Review: Scruffs Classic Thermo Parka
I love my job. But one of the things that I don’t love so much about it is having to stand out in the freezing cold.
I’m talking about my job as a Regeneration Officer. That’s not to say that I don’t have to stand out in the freezing cold as a Mum, too – the school run does often require quite a bit of that and I’ve long since ditched the idea of trying to hold an umbrella AND push a stroller in favour of a decent coat with a hood.
But as a Regeneration Officer, I often end up traipsing around cold, muddy development sites, shivering miserably under my hard hat.
Just recently this has not been so much of a problem – and that’s due to the Scruffs Classic Thermo Parka, which boasts the following ‘don’t get cold and wet’ properties:
- a splendid waterproof rating of 4500mm (that means it can withstand ongoing light to average rainfall. Given that I will not be found stamping around outside in torrential rain – not really recommended on a building site – then that is definitely more than good enough for my needs)
- fully padded bubble quilted lining
- removable hood and fur trim
- a high fitting neckline
- large pockets
- cordura elbow panels
- reflective bits
In visual terms, it looks like this.
The first thing that I noticed when I put it on is that it is very, very warm. In fact, there has not been any point since I started wearing it where I have felt cold. It has been windy, it has been rainy, there has been frost on the ground, but I’ve still felt lovely and warm.
In fact, it’s worth remembering to layer up in light layers underneath when wearing it, because otherwise you can end up a bit too warm!
The main zip (and in fact all zippy bits on the coat) is sturdy and fastens easily, using the brown leathery zip pull. When zipped all the way up, it covers all around the neck so even without a scarf I can stay warm.
The hood is MASSIVE. There is an adjustable strip on the top that can be used to pull it back a little, but even with that adjusted fully the hood (with furry bit attached) still comes down right to my eyeline. It is big enough even to go over my hard hat. Perfect for miserable weather!
The hood attaches using a zip, and then has poppers either side to secure it to the neck of the coat for a snug fit. I have found that the poppers on one side often un-pop themselves, but that doesn’t cause massive problems, as there is also a cord pull that you can use to tighten the hood and keep it in place even in fairly strong wind.
The large pockets mean that I can store my wallet, oyster card, keys and phone and still have space to stick my hands inside and keep them warm, thanks to the two layer pocket system which keeps items securely stowed away.
The coat is black and I did wonder, with it being winter and therefore darkness arriving early on, whether I would be visible enough walking about in sometimes secluded areas. However, the reflective bits on the coat really do show up well, so I’m confident that cars, buses and other big things with headlights can see me easily and not mow me down.
In terms of fit, it is a mens coat really, and that means that it is not sculpted to fit womanly curves. But it certainly doesn’t mean that it feels too baggy or draughty – in fact it fits nicely, and has a good length which keeps my core warm. The Other Half has been known to steal it on the occasions where I am inside and he needs to nip out, and it fits him equally well width wise – he’d quite like one himself (luckily for me I have a size ‘small’, which means that the arms aren’t long enough for him to steal it permanently, hooray!).
I’ve been wearing it every single day for around a month now, and I can honestly say that it has changed my life. I no longer dread the standing around in the cold moments. Because it washes so well and so far still looks as good as new (despite having been covered in mud, grime – and thanks to a supermarket accident – a large quantity of golden syrup) I’m pretty confident that the rest of the winter is going to be a lovely warm one too. Even if it is cold outside my coat.
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