Exactly one year ago, Columbia released its awesome – and expensive – Empire Strikes Back-inspired limited edition winter coats, that sold for about $400 (£300) each.

Well, now the established outdoor gear manufacturer is once again dipping its toe in the cauldron of sci-fi pop-culture and offering the public something really special.

The exterior scenes set in Hoth during The Empire Strikes Back were filmed in freezing conditions in Norway – the Hardangerjøkulen glacier near Finse or 60.5477°N 7.4483°E if you want to check it out on Google Maps.

Consequently, the crew needed the right gear and so Columbia made some unique Parka jackets for the whole team. Only a few have survived to this day, and when they come up for auction, as assistant director Bill Westley’s did recently, they can end up selling for well north of $7,000.

The crew-style Parka jackets are not a flawless, stitch-by-stitch recreation of the original crew jacket – Columbia has no interest in confusing collectors or making it impossible to distinguish these as remakes. The company’s updated version has modern styling and vastly improved fabrics for keeping you warm. But all of the important features of the original are here, including this gorgeous patch featuring a flaming Vader and the Empire logo.

The original coats worn by the cast and crew during the actual production featured customized velcro patches stitched with their names. The patch on Columbia’s version is still removable and held in place by a strip of velcro, but simply says “CREW” now. But beneath it you’ll find the same “Norwegian Unit” patch as the original Parkas do.

Starting at 12:01am (EST) on December 7 you can head over to the Columbia website to order one online, if you have $500 to spare. Alternatively, visit one of a few Columbia stores in the US, Canada, parts of Europe, China, Hong Kong, Japan, and South Korea who will have limited stock available once they open.

Warmer than a gutted Tauntaun, guaranteed and even more expensive than a Canada Goose coat.

Thirty of these Parkas that have been signed by Mark Hamill will only available at US-based Columbia stores in New York City, Buena Vista, Florida, downtown Portland and Seattle. Those will sell for a hefty $1,980 each, but all the proceeds will go to charities that Hamill supports, which is nice.

Scott Snowden is MyM’s US Editor. Follow him on Twitter.

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