Who's buying a new coat for winter?

[Bill]

hyphen said:

Because the brand is prominently displayed and tells others that you have loadsa money.

Cool logo and font I do admit.

Although I have heard a grumpy old climber calling it "dead bird kit".

[TheJimi]

bhstewie said:

Bill said:

Agreed!

I have Mountain Equipment down jacket and shell, plus Rab soft shell all of which I recommend. My Rab sleeping bags are both 25+ years old FWIW. Arcteryx is very expensive IMO and I can't see the reason (And I have one of their fleeces, bought in a rush.)

That's the thing the Arcteryx stuff looks nice but then Uniqlo do something that looks very similar.

There's no doubt that Arcteryx stuff is overly expensive, but on the flipside, Uniqlo stuff won't be anywhere close to the same league in terms of performance.

bhstewie said:

Something like a McMurdo is too expensive and overkill

The McMurdo isn't expensive for what you actually get, in my opinion. I've had one in my collection for years, and it's a genuinely brilliant jacket, but I agree that it's largely overkill for the vast majority of people.

Where it excels is if you are loitering in cold weather, but as soon as you add movement, it generally becomes too warm - and ridiculously so depending on what layers you've got on - unless you're in the Cairngorms in winter conditions.

Edited by TheJimi on Wednesday 8th December 15:02

[oddman]

Bill said:

hyphen said:

Because the brand is prominently displayed and tells others that you have loadsa money.

Cool logo and font I do admit.

Although I have heard a grumpy old climber calling it "dead bird kit".

A shooting pal calls mine 'roadkill jacket'

TBF for high aerobic activity in challenging environments (eg ski mountaineering) where the weight/performance conflict is high, Arc'teryx is very good and IMO good value.

[J4CKO]

Not bought one in years apart from the Next one I gave my eldest as bought it when it was like -5 and it was unwearable in anythign warmer.

Made the mistake of going to Harvey Nichols and Selfridges with the wife, came out with two Boss coats, one Bomber Jacket and one bigger hooded one.

Thats me done for the next twenty years based on what they cost, did get 10 percent discount.

[LordGrover]

Jack Wolfskin has some great winter coats.

[pete]

Given I last bought a winter coat over 5 years ago, I've just bought a Norrona Oslo insulated Gore-Tex parka. It's a lovely bit of kit, plenty warm and waterproof enough for a UK winter, with some nice nods toward sustainability in its materials, 7 year guarantee and company ethos (albeit it's almost certainly made in China). The branding is pretty subtle too, if you don't want to shout about your new coat other than posting on a forum

[Regbuser]

hyphen said:

Looks like summat you'd find down the charity shop for £3

I'll take that as a compliment!

[fomb]

I bought a padded Fjallraven Skogso a few weeks ago. Not been cold since.

[MC Bodge]

You don't often need huge warmth in the UK. If you do need more, for standing around outside or the like, you just need enough space under the coat for a warm jumper or two.

[Bonefish Blues]

MC Bodge said:

You don't often need huge warmth in the UK. If you do need more, for standing around outside or the like, you just need enough space under the coat for a warm jumper or two.

Yep. Layers, that's the badger

[gregd]

I'm a serial coat buyer and end up being warm enough in a jumper half the time.. Recent purchases as follows:

Fjallraven Parka - bit too warm sometimes but good for the football
https://www.ldmountaincentre.com/walk-hike-c1/clot...

Classic M-65 .. bought a Large (I'm usually XL) and it's still too big..
https://www.alphaindustries.com/products/mjm24000c...

Rogue Territory Waxed Jacket - I'm a sucker for Bond stuff.. not had chance to wear it yet!
https://rivetandhide.com/rgt-waxed-canvas-supply-j...

Don't even get me started on my Baracuta G9 habit.. I've got 5 of them!

[bitchstewie]

Well I feel a bit awkward now as I just found a several years old Tommy Hilfiger down jacket that I'd clean forgotten I owned stuffed in a wardrobe

Job done

[RizzoTheRat]

Bloody zip broke on my nice Rab Altus jacket the other day. I now have a paperclip to do it up with

MC Bodge said:

You don't often need huge warmth in the UK. If you do need more, for standing around outside or the like, you just need enough space under the coat for a warm jumper or two.

Yep, I've got a big down jacket that I hardly wear as s it's too warm. Bloody fantastic if standing around in the cold though.

[MC Bodge]

RizzoTheRat said:

Bloody zip broke on my nice Rab jacket the other day. I now have a paperclip to do it up with

If it is just the puller, then a knotted piece of paracord or dark nylon string/shoe lace might be better.

RizzoTheRat said:

Yep, I've got a big down jacket that I hardly wear as s it's too warm. Bloody fantastic if standing around in the cold though.

That's what warm coats are often for. People who's work involves standing around outside

[RizzoTheRat]

Bill said:

Arcteryx is very expensive IMO and I can't see the reason (And I have one of their fleeces, bought in a rush.)

They make some really nice stuff, and when I was after a gore-tex shell some back I was tempted by one of theirs, but it was nearly twice as much as the Patagonia I bought instead

[fomb]

MC Bodge said:

RizzoTheRat said:

Bloody zip broke on my nice Rab jacket the other day. I now have a paperclip to do it up with

If it is just the puller, then a knotted piece of paracord or dark nylon string/shoe lace might be better.

Note Rab also have a pretty good repairs service that's pretty reasonable.

[David87]

LeroyLoser said:

I bought a NorthFace & its the best coat ive ever had so far, see how long it lasts..

This is nice. Where are these made? Been looking at the Canada Goose ones and like the fact they're actually made in Canada (or at least some are). Pay for the privilege, of course, but I'd imagine this North Face one isn't cheap either.

[Dicky Knee]

Had a trip to North Finland a couple of weeks ago and probably another in February, travel rules permitting, so needed something warm and waterproof. I bought one of these from Musto:

https://www.musto.com/en_GB/evolution-primaloft-pa...

Very pleased with it.

[triggerhappy21]

hyphen said:

Bill said:

. Arcteryx is very expensive IMO and I can't see the reason (And I have one of their fleeces, bought in a rush.)

Because the brand is prominently displayed and tells others that you have loadsa money.

Cool logo and font I do admit.

I've got an Arcteryx Fission SV. Gore-tex Pro with coreloft insulation. I bought it in 2011 or 2012 for £500. Missus couldn't believe I'd spent that on a jacket.

10 years later, I still wear it for around 6 months every year. So warm I rarely wear anything except a t-shirt underneath. Looks virtually as good as new, just starting to show a little wear around the cuffs.

Not sure if the quality is still the same. I know that jacket no longer has the Pro fabric. I've bought a couple more summer jackets (softshell & hardshell) since and they seem to be holding up well too.

[malks222]

fomb said:

MC Bodge said:

RizzoTheRat said:

Bloody zip broke on my nice Rab jacket the other day. I now have a paperclip to do it up with

If it is just the puller, then a knotted piece of paracord or dark nylon string/shoe lace might be better.

Note Rab also have a pretty good repairs service that's pretty reasonable.

Rab are bloody brilliant for repairs/ customer service, my wife ripped her down jacket, sent off to them and the repair is brilliant. I had to study the jacket to see where the repair was as they matched the stitching in perfectly.

also when wife was pregnant they made her a maternity extender panel/ bump panel so she could still wear the jacket. couple of emails back and forth and they made perfect extender panels (in exact matching fabric/ colours/zips) for a very reasonable amount. nothing but a thumbs up from me