Winter coats
 

So I've been wanting a really toasty winter coat for awhile now, but find myself lacking information. I'm in a warm area, so I grew up knowing little about a good coat. Occasionally I find myself camping in a situation where it gets really cold. My last trip I was sleeping in a sub 0 sleeping bag, my sweats, two comforters, and an air mattress and was still cold! So I want to know about the warmest possible coats. Is synthetic the warmest? Or maybe wool?

Thanks

I love my wool coats for style, but I'd have to say my down coat is definitely the warmest. That thing is toasty! It's also much easier to keep clean than wool.

What temp range do you wear it in?

40 and below. I was quite comfortable my down coat when the temperature dipped into single digits back in January. My hands and face on the other hand....

This may seem like a silly question (I told you I was ignorant!) but are down coats for men as well? When I googled it all the models were women.

Material is not as important as cut. Be sure the coat fits in a way that air does not blow down your neck or up your back. My ski coat is synthetic w/ fleece inside. It has a drawstring that cinches the bottom tight, a cinch in the middle and a tall neck. TOASTY!

My suit coat is long, black wool. It is long enough that nothing gets in from below and the collar is designed to keep my neck warm.

My camping/ work coat is fire hose material w/ fleece inside. it is heavier than the other two coats put together. But the collar allows my neck to get cold. I wish it zipped all the way up.

This coat looks toasty warm and inexpensive -

86111 - Duluth Trading Company

Well my coat stays on me year round, but it's of the organic kind. When it comes to real cold weather gear I couldn't tell you, the last time I was in the snow a dickies jacket was good enough for my body, although the damn gloves I had were pretty much useless.

I have a Columbia ski parka for when it get real cold. Otherwise, I use one of 2 leather jackets with Thinsulate lining.

whatever you get, make sure it has a wind guard...blowing wind is the worst when it goes through the fabric of your clothes...like dunking your body in ice water.

I wear my leather jacket with a sweater underneath.

I live in Utah. It gets fairly cold in the winter, and it serves me well.

I'm pretty much close to an expert in this area - I live in Wisconsin, where we have seen -60 degrees this winter (with the windchill)

A few other folks made a great point - the cut of the coat is a huge factor, though material - at least around here, certainly does have a significant impact as well.

It really depends on what you are trying to do with the coat - if it's pretty much to stay relatively inactive outside (Hunting, Sleeping, Or Packer Games :D) a big bulky down coat would probably be your best bet. However, if you're doing something a bit more active (skiing or whatever) there are some pretty warm synthetics out there - the cut will make a big difference.

If you're planning on sleeping in it, I would recommend a big bulky (water resisistant) down coat - but make sure it has a hood. As far as keeping warm, keeping one or two of those handwarmers inside your coat will go a long way - that, or lots of alchohol :D

I picked up an awesome winter coat off of Steepandcheap.com a few months ago, it's the last year's model of this coat: Arc'teryx Fission SV Jacket - Women's from Backcountry.com It kept me very toasty all winter long.

What you want in a coat depends on what you're going to do with it. If you're going to be in a situation with a lot of wind and rain, you want a good shell (look for GoreTex or proprietary fabrics that are similar) and a coat that's fully seam taped. If you are likely to get wet, you would rather have synthetic fill than down; down is a bitch to get dry. If you're going to be active, you may want to go with a technical shell and layers underneath for wet days, and a softshell with layers for dry days. Layers is probably best for a camping situation too. Were you wearing long underwear? I love my Patagonia Capilene longjohns. They keep me toasty warm.

Good coats are pricey, but deals can be found, especially right now. Many retailers are closing out their winter stock.