Would you spend £160 on a new Winter coat?

[KayHarker]

It's an enormous amount to me, but my old coat is threadbare. I need something really weatherproof for doing the school run in the winter, and I've seen one that's like a duvet, right down to my knees, with a good hood on it too. I'm thinking of saving up the pennies and buying it in a couple of months when the cold weather bites, but I'm wondering - is £160 a ridiculous amount to be paying?

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Hello, this thread is a little old now and some of the links are out of date. Take a look at this handy page for a round up of Mumsnetters' favourite winter coats.

[VerySmallSqueak]

Charity shops and Ebay Sollers.

I have got some beautiful (and warm) coats like that.

Hardly worn too.

[madammecholet]

Yes...

[madammecholet]

I mean, yes I'd pay £160 for a decent coat, that is...😀

[missbopeep]

It's really not a lot to spend on a coat. I know people who easily spend that on 1 jumper!
My personal opinion is that investing in a decent coat and footwear means you can get away with lots of cheaper clothes underneath.

[auntpetunia]

My last winter coat should have cost that but got it from Tk maxx, its just given up the will to live after 10 years! So I'm on the lookout for a similarly priced coat ?but first I'm going to TK maxx, a good warm coat is so important, especially doing the school run.

[BellaVita]

Yes I would although two years ago I was lucky enough to pick up a lovely coat by Fenn Wright and Manson in TK Maxx, cost £49 and it should have been £155. It is still like new.

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes]

Yes, I bought a Gore-Tex waterproof for £120 fifteen years ago and it's as good as new, wear it on it's own for wet but not too cold days, with a fleece body warmer for wet and cold. Definitely look at outdoor brands rather than high street for performance and durability.

[QueenCadbury]

If it's a proper warm and waterproof coat then it's not a ridiculous amount at all. If you walk the school run then you will wear it twice a day for at least 4 months and it will last.

I bought a north face for £200 2 years ago when I started the school run and it seriously was one of my best buys ever.

[Elsiequadrille]

No, not if it is good quality. It could well last for years. I think that would make it very reasonably priced, then.

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes]

Make sure it won't be too warm though, I can't bear overheating on the school run, I bought a duvet coat a couple of years ago and only wore it on the few most bitterly cold days, I was too hot in it most of the time. Also some duvet coats aren't designed for rain (mine was a high st one) so that limited its use too.

[Rooners]

What is it Kay - can you link? I got a Didriksons coat for less than that, it's very good.

[ChippingInNeedsSleepAndCoffee]

It is an enormous amount of money to you, so yes, it's a ridiculous amount of money to be paying when it isn't necessry.

I wouldn't in your situation. I would buy a cheaper coat this year (there are plenty that are good enough quality, warm & keep you dry) and maybe buy a better one in the sales at the end of this winter for next year if you want 'A Brand'.

If you post in 'style & beauty' you will get the vast majority of posters saying 'Yes, you should' because they are interested in Style & Beauty and brands... stands to reason.

IF you decide to go ahead and do this, then I think you should post on here which brand it is, to see if those in the know about these things think it's 'value for money' and will last or not. Just because you spend £160 on a coat, it doesn't mean it's a good coat.

[Tweet2tweet]

OP what brand is it? You may be able to get cheaper or same elsewhere. I got a Didriksons coat for £80 last week, it's £150 most other places....

[Kezztrel]

It's a waste of money to buy a cheap one this year if you're only going to buy another one next year. It's the Sam Vimes boots theory of socioeconomic unfairness...

[Kezztrel]

And the material it's made of is much more important than the brands. Good thick wool or hi tech downy stuff is warm. Unfortunately lots of brands are now making '80% wool' coats for £40/50 but the wool is thin and crappy.

[ChippingInNeedsSleepAndCoffee]

No it's not. She might even decide it will do her just fine next winter, but even if she doesn't...

A cheap coat this year £25, the coat in the sales, max £100 = £125 for two coats v £160 now for one coat.

It's not the Sam Vimes boots theory of socioeconomic unfairness - it's Good Old Fashioned Common Sense.

The OP cannot afford to spend £160 on a coat.

Yes Kezztrel we all know that, BUT, if she was to tell us which brand it is, we would be better able to advise her if it was a good buy or not due to how that brand is made/what materials they use.

