<p>Ok, we live in south Texas… not much need for a heavy coat. Every school DS is applying to is in the northeast, so I’m thinking he IS going to need a decent coat. He got North Face boots for Christmas, and now that end of season sales will be going on, I think I’m going to look for a coat. Any suggestions for something that is college “cool” but still functional?</p>
<p>Better let your son be the judge of what is “cool” rather than us. Have him present and trying on all the candidate coats before any decision is made. Having the nicest and warmest coat in the world won’t help if the kid won’t wear it. And most kids would rather freeze than look uncool, so make sure it meets his approval.</p>
<p>Also, what looks cool in Texas may not match the “must-have” coat that all the kids are wearing in say New Hampshire or Massachusetts, which is why we waited to get to the college town in the Fall to get the coats.</p>
<p>^agree 100%. I know it’s hard to pass up all the great sales, but you might end up wasting money if you buy now and it’s not what everyone else is wearing.</p>
<p>I would order from LL Bean or Land’s End, with input from S.</p>
<p>Northface 3-in-one jacket will do the trick. It consists of a fleece-type jacket that zips into an outer shell. Liner can be worn as a light jacket during warmer months and zipped into the shell for cold months. Good for skiing. Check REI or Zappos for a good deal.</p>
<p>Northface is the most popular type of jacket here.</p>
<p>My advice…WAIT to purchase that coat. Let your son see what others at his college wear. That coat you buy on sale might be a total waste of money if your son won’t wear it. </p>
<p>My 20something kids will NOT wear anything from LLBean, Lands End or Eddie Bauer. They prefer Northface, or REI brand.</p>
<p>DS wore a leather jacket when he was in college.</p>
<p>Just be patient. Really…kids do wear different winter garb depending on the college, location etc.</p>
<p>what Thumper said…</p>
<p>Ha! Great advice all, and thank you… DS is not too picky and will NOT put one toe in a store to try them on. He has a North Face fleece jacket that he likes, so that 3 in 1 thing sounds like a good option. I may can get him to look at it online for approval… HA!</p>
<p>Cold is relative here in the Northeast. There’s a big difference between NJ and, let’s say, Maine. I would wait until he decides how far north he’ll be living, and then make my move.</p>
<p>I would also wait. My kids would NEVER wear an LL Bean or Land’s End, at least now. If they went to college and everyone else was wearing them, that might change–yes, they are shallow :D. Styles change from year to year and the big what if–what if he doesn’t end up going to school in a cold climate. As for the boots, our kids never wear boots unless they are sledding…depending on the walk across campus, their tennis shoes or whatever are usually plenty warm and sitting in class for a hour in ultra warm boots is miserable. Heck, I don’t wear a winter coat most days in the winter. I keep one in the car but if I am just running errands, etc. it’s not worth putting one on.</p>
<p>thumper is 100% on target. Absolutely wait until he’s on campus and gets a feel for what the other kids are wearing and what he might want to have. What he might choose as a hs Sr. could be drastically different then what he might pick even a year later. My S2 ended up with essentially a 3in1 but bought in separate pieces at REI (both REI and NF brands). The top layer is Goretex and he gets a ton of wear out of it (four seasons). I doubt highly he would have ever picked it in high school, however after traipsing across a cold, windy, rainy campus for a couple of months, they change their idea of what a necessary and ‘cool’ coat both needs to be and looks like. I’ll also echo, he isn’t one to complain a lot, but I wouldn’t ask him to go near an LLBean, Eddie Bauer, or Lands End jacket.</p>
<p>I will say the one thing he did get (at my nudging) before he went and has used A LOT (and has thanked me for on several occasions) is a pair of goretex hikers. They are great in rain, light snow and slush. They aren’t heavy like boots but keep his feet dry after walking across campus on wet and messy days. He would have been toast in his sneakers or sperrys. REI has a lot of choices. I think we picked ours up at Eastern Mt Sports on sale in August.</p>
<p>My kid is at school up in Maine. He’s got an LLBean down coat, several down vests and fleeces in various brands and duckboats - which is what everyone wears there.</p>
<p>My daughter was telling me that Carharrt’s has become very popular on her campus, . . . worn ironically no doubt!</p>
<p>We waited to get new coat until he saw what everyone had on campus. In that period before he needed the coat he wore a lot of layers. I wouldn’t pass up a sale on under armour and wonder of wonders, the kids will wear a hat and gloves now. </p>
<p>In the Midwest, he actually has two coats. One is a pea coat that he wears on “warmer” cold days and when he wants to look good. The other is a ski jacket. Agree that brand will matter. The coat that was the preferred brand in high school is not cool at the college (as you will find with a lot of clothing lines as well).</p>
<p>I agree. Let your daughter-son pick out her-his own coat.</p>
<p>EMS is another popular brand here.
My son really didn’t care about what he wore AT ALL until he got to college. Then he really became a bit more fashion conscious! And he did care about the styles, not necessarily the brands. But having said that…both of my kids think LLBean, Eddie Bauer, and Lands End are for
OLD people. The exception you might see is that students going to college in Maine DO wear LLBean because they can actually go on a field trip TO the main store in Freeport.</p>
<p>I learned about LL Bean several years ago from CC’s parents forum. This is all DS has had. LLBean is for OLD people? No wonder DS recently made a comment like “Sometimes I feel I am old.”</p>
<p>DS is not interested in shopping. But it does not mean he will wear everthing we purchased.</p>
<p>We purchased a boot for him. He has never used it. We purchased a coat that is too long. He would not wear it. (He 's in the southern part of NE.) We purchased a coat with very bright yellow color, on the ground that he will be safer while walking on the street. He is not pleased. To our surprise, he would rather wear dark red than yellow. We still do not know why. We really do not want him to wear some coat that makes him invisible like dark grey, dark blue, black because the car driver may not see him.</p>
<p>When a kid is not picky in high school, it does not mean he will be the same in college.</p>
<p>In another thread, you mentioned that he is applying to the USNA and USCGA. If he does go to one of these schools, then wouldn’t he be wearing weather-appropriate uniforms and not need other coats?</p>
<p>Even next fall, a ski place like evo.com or level 9 sports will have lots on sale online, and way more style selections than a place like LL Bean. No need to pay full price just because you wait until November.</p>