Need Help Choosing Winter Coat

J

Josh Feltman

Joined
Feb 12, 2001
Messages
4,501
I need some help. I am looking for a new winter coat. My wife and I moved up to the mountains, and my valley wardrobe just isn't cutting it. So far I have been looking at the M-65 field jacket as well as some of the offerings from Carhartt. I am looking for something warm, comfortable, and water resistant if not waterproof. I also want something durable. I am looking to spend less than $100.00 if possible, but would be willing to spend a bit more for a quality coat. Any suggestions?
Thanks,
--Josh
 
The blanket lined Carhartts are nice. Outside of an all out downpour, they shed water pretty good. Nice big pockets to carry the "essentials" in.

Paul
 
It depends on whether you're looking at wet Eastern winter or dry Western winter. I'd advocate a surplus military gore tex outer shell with layers under for wet or a "fishtail" parka for dry.

Take a look here and see if anything fits your needs.

http://www.calarmy.com/jackets1.htm
 
...I'd suggest you buy something that'll keep you warm... ;)

(Seriously, hypothermia kills, and ya never know when you're gonna drive into a ditch...)

(Not so seriously...cause if ya did, ya wouldn't...lol)

Fleece under a shell works well, a rain proof cold rated parka works better...and don't forget the Sorel boots...
 
I have a Northface "mountain guide" parka. If you are in a really cold place its great. I can only wear it on the coldest of days here. Its alot more than $100 but it's money well spent as you will never be cold. (water proof too).
 
I have a blanket lined Carhartt chore coat that works pretty well. I wear it most of the winter, including hunting and Ice fishing. I sized it a little big so when it gets cold enough I wear a hooded jacket under it for layering. This works down to around 5 or 10 degrees, if it's not too windy. Course, when it gets really cold, I wear an Eddie Baur down parka my dad gave me. Kinda pricey, though. can't get much warmer in one jacket than that.

Steve
 
Right on, Evolute. That's where I got my North Face Mountain Light Jacket (I think it is the light and not the guide, but I can't remember). Great jacket. No lining in mine, but they make a down one. I just zipped an existing fleece jacket in.
 
I am a huge fan of wool, especially for outdoor clothing. If it gets wet it still insulates, a very important feature if you are out in the wilderness. My wool jacket has come in handy in more than one occasion. You can find many good wool jackets for under $100, just got to look hard!
 
I am a huge fan of wool, especially for outdoor clothing. If it gets wet it still insulates, a very important feature if you are out in the wilderness. My wool jacket has come in handy in more than one occasion. You can find many good wool jackets for under $100, just got to look hard!
 
Thanks for the imput, everybody. So far, I am leaning towards Carhartt-- I tried on a lined ranch coat (at least I think that was the model) in the stonewashed duck, and it was very warm and toasty. I am in Northern California, so it shouldn't get much colder than the upper twenties, might drop into the teens every few years or so. I have a nice Brooks leather motorcycle jacket right now, but it is just too short to keep me as warm as I would like to be.
--Josh
 
I saw a few reccomend http://www.sierratradingpost.com/ . They have an outlet store in Reno/Nv. They should have directions on the website. Don't know how close you are. My wife and I went there about a week ago looking at jackets. Very good selection and pretty cheap. They also had a lot of Carhartt clothes.
 
Thanks for all the imput. I ended up going with the Carhartt ranch coat in stonewashed duck. It is super warm and comfortable. I got it large enough that I will be able to layer to my heart's content if need be, though I don't think I will need to. I checked out a waterproof/windproof parka shell, but I don't want to have to layer just to stay warm-- the Carhartt has built-in insulation. Plus, I was a bit worried about burning holes in synthetics with sparks from campfires, etc. The ranch coat isn't fireproof, but it should fare better against burns.
--Josh
 
last year wilson leather had a huge sale and i got a great deal on a 3/4 lenth leather parka that comes down almost to m y knees. it has a removable lined hood and a removable thinsulate lining for 3 season wear retailed for 450 i got it for 150 its over your 100$ limit but it keeps me damn warm when its 15 or 20degrees outside and the windchill is below zero.
 
Two thoughts for you:

I wear an all wool SwannDri Rover coat which is both warm and lets water run off (sorry, bought it in New Zealand) try looking here http://www.swanndri.com/ - I think that's around $100US

The other coat/outer wear I've seen, had recommended, and is on my list is a Buffalo Special 6 shirt (used by mountain rescue, special forces, snipers and so on) one link is here
http://www.edirectory.co.uk/survival/clothing3.html

briefing stuff about it can be found here http://www.buffalosystems.co.uk/

HTH
 
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