What's the warmest winter jacket a woman can buy without breaking the bank? (thin)

[Bronze]

Originally Posted by Bronze

Yes, you can find almost brand new coats and sweaters at Arc and Goodwill. Just have them cleaned before you wear them.

My wife found an almost new Pendleton coat at the Arc for $10. She paid $10 to have it dry cleaned before wearing it. It retails for $350.



And if you know your sweaters, you can find sweaters made in Europe that retail for $200 to $300 on sale for $10 to $15, in almost new condition.

[E-Twist]

HappyFarm, After you get your coat, because I am guessing you don't want to wait, start looking at thrift stores. No harm in having several coats. I see lovely coats frequently of all styles and warmth factors. All thrift stores are not created equal. Some seem better than others and it is definitely luck of the draw. I found a wool coat made in Russia, looked like what they show the Russians wearing in WW2. It was a woman's coat, tho. Under 10 dollars and it would have been mine if only it had been the right size. I now covet one like it now, although heaven only knows I don't need one. Seems like winter in Oregon is getting warmer all the time.

[JrzDefector]

What's breaking the bank? I bought a full length down coat from Land's End years ago and was toasty warm for a while. I think it was less than $200.

[reneeh63]

Originally Posted by reneeh63

I checked out Moosejaw...a Canada Goose parka for $995 and it is only rated to -5 degrees F. Not nearly good enough for a thousand dollars!

When you read reviews - be careful! Someone from Arkansas will go on and on about how warm a particular coat is - but if you live in Minnesota, it may not feel like anything!

Originally Posted by Parnassia

A coat could be rated to -20 and you could still freeze in it if you are not dressed correctly underneath it, you are standing in a roaring frigid gale without a hat, you haven't put any calories into your system for too long, or you are not moving enough to generate some body heat. The coat only prevents that heat from escaping as fast. You could have the best-insulated coat in the world but if it can't manage or get rid of body moisture you will end up cold and wet.

But that's not the point - they have a standardized rating system and the $995 coat only made it to -5 degrees...I don't care if dressing in layers gets it down to -20 because I could get a -20 coat down to -35 using the same methods. For a thousand dollars I want a coat that I will NEVER get cold in. And even then, I won't pay more than $250 for it because I'll get it barely used online.

[mschrief]

My favorite, warmest dress coat is an old Pendleton coat in a lush cashmere tan, wrap with a belt. Still looks great with black turtleneck and pants.

Short, casual coats - I have two zip front Eileen Fisher wool coats, sort of a high funnel neck. One in dark green, one in burgundy.

Sporty coats - I just snagged a down filled North Face in black, not cold enough here in Texas to use it yet.

All came from www.shopgoodwill.com which is my go-to store.

[jade408]

I know nothing about coats, but I really like my Uniqlo heattech layers. They are a steal as well.

https://www.uniqlo.com/us/en/women/heattech-collection

[Gerania]

Originally Posted by Lodestar

I went through college in the '60s in my grandma's old 1940's gabardine and shearing storm coat. That was the warmest coat I've ever owned.

Mine was navy blue but I found a picture of a russet-colored one.


https://www.rubylane.com/item/61838-...t-Brown-Double

That's a beautiful coat.

[Crazy4Chickens]

My go-to winter coats all come from Landsend. I have my red every day one that I layer underneath. Waterproof, I've had it for several years and it's still going strong. I have a down one, for those really cold mornings when I'm walking five miles in the snow and it's 3° out. Lastly I have the heavy duty big one with the hood for when it's snowing like mad and I need to be outside and warm.

Best advice, dress in layers. Peel off or add back on as needed.

[jencam]

I can't imagine wearing a coat out. In Texas, they go out of fashion before they wear out. I agree with several regardless. Anything worn everyday is going to wear out. They need to 'rest'. Even if one is being ultra frugal, two is better than one so they can rest and not wear out as soon. I wear shoes out not following this rule anymore for the 'dog walking' shoes.

Once you have one, you're then free to have the time to wait out others to go on clearance sales. My favorite light jacket retailed for over $100 but I bought it for $20 when it was time to get the spring stuff in the stores.

Interestingly that one got lost and there was an exact replacement at Goodwill for $8. Maybe it was my lost one, lol. So it was $28

[hunterseat]

I got a super warm coat designed for riding horses in thewinter. It was fairly cheap.