Winter Parka for Mom

[Kindra178]

I need a new winter coat for freezing below 15 degrees weather. I have a 12 year old Eddie Bauer coat that has seen it's last legs. I want it to be sporty and warm. I am so cold here in Chicago right now I will buy anything that's waterproof and warm. Please help. This winter it's either snowing or zero.

[bubbaray]

I have the LL Bean Rugged Ridge parka (or is it a jacket, can't remember). Its very waterproof. But, I live in Vancouver BC, so we don't get nearly as cold as Chicago (I use my jacket at Whistler and where its cold/snowy, its far too warm for Vancouver). What about their Baxter State Parka? Lands End has a similar parka that looks very warm.

HTH

[ThreeofUs]

I went through this earlier this year. I tried everything I could find from LE and LLB, because I'm a fan of their coats. But nothing I found worked, and I hated the styling.

So I started randomly checking outfitter sites on the web, including Sierra Trading Post, Campmor, etc. I ended up with a North face 3/4 length coat, down, on sale from Cabela's for about half price. I'm really happy with it, and it's so nice and warm on those negative-F dog walks.

The nice thing about your timing is everything's on sale. Good luck!

[MontrealMum]

My main coat this year is a full-length LLBean down jacket - can't remember the exact name, but it's rated to something like -25 or more. It also has a nice hood with a ruff. It's not the most stylish, but it's freezing here. I take walks along the river (very windy here!) and wait for the bus in it and am usually quite comfortable. If you're looking for something a little trendier, as the pp said, everything will be on sale right now. Try REI or EMS for some name-brand coats like Marmot, Patagonia, Mountain Hardwear etc. The North Face is not bad, but there are other brands where all the little details are even better (handwarmer cuffs, fleece around the neck and zipper) and very exciting if you can get it all during the sales. I'd act fast though. I had a heck of a time buying a long down jacket a few years back when the winter took a sudden turn for the worse. Everyone was stocking spring items, even Land's End and LL Bean.

[KHF]

I'm not sure what temps it's rated for, but I have the Lands End Extreme Squall Parka and love, love, love it. I live in the Cincinnati area, so not quite as cold as Chicago, but not exactly balmy either. And if you have a Sears around you, the Lands End Stores have their winter merchandise marked down to an additional 50% off. The Squall parkas were about $35 this past weekend. (I bought a jacket to go with my parka, and my husband got a parka too.)

Kirsten