What is the best winter jacket?

[Jophiel]

@even_sven

Honestly I still don’t know these things. When you didn’t grow up in a cold climate, you don’t really pick up this kind of knowledge.

The ironic thing is that the advice from everyone who does live somewhere cold isn’t “You need the 80/20 Down/Poly blend with Dura-Lux shell” but rather “Buy any half-decent coat and wear a sweater if you’re still cold.” But no one likes that advice or finds it valid. But that’s literally what everyone who grows up in a cold climate does, especially when “cold” is barely below freezing. Unless you’re dog sledding or working as a lineman restoring power in a 2am January blizzard in Montana, you don’t need a super special coat that lets you run around shirtless and get blasted by fire hoses. I picked my last coat by going to a department store and trying on a couple coats I liked for general mobility and “does it feel warm?”. Checking now, it has a nylon shell and is 70/30 Down/Feathers but I couldn’t have told you that two minutes ago.

[dude_robert]

@Jophiel

The ironic thing is that the advice from everyone who does live somewhere cold isn’t “You need the 80/20 Down/Poly blend with Dura-Lux shell” but rather “Buy any half-decent coat and wear a sweater if you’re still cold.” But no one likes that advice or finds it valid. But that’s literally what everyone who grows up in a cold climate does, especially when “cold” is barely below freezing. Unless you’re dog sledding or working as a lineman restoring power in a 2am January blizzard in Montana, you don’t need a super special coat that lets you run around shirtless and get blasted by fire hoses. I picked my last coat by going to a department store and trying on a couple coats I liked for general mobility and “does it feel warm?”. Checking now, it has a nylon shell and is 70/30 Down/Feathers but I couldn’t have told you that two minutes ago.

Well, right now I wear a jacket that I bought a few months ago, and I think this is either the same one or very similar:

Men's Jackets & Vests at Mountain Designs

It’s pretty good and comfortable, but it doesn’t seem to let the air out very well, and sometimes it even gets a little chilly while wearing it. Like the wind doesn’t penetrate it too much, but instead the wind chills the exterior which then chills the interior, thus making it cold, especially when just walking around in town at nighttime.

@Jophiel

Sure, but if he drops $500 on a high-tech jacket that leaves him roasting, what’s the benefit of that? Instead of actually using a less robust coat with a sweatshirt if necessary, he has a half-grand coat hanging perennially in the closet and being eaten by Goretex moths. It’s like buying a wet suit to go swimming in a pond – it’s not the appropriate tool for the job just because there’s water involved and you’re wasting good money to do it. That’s not posturing, that’s just good sense.

Well, most jackets have a zipper on them, so if it’s really too hot, I could just unzip them and wear a mild jumper over a shirt or something which would be reasonably comfortable.

@stpauler

Pedigree: Minnesotan

As such and an aficionado for fine jackets, I would highly recommend the Arc’teryx or Spyder line of jackets. Some are waterproof, but most are warm, thin, and are perfect for movement.

Compare wearing an Arc’teryx to a Columbia. Put both jackets on. Now left your hands in the air. The Arc’teryx will stay put. The Columbia jacket will ride up and might expose the waist or higher. Yes, there is a price difference. But if you can afford it, it’s worth it.

But in the end, that’s still just my mid-level jacket.

For me, I wear this Filson tin jacket down to about 20F (about -7C)

From 20F down to about -5F, I wear this Spyder jacket. It’s pretty much wind proof but can be breathable (especially in the armpit area). It also has the adjustable waist, cuffs, and elastic for the hands which makes sure that it will keep wind out when wearing mittens/gloves.

Below that, I pull out the Woolrich parka (not that exact model, but close as mine is about 10 years old). That jacket keeps the wind out, the heat in, but is bulky af and a pain to operate a car in because it’s not flexible. But it is toasty.

I think I was looking at Arcteryx jackets a few days ago, but I read some nasty stuff about the lining of their jackets, that sometimes when you pull the jacket out of your wardrobe, the lining will suddenly be broken and Arcteryx will dishonor their “lifetime warranty” and will not replace the jacket, but instead charge you for a brand new one.

Ah, yes. I was looking at this hardshell jacket which actually looked very ideal, but then saw that the zipper was made of abysmal quality for such an expensive product.

https://www.rei.com/product/855419/arcteryx-theta-ar-jacket-mens

Check the one-star reviews out in the customer reviews section. (you might have to scroll down a little, or try to work the clunky filtering system)

@Muffin

Robert, you must consider the environment (air temperature, sunlight, relative humidity, rain, ice, snow, wind-speed), your level of exertion (high, moderate, low), the frequency of of your exertion (continuous, periodic, sporadic), and the intensity of your exertion (high, moderate, low).

Once you identify your purpose and the anticipated conditions, re. the above, you can begin to make informed decisions.

And remember: all technical outer layers are only a part of integral systems that presume appropriate use of internal layer(s).

https://www.youtube.com/user/ProLiteGear/videos has some informative vids that might assist you.

Most of the time when I go outside I’m just taking a light stroll around.

Sometime like this would be ideal, since it’s very flexible and versatile, if only it was half the price and wasn’t Arcteryx with it’s dodgey zippers that are bound to spontaenously snap off when I’m wearing it in the middle of nowhere.

Going to the amazon page and looking at the most popular negative review reveals that arcteryx’s warranties are complete scams, pretty awful for such a “high end” company. Odd how few negative reviews there are as well, I expected far more negativity with the whole “your jacket zipper spontaneously self-destructing in the middle of nowhere and freezing to death” thing.

Here are some more people complaining about the arcteryx scam. (very mild language warning I guess??)

Then there are suddenly a bunch of quite suspicious ‘commentators’ saying that their arcteryx jackets rotted away in storage, they sent them back, and received a brand new jacket or “rebuilt” jacket from them for free, which sounds extremely dodgey, I think they’re probably arcteryx PR workers to try and cover up all the frozen stiff and frosty corpses lying about the tundra regions after their arcteryx jackets suddenly fell to pieces because for some reason they thought they could actually TRUST and DEPEND upon a brand new $800 jacket which is supposed to be the best of the best!

@MrDibble

What’s wrong with Driza-Bone, mate?

It’s too heavy and I think it’s probably uncomfortable. Plus it seems a bit overpriced when I could get a synthetic jacket for about the same price ($300+). It also needs re-oiling every few days or so and probably isn’t completely waterproof or pleasant at all. Wouldn’t it feel like you’re constantly wearing wet clothes, since it’s coated in oil?

[nani]

Here in Santa Barbara, where it never snows, Patagonia is pretty popular.

I’m probably going to be doing work in Astana (coldest capital in the world, windy and below -40° (which is the same in Celsius and Fahrenheit)) this winter and I’m also worrying about how to dress, if I should buy a new coat or if the Land’s End down coat I used in Boston is ok, what about gloves, what about a hat…

I always felt like I was cold in Boston, but probably because I didn’t know basic things about being in freezing temperatures. I had to learn the hard way that gloves should be put on before you go outside…

[Pork_Rind]

@nani

Here in Santa Barbara, where it never snows, Patagonia is pretty popular.

Doesn’t hurt that they’re practically the home team either.

[MrDibble]

@dude_robert

It’s too heavy and I think it’s probably uncomfortable.

So you’ve never actually worn one, is what I’m getting from that.

Plus it seems a bit overpriced when I could get a synthetic jacket for about the same price ($300+).

What, you expect a natural fabric oiled canvas jacket to be cheaper than a synthetic?You have that oh so very backwards.

It also needs re-oiling every few days or so

You mis-spelled “year” as “few days” for some reason…and all good quality clothing needs maintenance, that’s how they last for lifetimes. My dad still has my grandad’s duster, and hopefully it’ll become mine or my brother’s in some distant year.

and probably isn’t completely waterproof or pleasant at all. Wouldn’t it feel like you’re constantly wearing wet clothes, since it’s coated in oil?

How would *you *know, since you’ve never even tried one on.

Short answer is no, it does not feel anything like that. And it’s not “coated in oil”, it’s waxed cotton, pretty much like a slicker or waxed leather, perfectly waterproof if treated right.

[MrDibble]

@nani

I’m probably going to be doing work in Astana (coldest capital in the world, windy and below -40° (which is the same in Celsius and Fahrenheit)) this winter and I’m also worrying about how to dress, if I should buy a new coat or if the Land’s End down coat I used in Boston is ok, what about gloves, what about a hat…

I’ve always been told that it’s best to have a practically disposable outfit for getting to a place like that (in my case, it was Finland in December) and then pick up whatever the locals use, at local stores.