A Highly Functional Down Parka Perfect for Polar Expeditions

Made with input from famous Japanese Polar explorer, Yasu Ogita, this jacket utilises recycled down, and is great for everyday life!
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Great for use in many situations during your daily life, as well as being perfect for cold climates and the outdoors, this is the ultimate down jacket for both men and women!

Made possible thanks to our techniques and talents that have been honed over time, as well as the amazing input from Mr. Ogita, a specialist in the field of Arctic exploration who was the first Japanese person to reach the South Pole unassisted without supplemental supplies on foot, this is a down jacket we are truly proud of. It has a timeless style and a perfect fit, and is designed to last and be worn for decades to come!

This time for Kickstarter we are making updates, in order to improve the functionality of the jacket! We hope to bring winter warmth and joy to those all around the world!

In May 1956, the predecessor to the POLEWARDS Jacket was used by a Japanese team to climb the Manaslu summit, the first time anyone in the world had summited the mountain.

From then, that down jacket evolved, being able to handle even more extreme climates, helping to provide support to the Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition, which looked to research the Antarctic Continent.

In order to ensure safety and so that the mission could be completed in harsh weather and at temperatures of minus 60, we look to make high end downwear that are ahead of their time.

Taking that jacket which has helped to keep expeditioners and explorers warm for years, we have developed this jacket so that it can be used on a daily basis for casual users, while being functional and cold resistant.

In the front of the hood, wire has been added, which ensures that even if wind comes at you from the front or the sides, that you won’t lose sight of right in front of you!

In addition to this, the hood is also adjustable using one hand thanks to the adjustable loops found on the top and sides of the hood. You can make the hood the best size for your head so that it can cover it completely.

The hood is deep enough so that you can protect your whole face properly, and is made to give it a little depth. You can be sure that there is cover from all sides. What’s more the hood can be attached and detached using the buttons.

In the case that the zipper malfunctions in a worst case scenario, you can use string or cord through the loops found on the front of the jacket to keep it closed. This was a design change that Mr. Ogita suggested using it based on his real world experience as an arctic explorer!

All the zippers have a special sliding guard which helps to prevent it from getting stuck in extreme cold. This means in sub-zero temperatures the zipper can be closed.

The fur that encompasses the hood and helps to reduce wind chill and snow and rain getting in your face is a new addition to the POLEWARDS Jacket and it is in fact removable as well, for days where you don’t need it!

When it gets dark in winter, these tags help to increase your visibility to others, especially on dark roads and in low light situations, helping you keep safe!

On the hem,, we have added an adjuster which allows you to stop cold air from entering.

On the cuffs, Velcro has been added so that you can stop cold air entering and make it feel fitted.

In order to make the pockets on the sides and the hem feel warm on your hands, raised fabric has been used to do so!

On the inner left side of the jacket, a smart phone sized area has been included to store smaller items.

You can add extra badges onto the arms, letting you customize the jacket to your own fashion style!

All of our jackets come with a unique serial number and an embroidered badge with the POLEWARDS brand name found on the left chest area and lower right back area.

We use extra densely woven cotton, which makes it waterproof, windproof, and is also breathable.

Mr. Yasu Ogita on his solo expedition to the North and South Pole without extra supplies aimed to reach his goal in 60 days, and it was this material that could fit his adventure style. To do so he needed to drag a sled that weighed over 100kg, which as you can imagine is extra sweaty work.

Normal materials that are used for casual clothes which are waterproof and breathable would freeze inside the jacket due to the perspiration before it could dissipate, which would spell disaster for his expedition.

High density cotton material is the solution to this problem.

As cotton absorbs the sweat and then in the sunlight it dries, making it a great material to use.

In order to make a fashionable but also sustainable item, we have used RECYCLE DOWN, a type of recycled down that comes from duvets and so on.This down which has been selected for this, we have branded as RECYCLE DOWN, and taking responsibility we have made it into a commercial item. The process of recycling down from household quilts and duvets is done in 10 steps.

The fill power of this RECYCLE DOWN is 600FP.It has a brilliant warmth retention, which helps it to fully support you in cold environments. 600FP down contains enough air so that it keeps your body temperature and provides enough warmth in harsh cold environments.

This product, from the down to the sewing manufacturing is done completely in Japan. Ever since our preceding company made the down jackets that went up on the Manaslu Expedition, we have been producing down jackets here in Japan. As times have changed, it has become increasingly harder to produce solely in Japan. But as we wish to focus on quality craftsmanship, the POLEWARDS Jacket is being made with our commitment to making and improving on our quality items.

Our craftsmen make extremely high quality products, with particular attention to detail. We feel that this attention to detail is a founding point of true craftsmanship.

Size: M, L, XL

Color available: Red or Khaki

Material: Cotton 100%

Lining: Polyester 100%

Down Used: Recycled down (RECYCLE DOWN)

Down Fill Rating: 600FP

Down Weight: M (144.5g | 5 oz) | L (153.5g | 5.4 oz) | XL (162.5g | 5.7 oz)

Zanter Co (株式会社ザンター)

In 1951, the predecessor to Zanter, was established within the down bedding company, Toyo Feather Industry Co., Ltd, as a clothing division, with the aim to design and develop down clothing for mountaineers.

This clothing was used in the Manaslu Expedition and Antarctic expeditions. The name Zanter was derived from a word which means mountain climber, and we have for many years developed and produced high end extremely functional down clothing that can face up to the extremes, and has been used by the Japanese Defence Force and Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition.

Since then, we have provided these down equipment for explorers to the extreme cold environments, such as the north and south poles, Everest and other mountains, and with a solid base in our techniques and clothing’s functionality, we have grown as a Japanese based apparel manufacturer.

Outside of a POLEWARDS jacket for professional use, we look to develop other brands that utilise down. As the times have changed, and downwear has become a more popular piece of clothing for both the outdoors as well as general use, our ideas and thoughts haven’t and we still have a goal of bringing warmth and comfort to people in Winter.

Mr. Ogita is an arctic explorer, having travelled to the Canadian Arctic, Greenland, and the Arctic Ocean on his adventures mainly on foot. From 2000 to 2019 he travelled to the Arctic 16 times, and has travelled over 10,000km (6200 miles) in his adventures to each area of the Arctic region.

He is known as Japan’s most prolific Arctic Explorer, and is one of the world’s leading adventurers to the area, and is well known and has been featured in both domestic and international media.

He has ventured alone to the Arctic solo, and using his knowledge gained from his adventures, and understanding the problems and risks that explorers face, he has helped to complete this Jacket through much trial and error.

One area that he helped with is that loops have been added on both sides of the zipper, just in case of the zips breaking. As well as this, cotton fabric is used in order to reduce the risk of fire damage that might occur when close to a fire when tenting.

Another area that was focused on was the shape of the detachable hood and the fur. The tubular hood is made so that it provides an efficient wind guard, especially against headwinds. The fur also is designed with practicality in mind.

The shape, the loops that can be adjusted using one hand and the loops next to the zipper are all parts that Mr. Ogita said he would’ve liked to have when he was on exploration.