Alpaca Fiber-Insulated Parka Rivals Down: PAKA Apu Review

It was dumping snow, and I was halfway to the resort when I realized I’d forgotten my ski shell. I had two options: Turn around and drive home to grab it and miss another hour of powder skiing, or I could use the PAKA Apu Parka that I had stashed in the trunk with my après clothes. It wasn’t necessarily a “ski jacket.” But it was waterproof, and the day would be cold enough I figured probably wouldn’t overheat.

I didn’t turn around. Instead, I decided to leave my midlayers in the car and suit up with the Apu. I’d worn it plenty around town and on a day-to-day basis. But I hadn’t worn it for any kind of high-output activity yet. I’m someone who runs hot, and it was too warm to wear on hikes or ski skins. This would be the first time I exercised in the parka.

My ski partner and I donned our gear and hit the hill. By about midday, I’d almost forgotten I was wearing the Apu parka at all. The insulation was keeping me warm against the mid-20-degree temperatures, and the wet snow was beading off of the jacket easily. We spent over 6 hours getting as deep as we could, and by the end of it, the versatility of this parka was really starting to shine.

In short: The PAKA Apu Parka ($350) is insulated using alpaca fiber instead of conventional down or synthetic insulation. It is very versatile for such a warm piece of gear. I mostly used this jacket around town, running errands, walking the dog, and doing chores outside, for which it was perfect. But I also used it skiing, and brought it on a winter camping trip. Its warmth rivals that of some of my bigger down parkas. But its lack of packability was a tradeoff.

Check out our guide to the Best Winter Jackets.

PAKA Apu Parka Review

PAKA has a reputation for making extremely comfortable and warm alpaca fiber sweaters and fleeces. However, the brand has also started playing with insulated jackets using its patent-pending alpaca fiber insulation, called PAKAFILL — like in the Apu Parka. PAKA alleges that this parka is warmer than any synthetic jacket currently available, with a 2.1 thermal CLO value tested by IDFL Laboratory and Institute.

I’d put that to the test over several months of use. I took this parka on numerous ski trips and a winter camping trip; I wore it daily as my around-town insulated jacket and regularly used it for outdoor chores like shoveling snow.

Fit, Cut, and Design

One of my favorite aspects of this jacket is how it fits and looks. I am a 5’11”, 165-pound male, and I wear a large. It fits me exactly how I like insulated jackets to fit, leaving a little room for extra layers.

Personally, I think its a really good-looking insulated jacket. The relatively low profile doesn’t make you look like a Stay Puft marshmallow man.

The rear hem comes down below the butt, so when I sat on snowy benches or chairlifts, it protected my rear. The hood is helmet-compatible but can also cinch down onto your head without one. I had plenty of room in the shoulders and the arms but never felt as though the jacket was baggy.

If I got too hot while wearing it, the pits are equipped with water-resistant pit zips. The waterproof front zipper also has a dual zipper design, so you could wear a climbing harness with this jacket. There are also big dump pockets inside, large enough for a Nalgene or ski skins.

Materials

PAKAFILL is an eco-friendly material sourced from free-roaming alpacas in Peru. Like regular alpaca fiber (and most naturally based fibers), it’s moisture-wicking, anti-bacterial (so it doesn’t get stinky), and keeps you warm even if it gets wet.

It’s also thermoregulating. According to PAKA, this insulation helps keep you in a “neutral comfort range” whether you’re sitting still in freezing conditions or actively moving and generating heat.

PAKA used a 100% recycled, PFAS-free DWR-coated four-way stretch material for the outer layer of the Apu Parka. I have yet to have any issues with the waterproofing. The stretch helped me move freely, even if I was wearing my ski backpack with the straps cinched tightly. The inner lining is 90% nylon and 10% spandex, so it has stretch capability as well.

It’s also a pretty rugged jacket. I wasn’t gentle with mine, stuffing it into duffel bags, loading the pockets with heavy items for transport, cinching packs tightly to my torse over it, and bushwhack skiing through tight trees. So far, there are no signs of wear and tear to the materials.

In the Field: PAKA Apu Parka Review

That powder day when I wore the Apu Parka really opened my eyes to its technical use cases. Up until that point, I’d only worn it in casual everyday scenarios — going to the store, getting beers with friends, walking my dog, etc.

That ski day was a testing gauntlet, though. Not only was it one of the biggest (and wettest) powder days of my season, but it was one of the most non-stop, high-output downhill days as well.

The parka shielded me from the wet snow all day long. It also kept me warm — too warm, at points. It was 25-30 degrees all day, and when I was really working hard, skiing long mogul or tree runs, I’d start to sweat. But with just a baselayer under the parka, I didn’t feel like I was getting swampy inside it. When I started to really overheat, I just opened the pit zips for the downhill and closed them again on the chairlift.

I also wore this jacket for my annual “Camp Cold” winter camping trip. I skinned about a half mile into my property at about 10:50 p.m. wearing the Apu and a fleece midlayer. It was 18 degrees, and I was toasty all the way to my shed (yes, I sometimes sleep in the shed, but it’s a nice one).

On the way out the next morning, I overheated as I skinned uphill, dragging a sled full of camping gear. For high-output activities like that, it would have to be really cold to comfortably wear this parka.

For day-to-day use, this has become my go-to jacket. I never had to worry about how cold it was when I’d go outside for a dog walk (unless we’re talking single or negative digits). If I was shoveling snow, I’d unzip the front and pit zips while I worked. Going out for dinner and drinks with friends, I could comfortably wear a T-shirt or button-up under the Apu — and it looked good.

Small Drawbacks

The single biggest downside of this jacket is its packability. Unlike standard goose-down or synthetic insulation, PAKAFILL doesn’t really pack down very well. It’s fairly bulky insulation, so you aren’t going to stuff this jacket into a tightly crammed backpack for technical alpine endeavors where pack space is at a premium. You could, I guess, but there are other far more packable down jackets that would be better suited for that.

The only other gripe I had was with the “Inca ID” on the front pocket. When I was skiing on that powder day, snow stuck to the woven design element until you couldn’t even see it anymore. That’s not really a downside or drawback, but it’s just something I noticed. Snow likes to stick to that material.

PAKA Apu Parka: Who Is It For?

Anyone who needs a warm winter insulated jacket will like the PAKA Apu Parka. It’s comfortable to wear, it looks good, and above all, it’s very warm. This has become one of my favorite winter jackets.

It’s also appealing to anyone who is sustainably minded. PAKAFILL does not require petroleum to produce (like synthetic insulation does), nor does it require feathers from dead birds (like traditional goosedown). The 100% recycled outer material adds to that appeal.

The only real use case where this jacket wouldn’t be a great fit is for any outdoor adventure where it needs to be packed along with a lot of other gear into a limited space. It might be too warm for some high-output activities (like backcountry uphill travel). But generally, the ventilation is good enough that it’s not an issue day-to-day.

As I write this, the PAKA Apu Parka is hanging beside my front door. It’s what I’ve been reaching for whenever I’m venturing out into the cold.