I need to buy a jacket for winter

[absolute_deviation]

Hello good ol' folks.

So i've been transported from sunny california to middle of new england and winter has started. I need to buy a jacket to keep me warm but i have no idea what to get and there doesn't seem to be any standard measure of "warmthness" for winter jackets. I expect winters to be ranging from 0F to -12F where I be living. Any of you experienced cold fighters out there, could you please recommend something?

[King Speedy]

http://www.thelifeofluxury.com/images/mens_pea_coat.jpg

[Fatty]

I would suggest going to a local ski shop and asking there. A majority of their jackets should be really warm and durable. Make sure you get a jacket with insulation and not just a shell, or at least one with zip-in insulation. A nice, heavy hood is also helpful. You can also look around on outlet sites like http://www.departmentofgoods.com or www.gearattack.com. Their prices are real good but the selection isn't always what you might be looking for.

P.S. I'm in VT

[absolute_deviation]

what part of vermont?

[Fatty]

I go to UVM, so Burlington.

[absolute_deviation]

Distant neighbors we are! I'm in hanover, NH.

[Hobbes874]

^Do you go to Dartmouth?

Could look into Spiewak, I bought a jacket from them last fall and really liked it. A lot of their line use Thinsulate which seems to kick ass. Expect to spend $150-200 though.

[schnitzel_bob]

Get yerself a good set of gloves and a tuque.

*Sees blank stares*

You know, a tuque? Wear it in winter?

*More blank stares*

Oh for fuck's sake.

*Looks it up online*

A knit cap. Damn Yanks.

[LittleChief]

What I wear;

For informal, recreational & mountain occasions...more stylish & youthful:
Burton (http://au.burton.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Burton_AU-Site/default/Search-Show?cgid=mens-jackets)
Special Blend (http://special-blend.com/finder/jackets/men)
Foursquare (http://foursquareouterwear.com/finder/jackets/men)
And watch Tramdock (http://www.tramdock.com/) for deals that are better than tits.

For more sophisticated, day-to-day, professional-looking jackets to wear to work:
Vineyard Vines (http://www.vineyardvines.com/category__14576_14576_____13050)
Brooks Brothers (http://www.brooksbrothers.com/IWCatSectionView.process?IWAction=Load&Merchant_Id=1&Section_Id=680)

Generally, the more you pay, and the better care you take in washing your winter coat, the longer you'll have it, and it eventually turns into the more economical choice.

[RacerX]

Get yerself a good set of gloves and a tuque.

*Sees blank stares*

You know, a tuque? Wear it in winter?

*More blank stares*

Oh for fuck's sake.

*Looks it up online*

A knit cap. Damn Yanks.

Hey, you hoser! I know what a fucking tuque is, eh. Ya, my cousins live in Toronto, eh. And I've seen Strange Brew, eh. And we had a college kid from Quebec working over the summer with us several years ago. He's French Canadian and he enlightened us on how they speak French there but they cuss in English, eh.

[future man]

I usually go with Carhartt for all my winter wear, both jackets and coveralls. If you want something durable it's the way to go, I've had the same jacket and insulated coveralls for ten years and end up using them every winter.

It's workwear though, so it doesn't exactly look fancy, and there were plenty of decent metrosexual suggestions already made.

Jacket (http://www.carhartt.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10101&storeId=10051&productId=32137&langId=-1&categoryId=10928)

Coverall (http://www.carhartt.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10101&storeId=10051&productId=111823&langId=-1&categoryId=10908)

[absolute_deviation]

Little Chief, you must be rich.

Hobbes, yeah, I"m at DMS.

[IcedEarth]

You all seem to dress like I imagine DL would; very homosexually.

[absolute_deviation]

You all seem to dress like I imagine DL would; very homosexually.

LMAO!!!

[Smapdey]

Yeah, a post that just says LMAO or LOL is against the rules. I'd ban you, but I'm tired.

Boots. A good pair of boots. You need to get boots. Trust me. That will be the most important part.

[absolute_deviation]

Do we really wanna be banning people on atrip at this point?

