Can anyone help me choose a coat for arctic weather? I'm confused....

[flightofthe7millionbumblebees]

There's too much choice out there and it's hard to tell exactly how warm coats are going to be. Can anyone who's experienced arctic conditions give me some advice on what to look for/brands that are good? It needs to be short rather than long so my legs aren't restricted, totally waterproof and very very cosy. Don't care what it looks like but I'd rather it was black or at least not a bright colour. Budget under £150.

I got a really cheap one from MountainWarehouse. It's the warmest cost I've ever had, waterproof and wind proof, with a hood. Not the prettiest but I love it.

Thanks will have a look at them!

Do I need a ski jacket or a 3 in 1 jacket or what? I'm not a big fan of fleece material (feels, smells and looks rank) so maybe I need a ski jacket?

I bought this coat a couple of months ago and it is excellent. Very warm.

It is long however it has a clever feature that lets you unzip from the bottom so your legs are not restricted iyswim. Timberland were also very fast at delivery, even as it came from the Netherlands!

www.timberlandonline.co.uk/on/demandware.store/Sites-TBLGB-Site/default/Link-Category?cgid=sale_womens&pid=71444&start=0&source=search&color=001

Oh that one looks great Henwelly, but it's only water resistant, not waterproof. Still it's a bargain in the sale and I'm tempted to buy just for the british winter!

If you're going to be in really cold conditions, then just a warm jacket won't really be enough: you'll need warm clothes for your whole body. At the very least, I'd go with a few layers of thermals under padded trousers and a down jacket with a hood (pulled up over a fleece hat and neck gaiter). Also warm waterproof gloves on top of light inner gloves (merino ones are good), and warm boots.

Generally, I find that down is pretty unbeatable for warmth - but it has to have a sensible fill, not one of these fashion jackets, which contain all of 3 feathers! A hood makes a huge difference to warmth. The only problem with down is that you mustn't get it wet, so if it's your main coat, then you probably need one with a waterproof outer.

In the nordic countries, people wear all-in-one suits, which are much warmer. If you're doing some kind of organised activity, they might be able to lend you one.

But what conditions are you actually going to be in, i.e. down to what temperature? And doing what? Arctic winter and arctic summer are very different! Or am I interpreting 'arctic conditions' too literally?!

If you go to the Lands End website, they show coats by warmth. And the warm ones really are warm!

I've just replaced my warm coat at the the outlet shop and got a bargain £30 long coat for next year that was $250 on the website...

Fizzwhirl, this is my problem - all the down jackets look amazingly warm but are not waterproof, and I need warm & waterproof. I'm sorted for other layers thanks, even got me some hideous waterproof trousers. Its going to be spring, so not that cold, but I do feel the cold and there's going to be lots of jumping in and out of boats and wading around in water.

Thanks for the lands end tip Blooo.