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A parka, like the related anorak, is a type of coat with a hood, that may be lined with fur or fake fur. Parkas and anoraks are staples of Inuit clothing, traditionally made from Reindeer or pinniped skin, for hunting and kayaking in the frigid Arctic. Some Inuit anoraks require regular coating with fish oil to retain their water resistance. Parkas are typically longer, often extending to the thighs or knees. Anoraks are usually shorter than parkas, often hip-length, and are traditionally a pull-over jacket.
The words anorak and parka have been used interchangeably, but they are somewhat different garments. Strictly speaking, an anorak is a waterproof, hooded, pull-over jacket without a front opening, and sometimes at the waist and cuffs, and a parka is a hip-length cold-weather coat, typically stuffed with down feather or very warm synthetic fiber, and with a fur-lined hood.
The word parka is derived from the Nenets languages language. In the Aleutian Islands the word simply means "animal skin".Brewers Dictionary of 20th Century Phrase and Fable It first entered the English written record in a 1625 work by Samuel Purchas.
The Inuit who speak Inuktitut use parkas and have various terms related to them as follows:
| +Inuktitut terminology parka (2012) Inuktitut Living Dictionary. Retrieved September 14, 2012, from link | |||
| woman's parka | ᐊᕐᓇᐅᑎ | irnauti | |
| parka tail | ᓂᖏᒻᓇᖅᑐᖅ | ningimnaqtuq | |
| parka hood | ᐊᒪᐅᑦ | amaut | |
| parka decoration | ᑰᑦᓯᓂᕈᑎ | kuutsinaruti | |
| parka material | ᐊᑎᒋᑦᓴᖅ | atigitsaq | |
| parka button | ᓇᑦᑐᕋᖅ | naturaq | |
| parka belt | ᑕᑦᓯ | tatsi |
It gained the common name of "snorkel parka" because the hood can be zipped right up leaving only a small tunnel (or snorkel) for the wearer to look out of. This is particularly effective in very cold, windy weather although it has the added liabilities of seriously limiting the field of vision and hearing. Earlier Vietnam-era hoods had genuine fur ruffs; later versions used synthetic furs. Original manufacturers of this parka for the government included Skyline, Southern Athletic, Lancer, Greenbrier, Workroom For Designers, Alpha, and Avirex.
The basic N-3B parka design was copied and sold to the civilian market by many manufacturers with varying degrees of quality and fidelity to the original government specifications. Surplus military parkas are often available for relatively low prices online and in surplus stores; they compare quite favorably with civilian extreme-cold parkas of all types due to their robust construction, designed for combat conditions, and warmth.
The 1970s–1980s civilian version of the parka was made in many colors – navy blue, green, brown, black, maroon, grey, royal blue, sky blue and bright orange. Most had an orange diamond quilted nylon lining, although a very small number did have alternative colored linings such as yellow, pale blue, and green. While still manufacturing parkas to the military standard, Alpha Industries have more recently adopted the orange lining and a slimmer fit when producing their VF59 model parka which is now more popular than the military version.
In Europe the snorkel parka started to regain popularity in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
The next revision was the M-51, made because the M48 was too expensive to mass-produce.
The outer hood of the M-51 Fishtail Parka is integral to the parka shell, an added hood liner as well as a button in main liner make the M-51 a versatile 3 piece parka. The idea behind this 3 part system was to enable a more customisable parka that allowed for easier cleaning of the shell as the hood fur was on the detachable hood liner, not fixed to the shell as in the M-48. It also allowed for both liners to be buttoned in or our depending on the temperature and hence warmth required. It was also cheaper than the M-48 to mass-produce The early M-51 was made of heavy sateen cotton, the same material as the M-48. Later revisions of the M-51 were poplin based. The later liners were also revised from the "heavy when wet" wool pile to a lighter woolen loop or frieze wool design that dried easier and were far lighter. The frieze liners were constructed of mohair and were designed using a double loop system.
The M-65 fishtail parka has a detachable hood and was the last revision. It features a removable quilted liner made of light nylon / polyester batting which are modern synthetic materials. The M-65 fishtail parka first came into production in 1968. These parkas featured synthetic fur on the hoods after an outcry from the fur lobby. As a result, only hoods for these parkas made in 1972 and for one year later have real fur.
Designed primarily for combat arms forces such as infantry, they are to be worn over other layers of clothing; alone, the fishtail parka is insufficient to protect against "dry cold" conditions (i.e. below about -10 °C). As such all fishtail parkas are big as they were designed to be worn over battle dress and other layers.
In the 1960s UK, the fishtail parka became a symbol of the mod subculture. Because of their practicality, cheapness and availability from military surplus shops, the parka was seen as the ideal garment for fending off the elements and protecting smarter clothes underneath from grease and dirt when on the mod's vehicle of choice, the scooter. Its place in popular culture was assured by newspaper pictures of parka-clad mods during the Bank Holiday riots of the 1960s.
However, it is claimed by some that fishtail parks were not seen as fashionable by mods, and they caught on more with the "uncool" general public in the 1970s. Photos of mods wearing the fishtail parkas, so it's claimed, always involved a "weekend at the seaside" and were not within cities.
/ref> It was invented by Noel Bibby of Peter Storm Ltd. in the early 1960s.Mike Parsons and Mary Rose, Invisible on Everest—innovation and the gear makers. It may have a full-zippered front opening, or pull over the head like an original anorak and close with snaps or a short zipper, has an integral hood, and elasticated or drawstring cuffs.Claudia Wisniewski: Wörterbuch des Kostüms und der Mode. 6. Auflage. Reclam, Stuttgart, ISBN 978-3-15-018762-3, S. 18. In some versions, when rolled up, the hood doubles as a bag into which the rest of the coat is pushed. It became very popular in the United Kingdom during the 1970s.
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