Alpha Industries Men's Slim Fit N-3b Parka

Finally had an opportunity to ware this yesterday. Minus 13F at 5:30 am. Winds gusting 25-35mph.Windchill to -40F. Wore a polar fleece under the Alpha N-3B. After walking a mile stared to sweat and over heat a litte. Started thinking underarm zippers for ventilation might not be a bad thing. Otherwise very, very pleased with the performance and fit. Great Parker! For the price outstanding.

Alpha Industries has been around for awhile, and their N-3B is truly a great Parka. I was first issued one of these for some cold weather ops while on active duty back in the 1980's. Due to a recent relocation from the Tropics to the Continental U.S. - - - a winter coat is MANDATORY for this old sun bum!I have read where other customers have written in their reviews that 'the one I received did not have metal zippers, or the Orange lining.' Received mine this morning, and it had both. When I opened the box, I could not believe how well this Parka was packed. There was paper protective wrap around each individual button that anchors down the storm flap. The faux fur on the hood was protected with both paper, and a clear plastic over-wrap.Since this had metal zippers, I knew that the first order of business was to place a few drops of household 3-in-1 oil into the zipper clasp, then slowly work the zipper along the full length of its' track in both directions a few hundred times to gently break it in. Reoiling as it becomes necessary. This will help to ensure trouble-free operation over many years. These zippers are very sturdy metal.I am 5 feet 6 inches (1.6764 M) and weigh 160 (72.5748 Kg) pounds. I ordered a Medium Slim Fit. The coat fits perfectly.No doubt this will be a warm coat, especially if you layer your upper body. I do not. It was 28 (-2.2222 C) Fahrenheit when I took the coat outside to test it for the first time. I wore only a light T-shirt underneath. There was a 17 knot northerly wind blowing. After standing in the wind for about ten minutes, I had to undo the top button of the storm flap and unzip the zipper to that level - - - as I was getting toasty to the point of overheating. I did not try putting the hood on.In summary, this is a great coat!

Perfect fit. I'm 5'9", 180lbs athletic build and in between a medium and large so fitting is always a b**ch. Quality seems to be great. Stitching, zipper and buttons are all legit. One thing I love about this jacket is the stitching. It's done in a way that allows easy, full range of motion that doesn't shift the rest of the jacket every time you move.Warmth is good. I've used it in mid 20's temps and its fine with a tshirt and light sweatshirt underneath. It's not gonna keep you toasty warm but I think these jackets are designed to keep you from being cold, with good breathability for moving around in. Meaning great for hiking, working and walking; prob not awesome for standing around in zero degree weather.Haven't tested yet in snowy or wet conditions. Will update when I do.The pocket thing is a little annoying as the hand pockets are set high as they're military style jackets and I would want my hands chest high where my rifle handle is if I were using this thing in the military, but I'm not. I would prefer to have lower hand pockets sewn in as these are their civilian line (they have their legit mil-spec line of jackets that are 3 times the cost, as I believe this company is the original manufacturer of the US military jackets).Overall, this is the best fitting jacket I've ever owned, perfect warmth and damn stylish too.

I live in Wyoming with negative Temps and high winds and this coat does the job.

So this is my early first impressions. I just received the coat today. it's hard to find coats that fit due to my muscular structure (tootoot my own horn:jk). I'm 5'9 and my demensions are as follows:Waist 32.25 inchesChest 43.5 inchesBiceps 18.5 inchesI was thinking of maybe getting the XL because from my experience buying the represented chart sizes always run small for me. Cloths are typically designed for the slender build, not for the athletic structure even when it says "Athletic build". So I always buy a size larger and have a seamstress take it in. With that said after reading the reviews I took a chance in buying my chart size "large". To my surprise it fits perfect and the waist draw string is a fantastic functional addition. I couldn't be happier.Again this is my first impression but I really do like the build quality. I like that fur around the hood is removable which is not stated in the description. The buttons appear to be sewed on strong with nylon thread. The coat is heavier than I originally thought which is good because I don't plan on wearing too many layers. The color combination is awesomely pop-er-rific. Again I'm extremely happy about this coatMy only gripe thus far is that the sleeve is a little snug when flexing ;) But not inhibiting at all. That's a personal inherited issue amongst all garments but this coat by far has better addressed that problem than any other manufacturer.Edit: my original review was in 2015 and I stand behind it completely. The cost held up perfectly, so much so that I bought another one just recently 9/2016 but a size up because I've been working out.

Alpha Industries is the gold standard for bomber jackets so it was a no brainer when I stumbled on this while shopping for a parka...

If you watch this product you can buy for as little as $80 July Aug. The prices on these coats varies a lot during the winter season, be patient, keep an eye on every few days, you'll get it for under $140. One star removed because of cheap ruff.

Bad sizing

Looked at Canada Goose, Moncler etc and realised that a) I'm not that wealthy and b) it doesn't get cold enough in England to justify the price of one of those (very nice) coats.But I like looking stylish and like the clothes I wear to be functional but also make a statement. Enter Alpha Industries.In terms of sizing I'm a size small in tops (sweatshirts, t shirts, other jackets etc) and this fits perfectly. I'm a short length in suit jackets and trousers though so bear that mind if you're tall as the sleeves on this are spot on for me, someone who is a regular length would get away with it too.In terms of warmth - this thing kept me warm during 'The beast from the East' with only a sweatshirt underneath - no need to layer up, at least not up to -10 degree temperatures.It's warm. It's stylish. It's of excellent quality.

Okay folks, This is above average product overall.I am 5'9'' tall and of average built. The coat is somewhat large and roomy. The interior is nylon and gives cheap, slippery plastic feel. The zipper cannot be pulled all the way to the top. It gets stuck at several places. Also, the buttons and the thread loops take lot of time to do and undo. The top pockets do not have flaps and hence if there is a rain expect water to pool in the top pockets. The pocket on the sleeve is not very functional either. The pocket on the inside does not have any zip or velcro to secure the contents.That being said, the jacket is solid built and is very warm, while the bells and whistles suck big time rendering the jacket nonfunctional. The fur ruff is detachable and is good overall. The jacket is absolutely waterproof.This jacket needs following improvements in my opinion -A cloth/fleece interior for the cozy contact.A snap button design rather button and loops. A velcro is not a bad thing either.A smooth running zipper.Flaps for all pockets.Add another pocket on interior.The front bottom pockets could be designed to slip the hands from the sides to keep them warm.Hope the manufacturer can take note of these.