Coat recommendations - lightweight and super warm (consignment, buy)

[chattyneighbor]

Tried an LL Bean and a couple other brands which were lightweight but not warm enough in weather under 40 degrees. Figured I'd ask for recommendations for a warm, lightweight brand here. Had a great vintage coat with metal zippers that lasted 2 decades but atlas - the manufacturer no longer makes coats and its time for a replacement. Looked quickly at Canadian Goose but $1500 is alittle pricey and it didn't even look worth it with cheesy zippers and were really heavy to cart around. All recommendations appreciated.

[dreamofwinter]

I'll preface my recommendation by noting that I run really warm and in fact moved to Maine in order to cool off.
That said, I've got two different down coats from Lands End - one very lightweight and one "regular" winter weight, and have been plenty warm in them. For me the trick is to wear long sleeve non-cotton shirt plus fleece vest underneath, on the colder days. I was happy and toasty in the 8 degree Christmas Eve morning when I went out to tend to my chickens and ducks.

Good luck!

[Strannik33]

Any coat will do if it is layered with other warm clothes underneath. The trick is to have it long enough to cover the butt, not the silly short jackets people wear. The coat should be at least somewhat breathable, or else you'd be sweating in it. The best solution? Go to some thrift shops and try to find a genuine shearling coat. It might take you many months to find one, but if you do, grab it.

[mainegrl2011]

Originally Posted by Strannik33

Any coat will do if it is layered with other warm clothes underneath. The trick is to have it long enough to cover the butt, not the silly short jackets people wear. The coat should be at least somewhat breathable, or else you'd be sweating in it. The best solution? Go to some thrift shops and try to find a genuine shearling coat. It might take you many months to find one, but if you do, grab it.

I agree with u about layering. I would add buy the coat a size larger to accommodate layering. CuddleDuds could be a new best friend. ... flannel or fleece shirts, etc. My favorite "winter" and year round coat is my L.L. Bean H2OFF primaloft-lined raincoat.

[Ruth4Truth]

OP, what you need is the Eddie Bauer Arctic Expeditionary Down Jacket! It's long, so covers the lower torso, and it's guaranteed to keep you warm down to 50 below. And it has a hood with fur edging to protect your face from falling or blowing snow. I can vouch for it; I bought mine prior to a trip that would take me to northern Siberia from October into November, and I lived to tell the tale. If you buy it in the summer, you'll get it for half price. Now of course, you'll pay full price. But it will keep you warm.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by Strannik33

Any coat will do if it is layered with other warm clothes underneath. The trick is to have it long enough to cover the butt, not the silly short jackets people wear. The coat should be at least somewhat breathable, or else you'd be sweating in it. The best solution? Go to some thrift shops and try to find a genuine shearling coat. It might take you many months to find one, but if you do, grab it.

Shearling only keeps you warm to 20 below. That's Celsius, so around -5 F. That's a long way from 40 below, even with a heavy wool sweater underneath.

P.S. OP: Fur is lightweight and warm. Just saying. You can get used fur jackets at consignment shops for less than the full price of the above-mentioned Arctic Expeditionary Down Jacket. IDK if you object to fur. After spending winter months in Siberia on a couple of trips, I developed an interest in it.

[Last1Standing]

It's hard to advise you without knowing your gender, what you do outside, etc. Let's start with the thermometer. 40F = balmy. 32 = pleasant winter day. 20 = getting cold! 20 + Wind: time to break out the "super warm" coat.

Next, do you need this jacket for dining out or mucking out the barn? Hiking, skiing? Driving?

I would not invest in an expensive "super warm" coat that's only going to be useful on "super cold" days. It makes more sense to layer jackets for more flexibility and savings. My system is a quality fleece jacket plus an outer shell (windproof and supposedly waterproof), the LL Bean Trail Model rain jacket: https://bit.ly/3FwwP05 (Boy, have those gone up in price!). The fleece plus shell will be good down to about 20 degrees if you're active outside, like walking for exercise. If you're a hiker or cross-country skier you can take off the shell as you warm up.

How about the LL Bean Sweater Fleece 3-in-1 Jacket? https://bit.ly/3FC9sCt There you have a fleece and a two-layer outer jacket, which is about as warm as you can get. That would suffice for, say, downhill skiing below 20 degrees. I have a jacket like that (LL Bean), and I almost never wear the fleece and outer jacket together because it's not often that cold, and it restricts your movement. A fleece plus single-layer shell has more freedom of movement.

If you're a woman, feel free to check out the men's jackets at Bean's and Cabela's---there's usually a larger selection of men's and they can be warmer.

For shoveling snow in very cold weather I have a jacket with a warm fleece interior and a polyester exterior (one piece) that's large enough to put a wool sweater underneath.

Just as important as the jacket is a warm hat and a fleece neck gaiter if your jacket doesn't close up the neck entirely. The warmest hat/neck cover is a balaclava.

For mittens you will have a hard time finding good ones for those "super cold" days. I wear two or three pairs of mittens--fleece interior, then wool, plus a waterproof outer mitten.

[Last1Standing]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

Shearling only keeps you warm to 20 below. That's Celsius, so around -5 F. That's a long way from 40 below, even with a heavy wool sweater underneath. . . . After spending winter months in Siberia on a couple of trips, I developed an interest in [fur].

The OP said "under 40," not "40 below." Pretty sure she meant plus 40 F.

Siberia hit 100 degrees F this year. I wonder what the winter high temperature will be there in the coming years.

[mainegrl2011]

Since someone brought up mittens... I've been wearing homemade wool mittens every winter (one pair at a time) I needed them for a lifetime ... with long cuffs (have several pairs to choose from). I haven't tried them but SmartWool sells wool mittens as well as merino wool socks. I love the socks.

[Parnassia]

There's really no way to give you a proper recommendation without knowing what you're planning to DO while wearing this coat OP. "Temperature below 40F" doesn't say much. If you're running, that could mean a thin layer of poly fleece over a T shirt. If you're sitting in the bleachers at a football game for two hours an 800 fill down parka might not be enough for some people.

Layering is key to warmth because it traps air closer to the body that generates the heat. Keeping those layers close to your skin dry is key. The thickest down coat on the market won't keep you dry if its wet. Neither will fur. A thin wool shirt jacket over some wicking underwear and a waterproof shell on top could be warmer even in the pouring rain. It always makes me laugh to see people waddling around like penguins in some massive down coat but almost nothing else (cotton jeans, some skimpy synthetic dress shirt, no hat or gloves, stupid socks and shoes) complaining about being cold. They aren't wearing the right clothes underneath. Activity and fuel are key to warmth too. Burning calories creates heat. If the heat-producing engine under the clothing is exhausted, hungry, maybe wet and/or already chilled, the coat on top won't add much of anything. OTOH, you don't want any coat so hermetically sealed against the elements you'll sweat while wearing it.

Style aside (and granted, some styles are more idiotic than others), you have dozens of choices if all you're worried about is a temperature less than 40 degrees. Almost any light jacket can keep you comfortable in those sorts of temperatures if you're dressed correctly.