winter coats - what do you recommend?

[jeffp]

now would probably be a good time of year to get a decent winter jacket at a good price.
i had a very excellent north face parka in the 70's - nothing i've had since really compares but i understand the
quality isn't quite what it was but i can't say.
i've been wearing a lands end parka for a few winters - it's ok, it feels a little cheap and it was.
anyway what do you discerning vaporists recommend in the outerwear department?

 

[quomist]

How casual or formal of a winter jacket are you looking for?

 

[lwien]

That's kinda funny. Out here in SoCal, a parka is a parka. Lots of variance in quality but I never knew that there's such a thing as a dress/formal parka?

Got a visual of a parka with tails, and there's just something about that that's not right.

 

[Flyer]

if rugged is a cause then it is Carhartt, other wise I see a bunch of north face around here (maine). Is black and green or black and red checkerd wool out?

 

[Vicki]

Both me and my husband have really nice leather jackets. My jacket always kept me warm, even on the coldest Indiana days.

 

[FEAR420]

Im loving my Spyder with Under Armor liner I also have a few Timberland jackets that are super warm.

 

[Lo]

Normally I would suggest moving to Florida but...been cold here too and I had to buy a damn coat Not much selection down here for winter wear LOL!

Good luck...don't know much about coats but Under Armour's stuff rocks! My son lives in UA and has gotten me into it too as of late.

 

[tdavie]

Depends on your age, insulation status (uh, weight), metabolism, how cold it gets where you live, how much money you have to spend, and how resistant you are to cold. North Face is still a very good brand, although there has been some move towards cheaper vresions via the use of either fibrefill, thinsulate or polyester packing. If you go for the best North Face (down filled in my opinion), you'll pay a pretty penny. If it has a good inner liner it won't itch

Tom

 

[DevoTheStrange]

I like Patagonia's selection of jackets. They have all kinds of types for various forms of weather. Columbia has some nice ones that would fit into either casual or dressy occasions.

 

[Frickr]

i love my ride snowboarding shell. super thin, super light, and super warm. the arms are pretty much a single layer, but it could be -30 out and i will still be warm. if you have a sweatshirt on for the extreme cold its just that much more warmer. but the thing i also like about my coat, is i can wear it into someplace warm, and it wont be too hot. i wear my coat pretty much all day through school and it hardly ever gets to warm.

i also own a set of carheart artic bibs and coat. when its -30 out with windchill your sweating... while not the most stylish, carhearts are very warm and last for years.

 

[jeffp]

thanks everyone - i'm not into spending 300 on a parka; seems like that's what they cost now and i'm sure alot of it is brand name super markup.
on the other hand maybe it is what it is and that's what a good one costs.
i have an Alpha NB-3 "extreme cold" parka - had it for over ten years and it's a very good parka. it's not down; it's a military parka.
are current model north face's made in china?

 

[quomist]

That's kinda funny. Out here in SoCal, a parka is a parka. Lots of variance in quality but I never knew that there's such a thing as a dress/formal parka?

Got a visual of a parka with tails, and there's just something about that that's not right.

Well it all depends on the style you are going for. While it looks like jeffp is into the North Face brand and style, there are tons of variations:

This one looks warm and utility oriented:

This one is a totally different cut, but looks very casual. Something you could wear to the mall:

This one is like a trenchcoat parka, and more formal. Something you could wear to work:

 

[jeffp]

i like the warm and utility one - that looks very cool.
the one you could wear to the mall looks cool too but if you have to stand like that guy feigning chill/determined, forget it.
the trenchcoat one is actually very nice, but that guy's head totally sucks and his hands are fucked!

 

[PerseusStoned]

the trenchcoat one is actually very nice, but that guy's head totally sucks and his hands are fucked!

Ha ha ha! Its been pretty cold around here lately (-10 to 10 degrees with minor windchill), so I've been doubling up my coats. I have a thick, warm jacket which I wear under a heavy-down coat. If you can synergize something with your parka you probably won't look the best, but you'll stay quite warm. Just something to consider.

 

[fidget]

I'm a bit of an amateur jacket spotter
What's your budget?

For when its really cold.
Woolrich Arctic Parka

bout $340 new on ebay - Made for Alaskan Pipeline Workers.


Maa-Strum Parka - considerably more

Vintage CP Company Ice Jacket - reacts to heat with colour change.(as shown by the handprint)

 

[420_Skier]

I ski a lot, and when it dips below 0 degrees, I ditch my Bonfire jacket and put on my Oakley jacket. I have the Oakley Assault jacket which is a 3 in 1 (aka it has a liner that zips in and out and you can wear it as a jacket on warm dry days). It costed me 250, but my friend picked it up for 90 bucks on Tramdock.

I highly recommend keeping an eye on Tramdock, Brociety, and SteepandCheap for great winter jackets at cheap prices.

 

[jeffp]

thanks - i signed up for daily email alerts on tramdock. no urgency - spring is right around the corner - i'll eventually stumble onto a cool deal as you did...
the woolrich looks ideal, and comfortable.
i guess the concern i have is paying top dollar for jacket manufactured in china then having to replace it in a few years.

i'll check the other two sites you suggest.
also - i'm thinking canada - ebay.ca - would have very high quality outerwear made in canada.

i'm a bit of a an amateur jacket spotter myself - years ago i bought a great canadian military surplus winter parka for like $60 from www.sportsmansguide.com - that and their other site,
www.bargainoutfitters.com are worth exploring for interesting closeouts and military surplus from around the world. like if your girlfriend is petite you can get her a great military parka in size small for like $30 and you'll have you pick. also they have coupon codes so you can get like free shipping or the equivalent in discount.


**edit**

i should have edited out a few of the "likes" -

 

[fidget]

thanks - i signed up for daily email alerts on tramdock. no urgency - spring is right around the corner - i'll eventually stumble onto a cool deal as you did...
the woolrich looks ideal, and comfortable.
i guess the concern i have is paying top dollar for jacket manufactured in china then having to replace it in a few years.

i'll check the other two sites you suggest.
also - i'm thinking canada - ebay.ca - would have very high quality outerwear made in canada.

i'm a bit of a an amateur jacket spotter myself - years ago i bought a great canadian military surplus winter parka for like $60 from www.sportsmansguide.com - that and their other site,
www.bargainoutfitters.com are worth exploring for interesting closeouts and military surplus from around the world. like if your girlfriend is petite you can get her a great military parka in size small for like $30 and you'll have you pick. also they have coupon codes so you can get like free shipping or the equivalent in discount.


**edit**

i should have edited out a few of the "likes" -

If I'm paying top dollar (top actually) I like my jackets to have been made by people on decent wages so tend to go for made in Italy.

This Swedish brand are often found heavily discounted.
http://www.fjallraven.com/About-us/Fjallraven/

A lot of modern jackets are just slight variations on Military surplus with updated materials.
I have a goretex spring/summer field jacket and an autumn winter Dynafil Field jacket both by CP Company and both based on WWII jackets. Cost a bit more than $30 though

 

[jeffp]

Right - just for the fun of it, this Swedish military parka is actually $40 -

not Goretex but this one from Germany is, it's second hand; about $30 also:

OTOH I bet the domestic counterparts of military wear is more refined, comfortable and hip looking with its slight variations but it's interesting to look at the real thing and compare prices.

 

[Flyer]

top one if it is betweeen the two, fidgewt put a good one up, dress as you please under that one.