I still have a orange Patagonia 60/40 anorak that I bought in the late 80′s I use it working in the yard and on habitat builds. There is nothing better than 60/40 cloth for cold and dry conditions. It just breaths so much better.

I’m of the same mindset as Brent, my mate from Trailspace, and like Brent am a NOLS graduate. Simple, functional outerwear is hard to come by. The NOLS windshirt and pants are a perfect example of perfectly functional, well thought out garments which perform well in the field.

What I find interesting with mountain parkas in general is the Sierra Designs parka was so much more popular than all the rest. It was not the first in spite of the advertising, that goes to Holubar, and I would not necessarily say it was the best, Class 5 was a serious contender for that title. Every firm during that era made a similar parka; Trailwise, North Face, REI, EMS, Gerry, Holubar, Woolrich, Snow Lion, Alpine Designs, Camp 7, ……… and they were all of very high quality. Why Sierra Designs?

Best regards,
Alan, who is hoping to find a wool lined mountain parka soon

http://item.rakuten.co.jp/walker/7910-nt/
http://item.rakuten.co.jp/walker/7910-rt/
http://item.rakuten.co.jp/walker/7910-tn/
http://item.rakuten.co.jp/walker/7910-bb/
“Please feel free to contract us! We will respond in English.”

In the search bar, copy and paste マウンテンパーカー . (you may need to set your computer settings to show Japanese fonts to read this.) You can also try typing in “Sierra Designs” in English and that will work too.

You’ll see a selection of mountain parkas in the search results, but when you read the fine print, it says “Shipping: We’re sorry; this item can not be shipped outside Japan.”

So the next step to go around this shipping restriction is to register with http://www.tenso.com/en/landing/ . This is a service that provides an address in Japan and ships items to you.

All these steps may be pricey, but you will get a brand new mountain parka in the color and size you want out of the deal (dig those burnt orange models.) An interesting variant that you’ll probably find is the Panamint jacket, which is shorter version of the mountain parka that was sold in Sierra Design catalogs from the mid to late 70′s.

Hope this helps!

I have a 60/40 parka, purchased used for my son, back in about 1996. No mention of the fabric content on the tag. Even though the extra small is fairly roomy, he outgrew it (or it became uncool) by the time he was 11 or 12. I will be selling it unless one of my daughters marries soon and produces offspring that I may corrupt with genuine US-made goods.

By the way, the zippered opening on the back allowed one to pack a small sack with the 10 essentials, a lunch, or sweater.

The military field jackets have a zippered collar opening that takes the place of the zipper on the back of the SD parka and allows one to pack a sweater–as long as the bottom hem is sewn shut (the lining was allowed to float, so to say).

You said: “This is like complaining that Motorola doesn’t make the ‘classic’ Dyntac phone anymore, even though it was as big as brick and weighed a ton compared to the modern equivalent.”

BUT Sierra Designs DOES make continue to make the original 60/40 parka. It’s already a done deal. It’s happening. It’s just that they only sell them in Japan.

I think company reasoning is opposite of what you say. Sierra Designs no longer sells them here because they don’t have the “look” that Americans expect and we Americans always want the newest stuff. The weight of the 60/40 parka is also out of line with the new ultralight craze.

I worked in the outdoor equipment industry for nearly a decade and directed a college outdoor education program for the same number of years. I own some of the best, most modern gear available. I own custom made tents and sleeping bags. I know fine, expensive gear very well. In terms of functionality in outdoor clothing design, the vast majority of what’s made today doesn’t come close to being as useful as older designs. Yes, modern materials have improved within their niche – waterproof fabrics are truly waterproof and breathability has greatly improved. In design, venting is better, hood designs are better but everything today is styled to emphasize looks not function.

If function were a real consideration, then parkas would be made large enough to fit easily over under layers, big cargo pockets like those on the 60/40 parka would still be used, etc. Look at the modern wind parka and pants used by NOLS – they look entirely different than the new stuff. The parka looks very much like the 60/40 in fit. Why? NOLS has them made to order BECAUSE NO MAKER PRODUCES A FUNCTIONAL GARMENT LIKE THAT. When a serious outdoor school has to have their shell clothing made because it is otherwise unavailable, that speaks volumes about the lack of functionality in what’s available on the market. BTW, I’ve completed the NOLS Instructors Course and have seen how rough their trips can be on equipment. They want and insist on dependable, durable equipment.

FYI, Sierra Designs still makes some very popular but not-very-functional stuff. The Microlight Jacket is a great example. It’s not very water resistant much less waterproof yet, the water resistant finish they use really inhibits breathability. When I managed an outdoor gear store we had dozen of folks complain or return them because they were not breathable or very waterproof. The older guys always remarked that an old 60/40 was far more breathable and was at least as water resistant. Just not as light.

I agree that the Japanese are enamored with anything American and buy this stuff primarily for fashion reasons but I’ll bet very few 18-30 year old Americans wouldn’t know a 60/40 parka from 5 feet away. Therefore, they couldn’t be described as being a wanker. The real wankers are the folks who wear a current North Face jacket with the label plastered all over it including on the back shoulder AND wear it only to the library. There is no difference in their motivations from the “wanker” you describe.

I’m in my 50′s and have camped, hiked, backpacked and engaged in outdoor activities since the early ’70′s. Through the ’80′s and early ’90′s, when I was younger, I regretfully sold or gave away some truly great old gear in order to replace it with something that promised to be better – only to find out later that the new “improved” stuff was not as good in some other ways as what I’d had before. No perfect gear is made or has ever been made. The 60/40 is not perfect. Yet, the new stuff is weakest where it should be the best – functionality. The best, most modern fabrics and materials cannot improve that.