<p>If you want to purchase before he leaves home, North Face is probably the way to go. Agree that Bean/Lands End/Eddie Bauer are considered “for old people” by most college students. Both Ds just got $100 gift certificates to Lands End from an aunt, and are not finding anything they want. As one of those “old people”, I told them I would be happy to take them off their hands. :D</p>
<p>intparent-There’s a website where you can sell or trade gift cards. The name escapes me.</p>
<p>LL Bean is geezer-clothing in my area (I wear an LL Bean down coat in cold weather). It does keep you warm though. Marmot is good for warm + light weight but it’s expensive. I imagine that Arcteryx would be fashionable (most probably haven’t heard of the brand). North Face is always acceptable though the cut may be a bit generous (daughter swims in hers).</p>
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<p>You have my sympathy. My son has started winter biking. I bought him a bright orange waterproof shell by Columbia (another brand out of favor with a lot of kids). He’s 24 and never been particularly fashion conscious, but I wasn’t sure that he would go for it. Fortunately, he loves it.</p>
<p>My kids would think LLBean and LandsEnd were for old people, too. </p>
<p>My son’s college town has a North Face store just a block or so from campus, where I’m guessing kids from CA, Hawaii, etc. get some of their clothing. If you know the school, you might want to see whether there is a North Face nearby. </p>
<p>If you’re hokey like me, you’d also consider linking it with school colors. I got a long (to the ground) purple quilted down coat for my move to a colder climate at a school with purple-and-white school colors.</p>
<p>Patagonia is another brand that’s popular with young people. I agree–most young people wouldn’t be crazy about something from LLBean or LandsEnd.</p>
<p>We get catalogs from LL Bean. Take a look at the models in the catalogs. Mostly moms, dads and grandparents. And a kids in the kids sections. I guess the kids are too young to protest.</p>
<p>I think the ‘wait and see’ plan is best. My kids would never wear LLBean or LandsEnd. In fact, when D was looking at colleges, a certain wonderful Midwestern LAC was crossed off the list when she said, “I can’t go to college there. Everyone looks like they came from an LLBean catalog.”.
Both D and S choose NorthFace and own several items. For our S, UnderArmour works, too.</p>
<p>In our area the kids start out with North Face in middle school and then graduate to Patagonia and Mountain Hardware. I think it’s Stockholm Syndrome of the pocketbook. My 10th grader still wears her North Face fleece occasionally but my college sophomore would not be caught dead in one.</p>
<p>Kids at D’s college do wear Lands End/LL Bean - it just has to be their more stylish offerings. However, I would still wait until arriving on campus. The winter coat selections you find in Texas might not be as warm as those you find in the northeast. </p>
<p>QLM</p>
<p>My D prefers Patagonia and North Face outerwear. She may be going to school in Chicago or upstate NY - or Texas or Southern California - or the Midwest. We did get her a Patagonia Nano Puff vest on sale for Christmas - good for fall and winter layering in colder climes or alone for warmer climes. She also got a North Face rain jacket. She would not like LLBean or Lands End. </p>
<p>Sometimes regular clothing is a bit problematic, as she is tall with a very curvy hourglass figure. “Fashionable” junior brands/athletic brands do not work - XLs are too small (though she is not fat) and many brands stop at L. Surprisingly she really likes Ann Taylor Loft. What do your girls prefer for shirts, etc?</p>
<p>I guess I am either not fashion conscious or just a.‘mean parent’ as LLBean is all DS has got. Luckily, he does not protest other than the color and coat being too long.</p>
<p>Living in the south just like OP, we paid little attention to coat. Before college, DS clothes mostly came from stores like JC Penny, sometimes even Walmart. We even do not pay attention to what brand it is. It was an “eye opening” to him when he attended a private college where his suitemate said to him that going to Walmart is “depressing”. I once jokingly said to him that he would likely not meet so many rich people (or kids from wealthy families) after he graduates from college. After college, in one year, DS rent a suite for about $900 a month. One of his suitemates rent an apartment for $3000 a month. See the difference? (Granted, they are in different cities.)</p>
<p>The thing that many of you are missing is that when a child grows up in a warm weather climate they have no idea what is “cool” on a college campus. My FL child had no idea what kind of coat he needed, nor did he have any idea about what was cool on campus.</p>
<p>We waited until parents weekend (late Sept ) and went up to school in Cleveland. We took S with us to the store. By then he had an idea what other kids had brought to school. We bought him a coat then. We missed out on the good sales but we got him what he wanted and needed. He wound up with a North Face jacket with the zip out lining so he can wear it in the spring and fall.</p>
<p>Even if your kiddo ends up in a super cold place, they won’t need a “real” coat until October. A North Face fleece layered with a sweatshirt & t-shirt, along with gloves & a hat will be enough till then. </p>
<p>It’s all about the layers. If you’ve never lived in a cold climate, one thing you might not realize is how warm most buildings are heated to in the cold months. You know how you get smacked in the face with central air in July in hot climates? Imagine the opposite in cold climates in January. You need to be able to remove layers so you’ll be comfortable in classrooms, etc.</p>
<p>North face 3 in 1 is very useful because the liner is a light jacket and the waterproof shell can also be used for warmer rainy blustery days without the liner. It is returnable if he does not like it, and the nice thing about North Face is that they are warranteed for life (my D just got a new zipper and it came back like new - no receipt required). The tech fleece quarter zips are warm and stay dry too.</p>
<p>Get one, bring it home, and see what he says. Otherwise, it could be a pretty cold November and December at school before they go on sale again next January.</p>
<p>Also try Patagonia. Warm and light. </p>
<p>Remember to label everything…</p>
<p>@Mamaduck
check out Madewell for shirts and jeans, kind of a younger J Crew. Very popular for our later high school/college age girls. My D calls it “hipster” whatever that is these days.</p>
<p>Proudpatriot - What makes you feel people aren’t understanding that a student from a warm climate needs time to acclimate to a colder climate and new social surroundings before making the choice? I believe you’ll read most of the posts here advising the OP to wait and let him choose after he’s been on campus. Others are discussing some brands popular in their area in a conversational way I believe more just out of interest because it does vary across regions. No one is advocating the OP go out and purchase a coat now.</p>
<p>" My kids would NEVER wear an LL Bean or Land’s End, at least now. " - So funny. Mostly my kids avoid ANY coat where possible. </p>
<p>In general, layers work well (fleece/shell). REI usually has a good selection - there was one close to DS’s campus in Boston. We offered to buy a nice fleece/shell set, but he is accustomed to colder weather and opted for a good shell to layer with his existing fleece and sweatshirts. A southern kid would likely want a warm coat amd would reach for it sooner than others. </p>
<p>FYI - When we had a Sears in town, it used to do refunds for Lands End order (ie no return mailing needed).</p>
<p>@ucbalumnus… you are correct, he has applied to both USNA and USCGA. Just found out he is wait list at USCGA and has a nomination but no appointment yet at USNA. So, we are going ahead assuming plan B is now his plan A (and mentally for him, I think he was headed more towards plan B anyway). So, we think we will need a coat! :)</p>
<p>Thanks for all the advice! I never knew there were so many opinions about coats… ha ha!</p>