Parka has somewhat military design, resembling of the M-65 jackets (as, from my point of view, some other CG-ses do, like Expedition, Citadel, etc, and which is good for me). Parka is not very long, and not heavy (but long enough to wear a suit under the jacket).
About the cons. Compared to more expensive Expedition, has somewhat simple design. Only one inner pocket without ZIP. I wouldnt recomment keeping any important documents in it, could be lost. Tightening systems at the waist and on the hood are much less sophisticated, than the ones of Expedition.
Anyway, very good and high quality product, highly recommend if only you dont plan to spent the winter in Siberia in it. In the latter case you should look for parkas like Expedition, Snow Mantra, etc. Feel terrible for my English, sorry.
Honest reviews on Canada Goose Men's Constable Parka
Great product. Can be a little bulky but definitely worth the money. I travelled to Alaska and being someone who hates and feels the cold easily, this jacket really done the job for me. Can be quite warm.
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This product was bought and sent to France.
I usually wear Medium (a large medium should fit me, but a Large is too large ), and i also bought "Medium" for this parka, it fits me perfectly , with a little room. I would say that it corresponds to a Large in Europe.
This is my first Canada Goose , and i really appreciate all the details.
Plus : Cuffs are reinforced, the zippers are great, easy to open/close and seem to last for a long long time. The whole surface is water repellent.
Minus : the neck is not well protected even when the zip is high, so you really need to have a scarf, even when the weather is sweet (i nearly caught a cold yesterday at 9°C when having the zipper well high, but this was not sufficient) . Also, you can feel the cold coming from below because there is no draw string in front of the coat.