In any case, I've heard a lot of people say boots. What do you all mean when you say boots? I have something that looks like this below. Says "WATERPROOF" down the side of it. Bought it at walmart randomly because it was hella cheap. is that gonna do or do I need boots that go up higher?

http://imgur.com/3XLnr.jpg

[Fatty]

Those should be good. Get some nice wool socks to go with them too.

Actually you should just get some uggs.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QatMJHEcU9A/Slj-POnqhKI/AAAAAAAAJl8/pRjVfF-WI5s/s400/Four+Pair+UGG+Boots+New+Yorkjpg.jpg

[absolute_deviation]

but i'm not a semi-cute girl!!

[absolute_deviation]

is this jacket gonna do me any good?
http://www.gap.com/browse/product.do?pid=792528002&tid=goaff2585066&ap=2&siteID=goafcid150

[Smapdey]

That's a good insulator, the wind will blow through the stitching though, so you should think about an outer layer that is wind and water proof.

Down is the insulator in that jacket and down is great, but it loses life over time. While down is super warm, if it gets wet, it becomes the antithesis of a jacket (or more often, a sleeping bag).

Like the man from the most awesomest of awesome cities on the East Coast, Burlington said, get good socks. If they get wet change them. Get a lot of good socks.

Buy lined or wool pants, long underwear from a sporting goods store (synthetics wick moisture, organics do not), and for added insulation in the legs, flannel pajama bottoms.

I'm from about the same latitude that you are, and after living in Wisconsin, warmth in the winter is tantamount to comfort is equal to fun and happiness.

Dealing with a harsh winter is no joke and requires at least effort if not money. Mountaineering brands like Patagonia and NorthFace and others are expensive, but typically worth the money for the comfort + style they provide. Designer clothes designed to keep you warm are alright except in the worst weather when the mountaineering brands really show how kick ass they are. Look at REI instead of the Gap. The Wal-Mart boots may crap out on you, a decent pair of boots can be expensive but can also last for years.

Think of dressing yourself in layers, and try to cover as much of your body as possible on windy days.

Always cover your head. Find a hat or a few that you like and plan on wearing those whenever you're outside. Otherwise your brain will freeze.

Really.

I sometimes thought of it as building a space suit every morning. In the absolute dead of winter, when "the shit" rolls around, it's kind of a dark miasma as opposed to actual living. I miss it.

"The shit" kind of happens a lot. Storm after storm after storm and they all leave you multitudinous presents of water in all of its forms.

Say good-bye to sunshine, if you get affected by seasonal affective depression at all, you should consider one of those fancy lights.

It is a whole lot of fun, but requires a lot of paying attention and preparation, or just getting used to being cold and miserable and slowly not so miserable.

[absolute_deviation]

Damn, nice! That was really helpful! I definitely didn't think about distinguishing between an insulator and a windbreaker.

What about down jackets from NorthFace etc that are rated water-proof? Should those be okay as an outer layer?

[Fatty]

My roommate bought this (http://www.thenorthface.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=38574&storeId=207&catalogId=10201&langId=-1&from=subCat&parent_category_rn=11702&variationId=001) jacket a couple years ago and says it was the warmest thing he ever felt. It was also $350-400 so definitely not cheap either. Pretty much any of the North Face jackets should be good as long as they say waterproof on them. They're real good quality stuff. This place (http://www.klsportgear.com/) has good prices for North Face if you're interested or shops near you don't have a good selection.

[Smapdey]

Make sure it is windproof too. You will experience a phenomenon called "wind chill" for the first time. It will be 10 degree but feel like -10. Without a windproof jacket, you'll have all the heat from your insulating layers blown off of you, and it will get very cold, very fast.

Long underwear is a really good idea. It's relatively cheap, and a single layer is equal to being at least ten to twenty degrees warmer.

[King Speedy]

Just be glad you're out of range of the lake-effect snow. That's always a fun experience. Once.

