Reviews and Tests: Transportable Parka Women Uniqlo – Pocketable Parka for Around the World

Remember my first prize rain parka at Decathlon? The 20€ one? I wore it for my trek in Nepal and I was soaked all day. So I decided to buy another one and as I really liked my Uniqlo clothes, I decided to trust again this great Japanese brand

So I bought the Transportable Parka (or Pocketable Parka). It costs 29,90€ in France but I could buy it for 25€ in Thailand (VAT is only 7% in Thailand)

What interests me in this parka is the protection against rain, something that my Uniqlo jacket promises but does not realize

This parka has a water-repellent coating, to the touch it looks like a technical garment, but the look remains very urban and casual, without being “sporty”

The big positive point: it weighs nothing, well, 100g !!! Less heavy than an umbrella. And it is sold with a small pocket of the same color as the parka. I love it because it saves even more space

On the water-repellent side, I tested, and the raindrops slipped on the fabric, I put my arm under the tap for long minutes and my arm stayed dry

Unlike my Uniqlo down jacket, the zipper goes all the way up and you can adjust its hood so that water doesn’t seep in at all

A zoom on the hood (I stole the photo from Uniqlo)

The outside pockets are zippered. But what is even cooler are two pockets inside, to hide money, or to protect your smartphone from the rain. Here again I give you the official picture because my black parka doesn’t look very good on the picture

Well, the bonus “small hook + small hole” to pass the headphones that you see on the picture, I did not see it on my parka bought in Thailand. But maybe you have this system in parkas bought in France? Check before you buy

Product Demo

On the picture, I’m wearing it over my Uniqlo comforter because it’s raining a little bit

Conclusion

• Advantages: Parka that could be of interest to tourists who are looking for something light, not bulky and that protects effectively from rain and a little wind. Combined with a polar fleece, a very light jacket (always at Uniqlo), you can survive without any problem against the very wet cold in Asia. When it isn’t too cold, it can be used as a small vest (vest that you will not have since you will have followed my advice on the clothes to take on a trip around the world). Moreover, it is machine washable with a delicate program. Hand washing is possible, and it dries very fast (in one evening).
• The least: this parka is nevertheless not very breathable. The composition is 100% Polyester, and nothing is provided to evacuate heat and sweat (no opening under the armpits). Do not use if you plan to trek for days.

note September 2018 : After 9 months of use, by dint of washing it in the machine, it doesn’t protect me at all from the rain (it still protects me from the wind though). I think I should have washed it less often (I don’t master the washing program when I give the laundry to the laundromat) and especially wash it only by hand. The raincoat is probably gone because of my intensive washing in the machine. Snif. I think this problem isn’t only related to Uniqlo but to all rainwear in general, as soon as it goes through the machine (the same happened with Decathlon).