Warm 'High Street' Coat

[TokyoSushi]

I know it's not freezing yet, but hopefully, even only in the interest of climate change it will soon be a bit more normal for the time of year!

I really need a new coat. The type of coat you'd use for school runs, standing at the side of football pitches on a frosty Saturday morning, dog walks, that kind of thing. In the past I've had 'technical coats' think Jack Wolfskin, North Face etc and they have always kept me super warm. Last year, I thought that maybe I didn't need to spend so much and got a puffer coat from Next, I was bloody freezing all winter. But 'technical coats' (is that even the term?!) are ££££.

Surely there must be a halfway house. Not quite so expensive, but still really warm? Any ideas?

For comparison DD has a brilliant coat from Asda, it's the warmest thing ever and was £24, but there's no sign of similar in the adult section!

Have you had your North Face jacket dry cleaned? Ours always come back like brand new with feathers lovely and fluffed. I now make sure to do it every autumn.

Do you mind what the coat looks like? Yes technical fabric is the right description for coats which have been designed to 'survive' the worst weather conditions.
(I worked in an independent outdoor shop when I was a student and really had to understand all the technical stuff with outdoor apparel, so I could advise customers). Fabric has changed massively over the last twenty plus years though so I'm a bit out of date! , but general rule of thumb is go for the highest hydrostatic head you can afford (this is the water column number) so anything less than 10,000 will result in getting wet in either a heavy but quick down pour, or light but persistent rain.
10-20,000 is generally fine for what you want. If you were doing some serious walking in all weathers then ideally you'd be looking at 30,000, but we're talking some serious money at this point!
Next is breathability. You can get rubber coated fabrics and plastic coated fabrics which are 100% waterproof but not breathable, so you end up wet on the inside! So you want a breathable fabric, but obviously the more sedentary the less breathability you need.
Wind proof fabric is also important as far as warmth in concerned.
Insulation is the final consideration, down is good as an insulation, but down coats generally aren't great on the hydrostatic column count.
A zip in liner whether it's a quilted liner or fleece liner is probably a better option as your coat then becomes an all season investment.
If you are not fussed about fashion and money is a consideration then have have a look on eBay for unissued forces coats 'foul' weather coats generally have a gortex membrane. Two other companies to consider are Cosalt and Sioen (both companies design coats for outdoor workwear. Sioen thornhill coat is a fabulous coat, it's designed to have a zip in fleece, and to be warn with layers so is slightly on the generous size, again look on eBay for a reasonable price, as they are generally sold in farm stores for £££).
High street brands, at a midrange price point are all much of a muchness. Berghaus and Northface aren't much better than the same price counter parts of tresspass and regatta. (Obviously if you go for Berg or North high end range it's a much better coat but £££price point)
Aghhhh nooo to the poster who said they dry clean their coat, generally it's a really bad idea in terms of waterproofing! A gentle low temp wash with either pure soap flakes, or NIKWAX and ideally line dry will prolong the longevity of your coat, but the less you wash the better! IIRC gortex can only be washed 10x before it starts to become less effective.
You can tumble down but give it a good shake out at regular intervals, just as with line drying. The feather will clump together in the wash but as it drys it de-clumps with regular shaking.

I'd take an expensive recommendation and look for it on Vinted. It is a brilliant site and as others will testify, there are huge bargains to be had. I've had some great things from there.
For warmth, how about a down feather jacket.

@pursuedbyablackdog down jackets aren't usually marketed as waterproof :-/

Uniqlo!

This is my perfect 'playground duty' coat!

www.uniqlo.com/uk/en/product/ultra-warm-hybrid-down-long-coat-450498.html

Another vote for Uniqlo, their long down coats are v warm.
Or as already mentioned, TKMaxx is great for reasonably priced very warm winter coats and jackets.

Definitely the Uniqlo seamless down coat. I overheat in very cold temperatures!