Congratulations to the winners of our Military N3-B Parka pre-auction! The remainder of our ready-to-sell stock is listed on the website now, along with Carhart jackets and more. Jacket/parka stock and sizing are very limited right now, as the majority of our stock is still being sorted and repaired.
By our final count this week, we have a total of 381 Big Red Parkas! That’s more than we’ve ever received at one time before, and we are doing the best we can to expedite their refurbishment. While some of these parkas are in excellent condition, many have seen very hard wear and need large repairs, replacement parts, etc.
While we had hoped to make the parkas available sooner, the process of getting everything refurbished is taking longer than we had hoped. These Big Reds are specialty items, and our goal in posting everything individually (rather than in a general, bulk listing) is to allow our customers to browse, read the individual descriptions, and look at the pictures to choose the parka that they are the happiest with. What we don’t want to do is create a situation where the parkas are trickled onto the website slowly, and each new batch of parkas disappears as soon as they are made available. In deference to this goal, we will be waiting to make the Big Red Parkas available until we have a decent amount to list at one time. We cannot say for sure when this will happen at this time, but we will post an update as soon as we know ourselves.
Admiral Richard Byrd, an early Antarctic pioneer, wears an earlier parka variation in 1955
Military Cold Weather Parkas
Pallet of military parkas
Unloading military parkas
Pallet of big red and military parkas
Size small N-3B military parkas
Vintage N-3B military parkas
Presale-Auction For Military Parkas
Antarctic Surplus is making the first two Antarctic-issued Green Military Cold Weather N-3B Parkas available for sale via eBay auction! Each parka is listed with detailed descriptions and images, with the auction starting at $49.99. The auction begins at 06/23 at 7PM, and will end 06/28 at 10PM.
Airmen wearing newer parka variations saluting the last LC-130 to depart from Antarctica in 2010
Military N3B Parka Features: These N3B extreme cold weather parkas are genuine military surplus made in the United States. This extreme cold weather parka is fully lined with a water-repellent exterior, and this coat will keep you warm in the world’s colder conditions. It features a drawstring-adjustable lined hood with a fur ruff and a drawstring-adjustable waist. This parka also features two breast double-button pockets and two front single pockets. When worn over other cold-weather gear, it can protect you down to -14 degrees Fahrenheit. Its outer shell is 100% cotton, and the fur is 60% modacrylic and 40% wool.
Parka History: Prior to the US Air National Guard taking over logistics for the US Antarctic Program with Operation Deep Freeze in 1999, all polar logistics were handled by the Naval Antarctic Support Unit (NASU). Navy pilots, airmen, and support crews were issued these olive-drab N3B Extreme Cold Weather parkas for their rotations at McMurdo Base and South Pole.
Some of these parkas have “NASU” or other identification numbers stenciled on the back. All of them were found in various storage locations in Antarctica over two decades after the last Navy plane took off from the continent, and they are some of the last parkas of this vintage around!
GUARANTEE : This website sells parkas, clothing, and gear which have been retired from the United States Antarctic Program. All have seen service in one or more of the three American Antarctic research stations, unless specified otherwise in the product’s description. As such, they will show some degree of wear/tear/use.
We hope our gear will serve you, wherever you are, just as well as it did the scientists, researchers, and support staff who relied on it at the bottom of the world!
DISCLAIMER: Limited stock, available only while supplies last. All sales are final with a no-return policy. If there are issues with your order which do not meet our guarantee, please contact us.
Antarctic Surplus is happy to announce that we (finally) have new stock available! This summer, we succeeded in obtaining our largest load of USAP surplus gear ever, with 400+ retired Big Reds. The parkas are in the process of being refurbished and made ready for sale.
This time around, we will be selling these parkas under individual listings, allowing you to select the perfect parka for you. Each listing will provide all the details about the parka, including, but not limited to:
Unloading a new truckload of Antarctic Surplus inventory
McMurdo base uniform jumpsuits
Vintage N-3B military parkas
Looking through new stock
South Pole green parkas
Opening a load of mittens
Looking through new stock
Carhartt overalls in pallet
Looking through new stock
USAP baseball caps
Carhart jackets in pallet
Mixed boots in pallet
Mixed clothing and gear
Big Red Parkas in pallet
We have a bit of everything. Uniform jumpsuits, hats, and more are available on the website now! These items are only a small fraction of what we are preparing for sale. We have cold weather boots, Carhart jackets and overalls, camping gear, ‘South Pole’ green parkas, and more. Some things we have in large quantities; others have very limited stock.
We update our store weekly. Keep an eye on our website blog, our Facebook page, or sign up for our email newsletter for stock updates!