I need a winter coat, which option should I go for?

[MissStrawberry]

DH has suggested I get a North Face jacket as he has one and says they are great for keeping you warm and dry. I feel a bit eek at spending so much but also know I have about 6 coats and none of them keep me warm and dry and look that great. One is fab but isn't warm or waterproof for example.

Seems to me it is a choice between something maybe trendier and cheaper but may not last and is it even possible to get a coat that fits all the criteria, or a NF coat that costs loads, does the job but is a bit boring looking.

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Hello, this thread is a little old now and some of the links are out of date.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.

[MissStrawberry]

Was all set for coat shopping this week but now DS2 isn't allowed back to school for 48 hours so home we are staying.

[Zoe789]

I love their Kensington parka, it comes in loads of colours and looks warm and (dare I say it) kind of fashionable. It doesn't say how much it is though. You can't buy it off the website

[Pumpkintopf]

Thanks for the info maca. Based on that link I'd definitely go for Canadian down if I was in the market for a down coat. Tbh I'd never realised there was a cruelty issue with down til my niece who is vegan and very animal rights focused, posted on facebook about it. Good to know that there are some alternatives out there

[MacaYoniandCheese]

Here is some info about Canada Goose's Down and Fur policy.

[Rooners]

I wish I could afford one!

Not sure if my coat is down in fact. It's a Didriksons one. So probably.

[Pumpkintopf]

Rooners you are welcome. Looks like the canadian coats might be a good cruelty free option if they use canadian down which is a complete by product of the meat industry...

www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/23/down-comforters-animal-cruelty_n_1224517.html

www.featherind.com/green-initiatives.html

[Zoe789]

I would love a coat designed for a Canadian winter. Can the Canadian posters please link to websites for warm coats. I would see it as a decade long purchase. I bought a long north face coat 7 years ago and it changed the way I faced the winter!! I used to be that muppet shivering in a belted tweed swishy number from topshop. then I discovered warm coats and wouldn't go back. Still though, only about two per cent of coats made are actually warm enough, so I would love love to see some links to Canadian coats!

[Rooners]

Thankyou for that link, Pumpkin - I had no idea and am so glad I know now.

I feel awful for having bought a down coat now. (not from M&S)

I hope that this gets a lot more publicity and shops start advertising that their coats are cruelty free.

[MackerelOfFact]

I ummed and ahhed over the Berghaus Holburn parka from about October to April last year. They now do it in a grey, which I prefer, so I think I'm going to just do it now before it gets cold.

Love the North Face parka too but that's another £150!

[Pumpkintopf]

Lovely warm looking coats but ever since I learned of the cruelty involved in producing down coats I would struggle with my conscience to buy one. I think some brands are trying to go cruelty free, and M&S are apparently confident with their supply chain...

www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2240096/Feathers-ripped-birds-backs-gaping-wounds-sewn-pain-relief-The-barbaric-cost-winter-coat.html

[GreatNorthRoad]

Oh no, I wasn't criticising Maca, just allowing myself to justify my own purchase! I'm glad you're enjoying your coat. I have others far more stylish than my warm one, but very rarely wear them now.

[Zoe789]

Wow that canadian coat might be warm enough!

[MacaYoniandCheese]

GNR I should add that I live in Canada so if you don't have a seriously warm winter coat, you could actually perish, Little Match Girl-style, while waiting for your children at the school gate AND I didn't pay that much for it here. Besides, some people spend that much on a special handbag...a coat is a far more practical purchase .

[LadyMud]

NotAsTired, the longer Squall coats are very warm, lined with fleece in the upper area, and quilting lower down. The knitted inner cuffs keep out draughts, as does the fleece-lined collar. In fact I rarely fasten mine!

[GreatNorthRoad]

Blow me, Maca, that make my lovely Berghaus best and by far the most expensive coat I've ever owned look a proper bargain

[MacaYoniandCheese]

I have this. It's the warmest, coziest and most expensive item of clothing I own but I'll never have to buy another coat again so I'll be saving money in the long run . I have dressy coats too but this is the one I reach for most. I want to be buried in it.

[jumperooo]

Bought a Merrell Haven II coat (in Cinder) last year. Amazing during a long, shit and cold winter / spring pushing a newborn around! Best coat I've had. Got mine from The Nature Shop.co.uk. DP has a North Face but doesn't rate it, he's looking at Jack Wolfskin or Merrell for this winter.

[holidaybug]

I have the Aigle cuckmere - great coat and I got it for about £200 on John Lewis last year.

[NotAsTired]

I love technical jackets and coats but I always feel a bit swamped in them because I am so short.

Interesting that Lands End do a petite range. Are they really very VERY warm? I spend a lot of my time outside in the playground and last winter I had to wear two coats to keep warm.

[Beaverfeaver]

I have north face jacket but it got outdoor sports only.

It's very good at what it does, but it is technical rather than stylish.

I will be getting one of the fat face winter parkas or something like the one Cotswold outdoors one linked above

[GreatNorthRoad]

I have this Berghaus one

I spent years buying cheaper versions of it and completely different things too in a quest to be warm, whilst not being able to bring myself to spend the money. Last winter it literally changed my life! I spend hours outside, a lot of it standing/sitting still and last winter I was warm and the cost is so light and soft you barely know you're wearing it. It's not very stylish, but by jove it does it's job!

I would say definitely spend the money to get a good one.

[Rooners]

If you're a 14, Field and Trek has the Merrell Haven in a creamy white colour for £56.

[MissStrawberry]

I think spending the same as DH did is doable. He would spend anything to get what I wanted but I am much more sensible.

Can anyone recommend a shop where I can try some on? I am not spending this much and buying without trying.

[amessagetoyouYoni]

I got a didrikson parka teo years ago. Think it was about 160 quid? Worth every penny. Warm and lovely and cosy.