Winter Jackets?

Funny I saw this thread today. I just ordered an LL Bean Maine Guide Wool Parka. I've become a huge convert to wool over the past two winters and decided to try out a heavier wool coat rather than just under layers this year. I have a wool sweater and wool socks, and wool blankets to camp with, but the jacket should make a big difference. I'm going to look into some wool pants as well.

I do have my old issue Air Force parka as well. It's awesome, but rather bulky if you're doing much walking.
 
Compressor PL Jacket by mountain hardwear.
http://www.mountainhardwear.com/Product.aspx?top=1827&prod=3524&cat=1872&viewAll=False
Superlight, PrimaLoft® ECO fill provides excellent warmth-to-weight ratio, insulates when wet, compresses easily, and is good for the planet. Specifically designed for backcountry pursuits where moisture and weight are factors

daguys.jpg

left to right , RKSOON, STINGRAY, BOOMSTICK.
 
Love the carhartts they are made here.........

Here in the USA? I could have sworn my Carhartt coat was made overseas..gotta check again..

For getting dirty or working outside I wear an old M65 coat. Lots of pockets and a nice hidden hood, but I look like Travis Bickle if I wear it "out". I've got a black Carhartt coat (forgot the name) that is great to. It has an option for a snap on hood which I might buy this year.
 
I just looked at the carhart stuff at a local dealer. It is now made in China. Last time I looked it was being made in Mexico. Now China.
 
I wear a Carhartt Sandstone Jackson when i'm doing work outside and it's seriously cold.

Any other time you could catch me in a NorthFace Vortex Triclimate (I know, its rather stereotypical but it was too good of a deal to pass up) or one of my hunting jackets.

Pittsburgh doesn't get toooo cold very often (we're talking about reaching the teens just a few days out of the year) so anything more would be extreme. Additionally, I am naturally a pretty warm person so a nice warm hoody is enough to make me comfortable as long as i'm not stationary.
 
Plain old parka for walking with the dog in the morning. No good for wet but big dumb and simple. Gets me round a few miles without any more thought than thermos one side pocket and a few tools the other.

For proper stuff I just add to my onion model. I wear layers of Buffalo stuff: shirts, wind shirts, jackets.

Essentially, it is just a layering system of very thin pile and Pertex. Get cold; pull on another layer of it. Too hot; dump a layer, but you'll always have an outward facing windproof Pertex layer as you drill down.

I love the system for so many reasons:

1] Fits so well with my semi-amphibious theme. It dries readily and resists moisture quite well to begin with.

2] Instead of using bulk to keep warm the fine layers of Pertex work great to trap the dead air in the thin layers of pile. Making insulation more effective by stopping heat migrating is more interesting to me than adding insulation.

3]. Slippage – This is a huge one for me. Pertex is kinda slippery. That means the layers can slide around over each other easily. Brilliant. Insulators like jumpers or even Windstopper fleece under a great Gortex cut don't slide around like that for me. It gives a great feeling of mobility and actually greatly reduces the perceived weight of the ensemble. In fact, in a thread here a while back exploring some of the disadvantages of wool I came across some interesting research. Essentially, they reproduced some old vintage kit at a university – The interesting part wasn't merely the warmth to weight advantage or the wet weather performance of modern gear over the retro stuff but the huge amount of extra calories expended working old gear 'cos of poor slippage. The friction between the layers meant the wearer had to work much harder. True, that was a big scale model / simulation of some major expedition for yesteryear, but as I was reading it I could relate immediately. Slippage is an asset.

4] Breathes well.

5] Quiet and green.

Yup, barring Gortex for a real downpour or the dog parka I'll be spending this winter in a system of Buffalo layers too.
 
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I just got my jacket for this winter. A carhartt sierra jacket with sherpa lining. I like it alot. It's warm, but allows alot of room for layering without being to bulky. I like the feeling of the fabric too, doesn't feel like it'll rip on me. Like I can conquer the elements in it. It doesn't too bad either.

I wanted to know what kind of jacket you planning on wearing this winter to keep out the cold, and what you look for in a jacket. Anyone else wear carhartt?

I like Carhartt stuff, and that looks like a nice jacket. How is it for length, both in the body and in the arms?

At 6'4" I have a hard time finding jackets that are long enough in the arms without being a billowing tent in the body.
 
Just looked at the Carhart jacket I bought earlier this year, musta squeaked in under the wire.
Made in Mexico....
Denis
 
i just use my big leather jacket my wife got me two x-mas's ago it has a liner but no hood. its kept me warm but im thinking of getting a hooodie/ lite jacket maybe carhartt or underarmour dont know yet
 
+1 on the leather

i have an old-school style motorcycle type jacket and it stops wind like nothing

i might wear a thick flannel shirt underneath, but it rarely gets so cold here that i have to zip up my jacket, unless i'm actually on a motorcycle
 
In Florida, there is a need for a jacket, but not for an arctic weight model.

I usually just layer in cold weather. A poly pro base layer, fleece over that, and a wind breaker/rain proof jacket. That usually handles the cold for me, even if it is a bit below freezing. I also rely on a muffler, gloves and a cap.

If the weather is much colder than that, I'll just stay home. :)
 
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