As far as where they store all this winter stuff…my D took everything she owned when she went to college in the northern tundra. She found out that there were a few items she wore all the time and the rest was packed up at the end of the year and never returned to school. 1-2 jackets (extra cold and basic), some jeans and flannel shirts, boots. Daughter tends to wear boots all the time and just ‘winter’ or rain boots when it was really really cold or raining.
I lived in areas that were pretty cold most of the winter. We didn’t spend that much time outdoors so a normal ski jacket worked fine.