Parkas come in all shapes, sizes, and wacky camos, but few end up looking as good as this. Polish Wz. 93 ‘Pantera’ is one of the best looking woodland patterns that's graced the surplus world, and we got lucky enough to get a truckload of the parkas.
Wz. 93 ‘Pantera’ was a pattern first developed for JW GROM, part of the Polish special forces. Sometimes called "presidential woodland" it shares a common palette of colors to German Flecktarn, but with larger "petal" patterns that date back to an even earlier camo used by special forces in the 1960s.
The parka itself is built out of a sturdy poly-cotton blend covering a cozy removable quilted liner in addition to the quilted liner in the shell. You’ll stay toastier than a lightly-charred Polish sausage. With a drawstring adjustable waist and buttoned cuffs it’ll keep the cold at bay while you keep the Russians at bay. The 4 button pockets on the front leave you with plenty of storage whether that be for an IFAk or for more Polish sausage. The quintessential feature, however, is the zippered sides that let you access your pant pockets through the jacket. How this isn’t a feature in more modern jackets is quite surprising. Get on it, REI.
Specs
Sizing
Parkas are sized in typical European fashion with your height in centimeters, and your chest circumference in centimeters. To measure your chest circumference, take a measuring tape and wrap it around the largest part of your chest.
Condition
Parkas are in excellent condition, with no tears, holes, cuts or stains. Parkas show only minor signs of use.