REASONS TO BUY
Form-fitting
Warm
Adjustable waist
Four exterior pockets
Three internal pockets
Technical hood
Durable
REASONS TO AVOID
Runs small
Limited mobility
Tight hood
Finicky zipper
Hood doesn’t detach
Fjallraven Singi Down - Women's Review
A classic style winter parka with a faux fur ruff and durable outer shell
Credit: Backcountry
Our Verdict
The Fjallraven Singi Parka screams classic winter parka with its faux fur ruff, snug fit, and durable exterior. Insulated with 500-fill power down and featuring Fjallraven's G-1000 sustainable recycled polyester and organic cotton blend exterior, we stayed warm and toasty on early morning walks or running errands around town. Highly water-resistant but not waterproof, we wouldn't recommend this jacket if you are living in a wet climate like Seattle or Portland.
Our Analysis and Test Results
Performance Comparison
Despite running small, we found this to be a highly stylish parka. The faux fur ruff around the hood and durable exterior scream classic winter parka you would be someone wearing in a snowy environment like Switzerland or Lake Tahoe.
Credit: Sierra Purcell
Warmth
The Singi Parka fits like a glove, as in it's very snug, and almost runs a bit small. We did stay warm when temperatures hit the freezing mark. The down insulation was extremely lofty.
The deep hood did a great job at keeping us warm when it was snowing or chilly out, but the hood is so cavernous it was hard to see. There's micro-fleece lining the pockets, a nice warm feature that we always love to see on winter jackets. There are no internal cuffs in the sleeves, but there are Velcro straps that allowed for a tighter fit, and it helped keep cold air out.
The hood definitely kept up warm and protected from the elements, but almost too well. It's deep and sunken in. We had limited mobility with our heads when we were wearing the hood. It was also very hard to hear when people were talking to us.
Credit: Sierra Purcell
There are no internal cuffs in the sleeves, but there are velcro straps that secure around the cuffs for a tighter fit. This helped with keeping cold air out and trapping warm air in. When we tested the jacket in the elements it did a good job at keeping rain and snow out.
Credit: Sierra Purcell
Weather Resistance
Water-resistant, but not waterproof, but there is an option to apply Fjallraven Wax to the exterior of the jacket. Made from high-quality paraffin and beeswax, Fjallraven wax is more gentle towards both people and the environment than chemical-based impregnation. A wax block of 100 grams will be enough to wax about ten garments. One practical and potentially necessary feature on the Singi is being able to add a wax coating to the exterior that allows more of a buffer if you live somewhere that experiences wet winters. We didn't test this option, but we read other reviews that it seems to work well.
When we tested this jacket in snow and rain, water beaded up and rolled off, but after an extended period of time, the jacket began to get saturated.
Style
The Singi Parka was one of the most stylish parkas we tested this winter. Its short and sweet style worked well for going out for walks around Lake Tahoe or grocery shopping. We received many compliments about how it looked. There are five different colors to choose from - Black, Dark Garnet, Dark Navy, Deep Forest, and Red Oak. There is a plush faux fur ruff around the hood that is detachable.
The hood is detachable and so is the faux fur ruff. When we were wearing the hood it was very tight, but when we weren't wearing it, it rested nicely on our back and we found it to be very stylish.
Credit: Sierra Purcell
There are bungee drawstrings in the inside of the jacket that allows for a more tailored fit, and it really helps with obtaining a more feminine look.
From angles, the Singi is form-fitting and stylish. The jacket has a very feminine cut and look.
Credit: Sierra Purcell
The exterior of the jacket has four pockets that blend in well and are hardly noticeable. There are two on the chest and two on the bottom of the jacket. The hood has adjustable drawstrings on each side with leather tabs you pull. Besides being a practical feature, it also adds a nice look to the jacket and the leather tabs complement the colors of the faux fur ruff.
There are two pockets on each side of the chest. They are secured with zippers. There are six exterior pockets in total.
Credit: Sierra Purcell
Out of the six exterior pockets we used these ones the most. They are secured with a snap and are lined with microfleece. We could easily fit our hands in them with plenty of room to spare.
Credit: Sierra Purcell
Comfort
We noticed that Singi ran a bit small, especially in the shoulders and the sleeves. We would have been more comfortable if we had more room. Because of the small fit of the jacket, it was hard to wear a thicker layer underneath. Consider ordering a larger size if you are worried about the limited mobility or if you are someone who likes to wear thicker layers underneath your jacket.
The hood was almost too snug and was a bit uncomfortable. We felt like we were trapped in it because of how deep it is. We had limited visibility when looking to the left and right, and it was honestly hard to hear when wearing the hood because of how deep it was. There was also not much room to wear a beanie underneath, but we doubt you would need to wear one since the hood feels so warm.
Features
The main feature on the Singi Parka would have to be the attention to detail, as well as its stylish look. The internal adjustable bungee waist allows for an even snugger and tailored appearance.
The singi is already a form-fitting jacket, but we did like that there is an internal drawstring waist. It allowed for a more tailored and tighter fit arouns the waist. This gave the already stylish parka a more feminie fit.
Credit: Sierra Purcell
The detachable faux fur ruff is beautiful and adds a classic parka look. There are four exterior pockets. Two of them are zippered "hand warmer" pockets and are located on the chest. This feature allowed us to keep our core warm. There are two oversized pockets with flaps secured with buttons. They are deep and are perfect for a cell phone. There are three interior pockets. The two mesh pockets worked great for holding gloves or a beanie. The third pocket is a media pocket secured with a zipper.
The Singi has two interior mesh pockets that can be used to store a beanie or gloves. They are located in the inside bottom of the jacket and aren't secured shut, but they do run deep.
Credit: Sierra Purcell
Being able to add a wax coating to the outside of the jacket is an unusual, but practical feature that is a good idea for jackets that aren't considered waterproof.
Durability
Over the two months that we tested the Singi, our only real concern with durability was the zipper. It was incredibly finicky and we had to have it lined up perfectly if we wanted to zip it up.
The double-sided zipper was incredibly finicky. We had to make sure the zipper we lined up perfectly and sometimes even then it was hard to zip up.
Credit: Sierra Purcell
Despite not being waterproof, the Singi is a durable jacket. The exterior of the jacket is made up of polyester and cotton. It's thick and feels almost impenetrable.
Value
This jacket is not on the cheap side of the lineup. That being said, this jacket is durable, warm, and will last for multiple winters. If you look at it as an investment for years to come, then this may be a good choice for you.
Conclusion
Overall a bomber winter jacket that looks like a classic winter parka you would see being warn in Lake Tahoe, CA or Switzerland. Fjallraven really nailed it with attention to details, as well as being functional and practical. We love the placement of the exterior pockets, as well as the internal pockets that were great for storing beanies or gloves.
—
Liz Williamson
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