[missbopeep]

Sorry Chipping you need to read again.

She didn't say she couldn't afford it- she was asking if it was a lot- and that she would save for it.

In the 'grand scheme' of winter coats no, it's not a ridiculous amount. I paid over £300 for a wool coat about 15 years back. last year I paid £250 for a gorgeous wool coat and 3 years before that about £150 for a boiled wool from Boden which is now into it's 4th year.

I think she was asking for a perspective.

Cheap coats on the whole don't last- the fabric is rubbish.

Gortex and similar from 'outdoor ' suppliers should pretty much last forever.

[BitchyRestingFace]

I would say yes, if

a) it really is as good as the price and will last years

b) you really love it and will be happy to get it out winter after winter

c) you can buy it having saved up for it without causing yourself financial hardship.

I spent £100-ish on a beautiful down jacket about 5-6 years ago and it was worth every penny. It comes out every year and I still love wearing it, it's like a warm hug. I don't drive so spend a lot of time out walking or hanging around at bus stops, and on the bitterest days this is the only one of my many coats and jackets that makes those long waits for non-arriving buses bearable

[ChippingInNeedsSleepAndCoffee]

No missbopeep I don't need to read it again. In my opinion, the OP cannot 'afford' to buy it.


It's an enormous amount to me

I need something really weatherproof for doing the school run in the winter

I'm thinking of saving up the pennies and buying it in a couple of months

is £160 a ridiculous amount to be paying?

She didn't ask if it was a lot - she asked if it was a ridiculous amount - which indicates to me, that it is a lot of money for her.

She does not need to spend £160 on a coat to get one that is weatherproof for the school run. If she needs to save for it, it is ridiculous to be spending £160 on a coat that will not keep her any warmer or drier than a £40.

The amount of money you spend on coats is up to you. If 'style and beauty' is 'your thing' you will justify it. They are going to last longer if you have several different coats and don't wear the same one day in/day out.

I have a short coat that is over 10 years old, it is still warm, comfortable, waterproof and still looks good. It cost me something like £25 from New Look (from memory). I bought another coat last year as I wanted a long one, just for a change, it was reduced from £50 to £20.

Just because a coat isn't expensive, doesn't mean it's rubbish. I could afford to pay £160 for a coat, without 'saving' for it, without thinking 'this has to last me x years' - but I choose not to, it doesn't interest me.

[CeeceeBloomingdale]

I'm surprised how people need such serious coats. I live in the sticks in the far north, walk miles in all weathers and find bulky coats too warm despite being someone who feels the cold. I prefer layers and scarves. In very wet weather I wear my summer raincoat with a cardi underneath. A summer weight quilted barbour or a fashiony (i.e. cheap) and thin wool coat or coatigan does me even in snow. Good footwear and gloves are important in staying warm so an expensive coat isn't always the only option if it's too budget stretching.

[missbopeep]

Wow Chipping are you always so errr.....forthright!

It's purely your 'opinion' over other people's- you aren't 'right' any more than I or anyone else is 'wrong'.
You've made a call that she can't afford it because she's agonising over the cost- but she may still buy it!

On an experience level, I beg to differ - DD has had numerous cheaper coats from New Look and similar and her 3 x£70 ish pound coats have fared worse than mine for more than twice that.

OP if you want a long down coat, look here [www.uniqlo.co.uk uniqlo]

I got a great one for £80 last year. They don't have full stock in yet but will have soon. They are not fully waterproof- only Gortex is that- but they are showerproof if that's good enough.

[missbopeep]

uniqlo

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes]

I think for lots of walking you don't need such a warm coat, that is why my duvet one was too hot for me. It's if you do lots of hanging round in cold places (bus stops, watching DCs play football in winter etc) that you need it IME.

[KayHarker]

Wow, this took off didn't it?

The coat is from Lands End and on closer inspection it was £140 in my size. Still a very expensive coat for me. But all is well as I've found a similar coat for £60 in a catalogue which is ideal and much more within my price range, though still expensive. I'll get a lot of wear out of it come the colder weather - I'm a complete wuss when it comes to wrapping up against the cold. Is it really nearly time for them to go back to school?