[Roq]

You need to stay tactical

http://www.511tactical.com/browse/Home/All-Products/Outerwear/Covert-Off-Duty/Aggressor-Parka/D/30100/P/1:100:50000:50400:50402/I/48032

[MikkoJ]

I live in Finland and know something about cold weather. You don't need an actual winter jacket if you are in England, but a good windstopper with a thin insulation. Peak Performance makes good jackets for example.

[absolute_deviation]

I live in Finland and know something about cold weather. You don't need an actual winter jacket if you are in England, but a good windstopper with a thin insulation. Peak Performance makes good jackets for example.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J---aiyznGQ

[Rhenna]

I live in Finland and know something about cold weather. You don't need an actual winter jacket if you are in England, but a good windstopper with a thin insulation.


British Isles - January, 2010:

(This does not, of course, mean MikkoJ doesn't know anything about cold weather.)

[Lehesu]

Who is this Miss Spelling and where can I meet her?

[Fatty]

British Isles - January, 2010:

(This does not, of course, mean MikkoJ doesn't know anything about cold weather.)

It's actually surprisingly mild in the UK despite it's northern latitude. This is mostly due to the currents in the Atlantic ocean coming from the Caribbean and goes straight to England. Pulling numbers out of the Wikipedia article, average low temperatures in February is 34 F and high of 45. Average high temperature is 70 F in August. So I believe MikkoJ when he says you don't need a winter jacket there.

[schnitzel_bob]

A good friend of mine lives in Dublin, and moved there at 13 after growing up in Winnipeg. He says that snow is rare and shuts the city down completely. The average is between 40-50 F. The thing that might suck is the wet cold that cuts to the bone.

And January 2010 in England had the worst snow storms in 30 years, so it's not exactly representative.

[Rhenna]

It's actually surprisingly mild in the UK despite it's northern latitude. This is mostly due to the currents in the Atlantic ocean coming from the Caribbean and goes straight to England. Pulling numbers out of the Wikipedia article, average low temperatures in February is 34 F and high of 45. Average high temperature is 70 F in August. So I believe MikkoJ when he says you don't need a winter jacket there.

Having been to England about a dozen times over the last ten years, I'm reasonably well-versed in what to expect at various times of the year. I would heartily disagree with those referenced Wiki temperatures, most especially the "70° F. high"; I know I've experienced many consecutive days where it was a good 10~12° F. warmer. In my own personal reference tome, Wikipedia is cross-referenced under the term "steaming crock." But, that declaration is decidedly off-topic.

Here at the compound, we generally buy from Cabela's (http://www.cabelas.com/home.jsp). They stopped carrying the women's snow camouflage items a few years back, but my gear is still in good shape. My crew and I can ambush some unsuspecting motorist from the treeline, give the bodies and the vehicle a good toss, and do a perfect peel and fade in under a minute. Then, it's back home, in front of the roaring fire in my flannel jammies, cleaning the firearms and dividing the loot. However, this, too, is off-topic.

Actually, I just wanted to link to this:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/8212994/Christmas-travel-plans-ruined-for-half-a-million-air-passengers.html

...and a nice shot of busy traffic on the A3 from this past Saturday:

[tisl]

Real men go everywhere topless.

[Lehesu]

Real men go everywhere topless.
Or go kill giant bears and wear their pelts as a jacket.

[TopSecretBoy]

This thread is outrageous!

[Digital Limit]

I appreciate you Smap.

[Fatty]

It was -10F today. Awesome.

[IcedEarth]

It was -10F today. Awesome.

Pfff. Woman. That's -23 Celsius, which is a typical winter day. This weekend it went down to -42 (-43.6 F) here. :)

[tisl]

It was -90 Celsius today. I went jogging. Barefoot.

[IcedEarth]

It was -120 Celsius today. I went ice fishing naked.

[future man]

It was -180C today. I made ice sculptures after flaying most of my body.

[schnitzel_bob]

I think perhaps you may be exaggerating the gravity of the situation.

[future man]

You ruined it. You're a ruiner.

[schnitzel_bob]

It's kind of my thing.

[absolute_deviation]

THis is how cold it got -30F
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctElQSWxV64