<p>There’s a reason that guy’s coats aren’t thigh length. We hate them! </p>
<p>I have a thigh length fancy wool dress coat to wear over a suit, (or more commonly over a sweater/tie/slacks combo in the winter) but I would NEVER choose that length for a casual/sports/performance coat. </p>
<p>We never wear dresses. We aren’t used to sitting on something that is dress length. It would be horribly uncomfortable to us. The 3-1 parka length that is sort of “butt-length” would be the longest coat I would ever give a guy. And, to be honest, I even find that length a little annoying for day in/day out use and usually grab something waist length. The only time I could ever imagine wanting a thigh length parka would be if I were NOT sitting down. Like a chair lift operator at a ski resort or something. Something where you are just standing out in the cold.</p>
<p>If it’s that cold, then ski pants and/or thermal long johns are the way to go.</p>
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<p>As for down. Love it. I’ve been wearing a new ultra-light Marmot down jacket this winter. But, would only work for football on a dry, clear day/night. Down is definitely not the way to go if it’s raining/snowing. You’d have to wear it under a waterproof/windproof shell and then it’s likely to get wet from perspiration. Down loses its insulation when its wet.</p>
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<p>If I were shopping for a cold football game jacket, I would go the 3-in-1 approach with a hooded waterproof shell and a removable insulating liner. I have one of these from Columbia with a zip in liner. Similar to [this</a> one](<a href=“http://www.columbia.com/Men’s-Bugaboo-Tech™-II-Interchange-Jacket/SM7858,default,pd.html]this”>http://www.columbia.com/Men’s-Bugaboo-Tech™-II-Interchange-Jacket/SM7858,default,pd.html) I’ve got a 200-wt fleece liner and a synthetic down type liner (that’s probably a little warmer).</p>
<p>I also couldn’t resist a Marshall’s deal on a crazy expensive [Marmot</a> GoreTex hooded shell](<a href=“http://marmot.com/products/silverton_jacket]Marmot”>http://marmot.com/products/silverton_jacket). It doesn’t take “zip in” liners, but I have a [matching</a> synthetic insulating layer](<a href=“http://marmot.com/products/baffin_jacket?p=216,303]matching”>http://marmot.com/products/baffin_jacket?p=216,303). Turns out that I actually prefer not to have the layers zip together. I would almost always just throw the shell over whatever layer I already have on – a fleece or whatever. In the real world, the flexibility of mixing and matching layers outweighs having them zip together.</p>
<p>Compared to the Columbia 3-in-1, which is the same basic thing (without the GoreTex label), the Marmot is much lighter and more “athletic”. I’m more likely to wear the Marmot shell by itself as an ultimate 3-season rain jacket than the Columbia puter shell, which is much heavier and bulkier. But, the GoreTex shell is just ridiculously expensive, even on a half price deal at Marshalls. I paid less for the Columbia than for the sale price I got on liner for the Marmot shell.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, the Marmot combo (or equivalent from North Face, Patagonia, Arceterex, Mountain Hardware, etc.) would be the ultimate “football” coat. This will give you an idea of how this approach works. This guys is wearing the same Baffin Jacket for his insulation and a lighter GoreTex shell layer on top:</p>
<p>[Marmot</a> Athlete Adrian Ballinger Trains in Tahoe and Reviews Gear - YouTube](<a href=“- YouTube”>- YouTube)</p>
What about Marmot coats? This one looks like it is really warm, and just the right length:</p>