For the woman who have lived through Chicago’s true winters… do you suggest a Down Jacket that goes to your knees or one that just covers your seat?
The longer one’s look like sleeping bags, however yes- they are warm- my question is which one did you use more?
Mid length or hands down the longer one?
Not a woman, but I’ve lived through many Chicago winters. If you drive, you’ll probably want the shorter one just for ease of motion. But if you are going to be standing on elevated train platforms in the hawk wind… get as long and as warm a coat as you can find!
I’ve lived in both Chicago and Minneapolis.
I own a knee length down coat, and it gets used a few times every winter when the temperature really drops. The bulk makes it ackward to take anywhere where you don’t have access to a closet to hang it in. I wouldn’t wear it on a shopping trip for example. I also don’t use it if there is much physical activity, like sledding or outdoor sports. Even on long car rides, it can get cumbersome. It is good for dressier occasions. It just looks nicer.
A stadium length coat (hangs to the bottom of your butt) is my preferred winter coat. It keeps your entire torso covered, but still allows you to move around.
ETA - Tim R. Moriss has a good point about standing outside. I never commuted via train.
I have a down coat that has a zip-on extension, kind of the same concept as the pants you can wear as shorts or zip the lower leg part on if you want long pants.
Without the extension, it’s stadium length, but with it, it’s knee length. I love it!
Chicagoan here - I personally prefer one that covers your butt, and then wear long underwear under wool-blend pants. The convertible coat sounds neat, but bulky if you get around via mass transit.
Back when I was an Alaskan, I prefered mid-thigh length, with a double zipper so you can unzip the bottom section to sit in a car (or whatever) comfortably.
It’s essential that a coat is long enough to cover the little gap that can open up on your back between shirt and pants, no matter what position you twist yourself into. Snowflakes on your back are no fun!
I lived in Montreal most of my life. I always looked for a winter coat that went past my butt a little, and preferably one that had an option to cinch the bottom tighter around me so the wind couldn’t sneak up.
Agree that cinching around the bottom is the truly important point, and knee-length coats don’t do that.
The only people around here (Toronto) I see with the super-long down coats are Chinese women.
Guy here. I’m heading into my 70th winter in Chicago. I can see that some womens’ answers have a lot more to do with convenience and appearance. Fair enough. And the last few winters have been relatively mild. But I can tell you that some winters here are brutal. That means that they’re cold, with snow and/or freezing rain, and wind - lots of wind. Most women here don’t dress for looks in the winter, they dress for comfort. If you see a woman looking all smart and stylish in the midst of winter weather, most people will think she’s a total idiot. Get something that covers you as totally as possible. Yeah, it can be awkward and inconvenient. But you’ll be warmer. Then, when spring and summer come, lose the winter garb and dress for looks like the women here do. And, welcome!!!
Not a Chicagoan, but a Philadelphian who used public transportation.
I am the proud owner of the knee length down coat for chilly winter days walking back and forth across campus and for having to stand out in the weather. I wrestled with the decision, as they aren’t the most stylish of jackets, but went in favor of warmth. Mine has a detachable hood that is a great addition to whatever other head coverings you have. The zipper on my coat is a double one to accommodate unzipping the bottom for sitting. I got it at Macy’s, it is Calvin Klein and IMHO, the most stylish sleeping bag-style coat I found and is warm to boot.
Mine is a couple of years old, this is the closest they have at Macy’s now, the price is pretty good…
Down Puffer Jacket
As has been noted, a lot depends on how long you’re going to be outside in the cold. Standing at a bus stop or L stop for 10-15 minutes at 6 a.m. on a January morning? Walking 20 minutes from the train station to your office? Then, you may want the longest / warmest one you can find. Outside for the 20 seconds it takes to get to your car, and the 5 minutes until it warms up? Yes, you’ll want something warm, but you may not need the Yukon-level parka.
It also depends on how cold you feel you get in the winter, in general. I know a lot of women who always feel cold in the winter (my wife is in that camp) – if that’s you, go for super-warm.
When I lived in Ottawa and walked to work in the winter I had a double breasted mid calf length leather coat and over the knee leather boots.
The big deal there and I suspect in Chicago too is the wind. You need something that will stop the wind and after that you worry about insulation value.
The only downside to the length and style was that when walking inside with the coat undone the edges were right about floor level. I have a friend who swore that coat was out to get her, she would start walking and it would try and wrap around her feet.
I only lived in Ottawa for one winter but the coat lasted over a dozen years. After 10 I had to have it shortened because the bottom had started to crack due to salt exposure. I miss that coat 
Knee length all the way, with tall shearling-lined boots. But I am a public transit commuter.
I recommend one of these.
I lived in Chicago from 1975 to 1982 (which included one really bad winter when it didn’t get above 0 (that’s 0 F not freezing) for something like 40 days in a row – I think the lowest temperature was -22 F). I walked about a mile to work. For a couple of those years I walked my 4-5 year old son to school which was on the way. I have a knee length parka with a waist tie and it was barely enough some times.
I’d have bought one of those suggested by the previous poster if I’d seen one. My son did have something similar.
The first wither after we moved here to CT, our 6 year old son informed his teacher and classmates that the day wasn’t really cold – in Chicago it got freezin’-ass cold. I can’t imagine where he picked that up. 
I always wear a coat that is mid-thigh length - that seems to be the perfect length to me.
I also agree that the type of parka you wear depends on you - I go for two hour walks outside in winter, and I vary between a light jacket with a layered sweater, and a full-on parka (depending on how cold it is). You warm up quite a bit when you’re exercising outside in winter. If I was just standing and waiting for a bus, I’d go with a really warm parka.
I’ve got this one and love it - it would be mid-thigh on a tall woman, but on me it’s knee-length. I love it. I got lucky and bought one cheap from a co-worker who got the wrong size, and it’s pricey, but there are others out there that aren’t quite so pricey.
I’m a guy and have worn a knee length coat. It gets cumbersome sometimes when you’re trying to sit here and sit there. Formal long coats (top coat or trench coat) are nice and formal and go well with a suit for a midwinter banquet as long as you have a place to hang it.
