The “Big Red” Canada Goose Down Parka

Table of Contents:

The affectionately nicknamed “Big Red” parka is issued by the US Antarctic Program to all scientists and staff serving at the two largest American research stations in Antarctica, McMurdo Base and South Pole Station. The parkas available on this website have been sold as surplus by the Antarctic Program. They were sourced from their New Zealand clothing warehouse and an Emergency Cold Weather Gear cache at the South Pole.

These Canada Goose down parkas are a variation of the popular Canada Goose 4660M “Expedition Parka”, which is the closest civilian-available equivalent to this jacket and sells new for $1,950.00 USD. The exclusive USAP version was made solely for the official United States Antarctic Program and has been worn by generations of Antarctic researchers. Prior to Antarctic Surplus, there was no way for civilians to obtain the original Antarctic model.

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The “Big Red” Parkas’ Story

In the 1980s, the brand ‘Canada Goose’ (at the time named ‘Snow Goose’) developed the Expedition Parka to meet the unique needs of the scientists at Antarctica’s McMurdo Station and South Pole Station. The parkas quickly became standard issue gear, earning the nickname “Big Red” for their size and bright coloring.

Propelled by their success, Canada Goose has become a major luxury winterwear brand known for producing the highest-quality parkas in the world. In fact, their success is so tied to these parkas that their signature “Canada Goose Arctic Program” patch is copied from the official “United States Antarctic Program” patches featured on Big Red.

Every year over 1,000 members of the Antarctic Program wear Big Red throughout Antarctica, from the coastline to the frozen plateau of the South Pole. The parkas available here have all seen years of service on-continent before being sold as surplus by the Antarctic Program. Each one is a unique piece of Antarctic history with its own story to tell.

Parka Conditions:

These parkas have experienced some of the harshest conditions in the world and will have varying signs of wear depending on how many seasons they were worn, what Antarctic bases they served at, and who wore them. We’ve had them professionally refurbished, fixing all major defects and ensuring that each parka is 100% wearable and functional.

We have graded the parkas as Fair, Good, and Very Good depending on the overall wear and fading of the parka, and have priced them accordingly. The grades are described as follows:

  • Fair – The parka may show color fading and obvious wear from service in Antarctica. Scuffs, stains, or small rips may be present, and there may be evidence of field repairs done by the Antarctic Program as well as one or more visible patches from our tailor. All major flaws have been fixed. 
  • Good – The parka is in good condition, without major tears or damage, but may have general signs of wear, fading, visible (but not excessive) patches, repairs or minor stains/imperfections.
  • Very Good – The parka is in excellent condition, with minimal fading, minor signs of wear, and no major patches or signs of repair.

INDIVIDUAL PARKAS WILL VARY!

Some of the parkas available for sale will have one or more ‘+’ or ‘-‘ added to the condition, which indicates the overall condition of the parka. We use these plus and minus signs to refer to features or details that deviate from the standard parka or the standard grading, but which do not change the parka’s overall classification. Therefore, a ‘Good(-) will be in worse overall condition than a ‘Good”, and a ‘Good(+)’ will be in better condition than either.

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Pricing Notes

Each of these parkas has been listed and priced individually. There are certain factors other than the parka’s condition classification (Fair, Good, or Very Good) that will affect a parka’s price, and that a buyer should be aware of when choosing their Big Red parka. Everything listed below will affect the price of any applicable Big Red parka:

Pluses and Minuses (‘+’, ‘++’, ‘-‘, ‘–‘)
The pluses or minuses we add to a parka’s condition are further, more detailed indications of how good the parka’s overall condition is, which is reflected in the parka’s price. A parka that is conditioned as a ‘Good(++)’ means that the parka is in noticeably better condition than the average ‘Good’ parka, but is not in good enough condition to be called Very Good. ‘Good(+)’ means the same, but to a lesser extent. The same logic can be applied to the minus signs.

Not all parkas will have plus or minus signs- the lack of them just means we consider the parka average for its condition.

Unusual Sizes
Some of the parka sizes are uncommon, or in some cases, VERY uncommon. Particularly large or particularly small parkas make up a very small percentage of the Big Reds available.

Snow Goose VS Canada Goose
As mentioned above, the original brand name for these parkas was Snow Goose, and all parkas from the 80s or 90s will be branded as such. In the year 2000, the name was changed to Canada Goose.

Old Canada Goose Logos
After changing the brand name to Canada Goose, the logo went through a transformation period. The first version of the logo was identical to the Snow Goose before being changed to an outline only. It was well into the 2000s before the modern-day Canada Goose logo began to appear.

Coyote Fur Ruff
Genuine coyote fur hood ruffs used to be quite common on the vintage Snow Goose parkas. These days, it is VERY rare for surplus Big Reds to have this feature. With only a few exceptions, most of these parkas have faux fur hood ruffs.

Year of Service
Each Big Red parka is marked by a serial number assigned to it by the USAP program, which includes the date they obtained it. This allows us to age the parkas, particularly allowing us to identify which parkas are particularly old or particularly new.

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Parka Features

Please note that while the Big Red is very similar to the Canada Goose 4660M “Expedition Parka”, they are not identical and some features will vary.

Each Big Red will also have a serial number assigned to it by the USAP program. This serial number will be written inside the pocket flap of the lower left-hand pocket on the front of the parka.

  • Windproof outer shell
  • Multi-layered down insulation
  • Adjustable hood with fur ruff (synthetic or coyote) & shaping wire
  • Fleece-lined chin guard
  • Interior waist drawcord
  • Recessed cuffs
  • Velcro flap to cover zipper
  • Silver reflector patch
  • Snow skirt for added protection
  • Velcro for name patch
  • Official USAP chest patch
  • 4 exterior pockets with velcro flap & zippered side entry
  • 2 interior pockets (1 drop-in, 1 zippered)
  • 2 utility pockets on sleeves

Sizing & Shipping

The parkas are sized 2XS – 4XL, and tend to run large due to the multiple layers worn underneath by Antarctic researchers in temperatures down to -100F. You can determine your parka size with Canada Goose’s sizing tool, which can be found here. You can generally wear a size down (which will be more form-fitting) or a size up (which will be looser with more room for layering, as done at the South Pole.

Shipping to the USA, Canada, Europe, and Oceania is available. We will ship to other countries on request. Buyers are responsible for any import taxes and fees.

Limited Quantity!

Our stock is very limited and is available first-come, first-served. The parkas are listed individually, allowing you to pick the perfect parka for you. We have done our best to create descriptions and include pictures that describe each individual parka accurately. Feel free to contact us with any questions you may have.

Sales are AS-IS and final. We cannot accept returns or exchanges.

Are You a Current or Former USAP Program Member?

Current or former USAP program members will be provided with a coupon for $100 off the purchase of a Big Red parka! If this applies to you, please reach out to us via our contact form with proof.

Examples of proof:

  • Communication via your USAP email address
  • Image of your certificate
  • Image of you in a Big Red parka with your name on the name tag
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