Depending on your budget and/or pickiness, I suggest a trip into a Sierra Trading Post to browse. If budget is not issue and you like online shopping, go for it - but I find STP to have a nice selection of all these things - coats, boots, gloves, mittens, headgear, socks galore - literally everything for outside - at good prices.(TJ Max type prices or a little more). I have bought Marmot, Hokas, Patagonia, Prana, Smartwool, Balega, and on and on there.
I’m actually in the market for a new winter coat - something lightweight but warm and I like just above the knee length - great for dog walking in the cold without being too bulky and confining. I may do a drive up to Ann Arbor tomorrow and do some looking!
Thanks for the link. I like the basic pull on style for the ease of putting thrm on and the waterproof feature, but fear they are too short for playing in the snow…seems they might fill up with snow too easily. I love the tall lace up styles but so Im considering one pair of those. There are some good salea right now.
Thank you! I put one in my cart. I also like the 3 in 1 style they have. I wish that thigh length version was just a bit longer though.
You’re right about socks. I was thinking mine were SmartWool, but they are Darn Tough. I edited my post above to say Darn Tough - they don’t make me itch, even though they are wool, and they seem to work in variable temps.
yes, I wear merino socks all year round, even in summer (just thinner ones when it’s hot out and I’m not in sandals). Darn Tough are way more durable than Smartwool, which get holes in the heels.
I absolutely cannot wear wool of any kind. I have a few pairs of fleece socks that I wear with my Sorels when it’s cold and I’m doing something like snowblowing the driveway. Those fleece socks are nice and cozy!
My friends who do a lot of hiking (including overnight winter camping - brrrr) like Outdoor Research products. The said OR can be a bit pricey but offers good value.
Stio is my all time favorite brand for function, fit, and durability. It is very thoughtfully designed, and it lasts. And lasts. And lasts.
LL Bean is terrific for value.
Both companies stand behind their products.
With that said, you can find great buys at Rei Outlet, and if you don’t use the stuff that much, it could be perfect. (The insulated Mammut jacket I picked up there for colder, but not freezing, weather hiking is a favorite and has gone skiing with a down jacket under it!)
Sierra wow, really nice selection today. Keep in mind that especially in terms of boots they may or may not have your size. I saw lots of Sorel, Merrill, Kizik, LL Bean and more.
Coat wise I was surprised to see several LL Bean there. I ended up buying a Columbia coat that checked all the boxes. Just above the knee, warm but not bulky, hood (and removable fur on the hood, yay), good pockets, high zip if needed at neck, neutral olive green. Columbia tag said $200, I paid $89. Plenty of nice coats depending what you’re looking for.
Also saw lots of Cotopaxi brand items there. I bought a nice hoody sweatshirt.
They were so loaded with cold weather accessories!
This is dating myself but I remember when STP was a mail order company and shopping at their lone store in Wyoming.
I’ll just add that silk is a fantastic (thin, light) underlayer for people who run cold. I like to wear black silk long underwear instead of tights under skirts in winter. I choose it over wool and synthetics when I’m stuck in a cold office building or going in/out all day (walking around downtown Chicago or NYC in winter, for example).
Adding on to this thread after looking in my coat closet. if layers aren’t for you (as suggested in my prior comment), I also like my long lightly insulated Fjallraven coat, as well as my puffier and longer REI long down coat. Patagonia hooded down jacket, a wool blend fleece zip-up, and long and short rain jackets, as well as a variety of vests. I guess I have quite a coat collection but something for every temperature and type of precipitation as we spend lots of time outside in different conditions. Ski/snowboard shops will carry good waterproof mittens along with more general outdoor stores. For infrequent use, I find there’s no need for the fancy Goretex mittens (unless you’re actually skiing or going other snow sports).
I also love Icebreaker garments that are 100% wool. They are somewhat expensive but good quality and very cozy. I have purchased several pieces and wear them when I travel.
Reviving this little exchange with the additional information that you report that temps where you live are getting as low as “Mid-twenties at night.” Where I am is -19.
(Seriously people, when it’s cold you have to go big and baggy. Think “dogsled musher” and not “Will Ferrel in Elf.”)
I grew up in a place where we’d get 2 feet of snow overnight, and -19 F was daytime warm for a while in winter. My response you quoted still stands - for those Midwest and lower temps.
Seattle is a subtropical paradise in January compared to that.
I have a variety of outerwear for varying temperatures. Today, I will be wearing my warmest…a long jacket from LLBean. With warm gloves and a warm hat.
I’ve pulled out my 1980s very long down purple parka. Some years I don’t wear it, and I contemplate giving it away. But yesterday I did comment to my husband that as I age it’s likely that I will get cold more easily. More likely I’ll give away the knee length wool dress coat. It harder to put on, not easy for driving (and I almost always drive myself to church).
I also have a hand-me-down overly large down ski coat. With a lot of layers, I feel like the Michelin Man… but I stay warm.
I would never go for oversized clothing myself. There’s a big difference between tight and fitted. While I wouldn’t wear anything too tight, I do opt for a fitted wool base layer when it’s really cold. Over that, I layer with a looser, but not over-sized fleece or other mid-layer. If it’s extremely cold, I’ll double the mid-layer. Outerwear depends on all the other variables - feel-like temperatures, precipitation, how long I’ll be out, activity, etc.
I have a parka, but it’s my least worn piece of winter outerwear. It’s nice for the extreme cold, but otherwise it’s too much coat for me.
but something for every temperature and type of precipitation as we spend lots of time outside in different conditions. Ski/snowboard shops will carry good waterproof mittens along with more general outdoor stores. For infrequent use, I find there’s no need for the fancy Goretex mittens (unless you’re actually skiing or going other snow sports).
