- Joined
- Jan 20, 2004
- Messages
- 1,526
Howdy, y'all!
I need to replace my current hiking coat, a 10-year-old North Face Polarguard-filled model. It was an excellent piece of equipment and kept myself, my snowboarding brother, and even my mom warm for a decade. Alas, its insulation is smushed; the outer material is stretched and stained; in short, its long and useful life has ended.
But! now I can pour some attention into the enjoyable task of finding a replacement. Who better to ask for advice than the aggreagate wisdom of the Bladeforums wilderness and survival group?
The new coat's primary purpose will be daily use when I'm wearing casual attire, insulation during cold-weather hiking, and hopefully use during some snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. I live in Albuquerque, NM, and winters here are variable. Last year, we had a week where days were 5*F and nights were -10*F, but regular winter temperatures are usually 40*F daytime and 25*F at night. I plan to hike in the nearby Rockies, which are cold enough to merit warm clothing.
My preferred specs for this coat are:
- sufficiently durable outer material
- preferably synthetic insulation because, when exercising, I sweat a fair bit, although I'm not wholly against down
- if possible, a hood
- prefer it not be fleece so I can wear it by itself, instead of inside my Gore-tex parka, when walking my dog at night
- inexpensive if at all possible, because I'm a full-time law student and, thus, have very little disposable income
I'm open to a wide range of styles. This isn't a dress coat, so doesn't have to be snazzy. I have a North Face Gore-tex shell, also 10 years old but still in great shape, that provides wind and wetness stoppage. Therefore, this doesn't have to be a waterproof layer. Additionally, it doesn't have to be North Face (friggin' expensive!) nor does it have to be the standard nylon shell, snowsport-style inner coat.
Does what I'm looking for exist? Last year, LL Bean offered exactly what I want, but I opted to forestall purchasing a replacement for another year. Of course, the coat was discontinued in the interim
I've looked at a Columbia Antimony III which is great in all respects except the length - it's just too short in the body and sits alarmingly close to my waist.
What do y'all recommend?
I need to replace my current hiking coat, a 10-year-old North Face Polarguard-filled model. It was an excellent piece of equipment and kept myself, my snowboarding brother, and even my mom warm for a decade. Alas, its insulation is smushed; the outer material is stretched and stained; in short, its long and useful life has ended.
But! now I can pour some attention into the enjoyable task of finding a replacement. Who better to ask for advice than the aggreagate wisdom of the Bladeforums wilderness and survival group?
The new coat's primary purpose will be daily use when I'm wearing casual attire, insulation during cold-weather hiking, and hopefully use during some snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. I live in Albuquerque, NM, and winters here are variable. Last year, we had a week where days were 5*F and nights were -10*F, but regular winter temperatures are usually 40*F daytime and 25*F at night. I plan to hike in the nearby Rockies, which are cold enough to merit warm clothing.
My preferred specs for this coat are:
- sufficiently durable outer material
- preferably synthetic insulation because, when exercising, I sweat a fair bit, although I'm not wholly against down
- if possible, a hood
- prefer it not be fleece so I can wear it by itself, instead of inside my Gore-tex parka, when walking my dog at night
- inexpensive if at all possible, because I'm a full-time law student and, thus, have very little disposable income
I'm open to a wide range of styles. This isn't a dress coat, so doesn't have to be snazzy. I have a North Face Gore-tex shell, also 10 years old but still in great shape, that provides wind and wetness stoppage. Therefore, this doesn't have to be a waterproof layer. Additionally, it doesn't have to be North Face (friggin' expensive!) nor does it have to be the standard nylon shell, snowsport-style inner coat.
Does what I'm looking for exist? Last year, LL Bean offered exactly what I want, but I opted to forestall purchasing a replacement for another year. Of course, the coat was discontinued in the interim
I've looked at a Columbia Antimony III which is great in all respects except the length - it's just too short in the body and sits alarmingly close to my waist. What do y'all recommend?
) is that most or all of this system can be used in the summer and shoulder seasons as well