<p>Does anybody have a brand of winter outerwear that they especially like? After four years of the school varsity jacket, we need to find a warm, well-made, winter-worthy jacket/parka. Oh, and we need one that is either cut amply or comes in tall sizes. Thanks!</p>
<p>Hello lkf725,
Let’s see parkas/jackets…well I have 2 recommendations. My husband is a huge Northface fan. He has a jacket shell with fleece pullovers to wear underneath when the temp. drops. The kids and I have jackets/parkas from Columbia. I have the jacket with the zip in fleece liner (which came with my jacket). My son has a down jacket and our daughter has the quilted jacket made by Columbia.</p>
<p>Oh, you also might want to look at Landsend. They have lots of choices, colors, and materials to choose from. The kids and I have their raincoat and we have several fleece jackets from them too.</p>
<p>Northface (Columbia secpnd choice) seems to be what the college kids around here like. DS won’t wear LL Bean, even though it’s excellent and we have a discount!</p>
<p>Columbia jackets do come in “tall” sizes if you look hard enough.</p>
<p>I had a top of the line Eddie Bauer down coat in Madison and it was always warm–too warm for anything over 15 degrees.</p>
<p>I could be wrong, but my research indicated that outer layer has to be water proof or water resistant, the thing has to have tripple layer + hood + the fleece liner. And every place we looked they all talk about layering. So we got a parka from ll bean that is rated (I have no idea how they rate them) up to -25 F, and we also got a separate fleece jacket (in case the liner that comes with the parka is not heavy enough). We picked parka because parkas are little longer (good for behind).</p>
<p>Simba:</p>
<p>All this for Princeton? Wow. Does it ever get down to -25F? 
I agree with parkas. Waterproofing is good, too. We’re getting soaked by Wilma in NE.</p>
<p>marite: I didn’t know what to get - I was confused. A visit to REI store confused me even more, and also remember that for us anything less than 50 F is too cold. (I actually wanted to go with the one that was rated at -40 F, but my wife convinced me to save money)</p>
<p>(I will tell you how heavy it is…we should be getting in a day or two)</p>
<p>here is the link</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.llbean.com/webapp/wcs/stores/search?storeId=1&catalogId=1&langId=-1&startRec=1&numWanted=20&loggedIn=0&page_type=&hotBG=0&searchTerms=parkas&Go.x=12&Go.y=10[/url]”>http://www.llbean.com/webapp/wcs/stores/search?storeId=1&catalogId=1&langId=-1&startRec=1&numWanted=20&loggedIn=0&page_type=&hotBG=0&searchTerms=parkas&Go.x=12&Go.y=10</a></p>
<p>Ah well, Your kid may end up with the parka and flipflops :)</p>
<p>Actually, for really cold conditions a waterproof (i.e. Goretex type) outer layer is not so hot. It can lead to condensation buildup inside, as the vapor cannot get out fast enough. And, in really cold conditions, you don’t see much rain…</p>
<p>Having lived places as far apart as Minneapolis, Santa Barbara and Boston, I’ve now found my best approach is layering. I have a loose fitting goretex style jacket with hood that handles wet, and can become a windproof outer layer in the cold. Depending on the temp, I can put sweater, fleece, down jacket or all the above underneath. </p>
<p>If you’re gonna be in northern Minnesota, yea, a parka can be good, especially for ice fishing on Brainard Lake. (See Grumpy Old Men for more details.) But most of the time, if I’m out in the cold, I’m doing something. Then, a parka is too much and too hard to ventilate - you get all or nothing. </p>
<p>Final note:</p>
<p>Don’t buy in advance. You are too likely to buy something not in the style of the campus and have it in the closet. Better to let your kid do some buying once (s)he’s figured out the situation. Mail order is a great thing.</p>
<p>in washington - we have fairly warm damp winters
and we go where it is colder but drier
first importance is good socks- gloves- hat and even face mask & neck gaiter
with an assortment of these and a shell- ( waterproof), some polartec fleece jacket or sweater, and a down vest/jacket, we are prepared for any weather
I have a goretec REI jacket- and patagonia fleece
D wears Helly Hansen shell and the north face fleece
my H wears his antique REI down jacket, but last year I bought him a Helly Hansen for skiing
Other D was wearing my antique REI down jacket but also wears windproof fleece from Lands end.
any of those brands are good- I especially like Patagonia or Helly Hansen
the new Patagonia polypro is pretty nice too.</p>
<p>
Listen to newmassdad.</p>
<p>Else, you may find that instead of wearing marite’s parka + flipflops, it’s the flipflops only. :eek:</p>
<p>Maybe it’s an individual thing, but do kids really worry about the “style of the campus”? Six years into this kids in college thing, and I’ve never heard that as an issue (or maybe its the schools they went to?)</p>
<p>garland - my S is a total non-fashionista. He has worn the same “style” for going on 10 years now, through middle and high school and now college. Khaki cargo pants, tee shirts, sneakers, baseball cap optional. But somehow, for some reason, even for such a kid, the winter outerwear is an “issue.” Don’t ask me why. I don’t know. Maybe it’s a refusal to be thought of as attending to practical matters. Maybe they’re afraid it’ll look like “mommy” dressed them. But, for some of our kids, that is the “style” issue. It involves selection of wildly impractical items - NEVER boots, NEVER gloves, NEVER warm winter hats. Least warm jacket possible - tee shirt alone for as long as possible, hoodie or fleece after that. S has not worn a “winter” jacket or parks (other than skiing) for 5 years. It also seems to involve brand. Even for this kid who WILL NOT wear A&F, Tommy Hilfiger, Polo, Gap etc, etc. The fleece has to be Northface. No idea why.</p>
<p>S is at Bates right now as a visiting Katrina kid. I don’t think of that as a “fashion” campus. Not a preppy or fashion place. All the kids I see are tee-shirt/jeans etc. But the outerwear “issue” prevails.</p>
<p>newmassdad – we’ve lived in So. Cal, Vancouver, Minneapolis and now the northeast. Layers are good! FWIW, I just ordered a Columbia jacket for son in NH – it’s actually not as heavy as I expected but has a zipout fleece jacket. I’m not a skier, but it seems to fall into the category of “technical” parka for skiing and snowboarding. Now if I could just get him to wear boots – after spending most of his youth in MN, he doesn’t think it’s cold unless it’s below zero.</p>
<p>Mine post Katrina in Denver was so happy to finally have a reason to buy a Northface jacket. She ended up buying a fleece with a hood that is suppose to be windproof. I don’t think she has worn it yet. She ordered it from REI. Only problem is size. Hard to return if it doesn’t fit and you don’t have easy access to return.</p>
<p>My son–who is fond of being different–took his father’s old formal camel-hair topcoat, had it relined (which it needed) and wears that with one of the many scarves knit for him by his mom (me) /sister /female friends (all of us knit, apparently). He wears lightweight hiking boots and no hat. Still I was delighted not to have to buy him a parka.</p>
<p>dmd – maybe he needs a fedora or top hat?</p>
<p>I moved from a cold climate to Santa Barbara for grad school. I found it amazing how the locals would get out their down jackets - for the rain! This was in the pre-goretex days.</p>
<p>Yesterday, in Chicago, in 40 degree weather, I saw a college student in…flip flops, t shirt and shorts, walking on campus.</p>
<p>Sigh…that sounds like something my son would do (the shorts in 40 degree weather, that is). He is so stubborn! By the time he realizes that he needs a jacket, it will be too late to buy one, so I’m urging him along. He makes me crazy!</p>