Down coats

[iroblonegen]

Hello everyone! I'm new to MN. (Long time lurker though.)

I am considering buying a down coat from Lands End. However, I live in the south east and normally winters aren't that bad. So my question is, for those of you who own down coats, would you say they may be too warm for everyday British winter wear?

I hardly wore my down coat last winter but the previous two - I hardly ever took it off.

It very much depends on what type of winter we get - I'm south west. But they do last for years so a sensible buy I think.

I have a long down coat from Lands End, on the South Coast and I'm really glad I have it. The only thing is that in torrential rain it's not waterproof but for the cold it's great!

Last winter my winter coats stayed firmly in the cupboard with my gloves and scarves. Mainly wore a fleece or padded coat (or waterproof)
But I only had to scrape ice from the car twice

This year, I hope for better.

WRT coats, my DD has a Uniqlo down jacket (the one that folds up into a tiny pouch) she says it's snuggly.
They do a longer coat and one with a collar that you might find fits the bill.?

Love mine chilly Yorkshire come to think of it might treat myself to the Joules nipped in waist version this year.

Yes, I had a lovely one from Zara two or three years ago but it was too warm most of the time, for walking in anyway, ok for standing at the side of hockey pitches etc. I charity shopped it last year. I'm SE too, However I really don't feel the cold, I'm often at the school gate without one at all when everyone else has got their coats on.

I'm SE too and it does depend on how cold the winter is as to how much I wear it. However I commute to work and is great when waiting on cold platforms!

My Dh can wear nothing but a t shirt under his as it's so warm

I have some down coats and I wouldn't say they were too hot but then I live in Scotland! I believe it's a bit milder down South

Having said that, I wouldn't buy down now since becoming aware of the animal welfare issues with its production (and the production of angora) last year..

I wear my LE coat from mid dec to mid feb id say. Warm is good. I have nicer coats but ill mever get rid of the LE down coat. Buy one !

Ooh, lots of lovely replies! Thank you so much.

Thing is, I have a coat which I've had for ages and am sick of and while it'll probably do for another year, I really wanted a new one, even though I don't need one. So, I'm thinking I'll get a down coat and then I'll have it if the weather gets really horrible.

Well, that's my excuse anyway!

I loved the idea of a down coat until I learnt how the down was collected. Horribly cruel and I had no idea. Google it.

Oh no, I've just had some furniture re stuffed with down,I had no idea

Ah. Oh dear. I googled it. I think a down coat is now off the menu. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.

Uniqlo are good and cheap and the filling is 90% down compared to many other makes that 70% down and 30% feathers.

Mine is not stylish but is very warm.

I don't know anything about how they collect down, but if you eat meat that is not organic and free range ( pork, chickens, beef) then that's a daily animal welfare situation.

Is there any actual ethical down?

I spent £s on a down coat two years ago before I knew. I won't again :(

Does it depend on how the down is collected, ie post mortem is ok?

My coat is a barbour and pure down and a couple of years old so not sure how that down was harvested.

I just read this

Interesting, I know barbour now seem to use microfibre down - I wonder if it was ethics/protests that prompted the switch.

animal welfare is an issue but I still say anyone who eats pork, that is not organic or free range, and the same for poultry, the welfare of those animals is far worse, and carried out with the consumer not giving it a moment's thought. Ditto wearing leather shoes, leather bags, belts etc- where do you draw the line?

IMO the trouble with anyone expressing the remotest concern about animal cruelty is that someone jumps in shouting about other animal issues.

I have done a bit of campaigning against the Taiji dolphin hunt and the grind in the Faroes and have been told aggressively that I am a hypocrite because I am not a vegan. It's as though people want the kudos of being the only ones who truly care.

Anyway....

Sorry for 'resurrecting' this thread but I emailed Lands End to ask about the source of their down, and I thought I'd copy their reply here, for anyone who may be interested.

"We are aware of the issues in the feather and down industry, namely ‘live plucking’ and ‘force feeding’, therefore we do make requirements of our vendors to manage this risk.

Firstly, our down is a by-product from the meat industry which is mechanically recovered. To help manage these risks with our down coats we are moving to one preferred supplier to make the process of monitoring easier. Declarations are required and there is a rigorous auditing program which is conducted by third party specialists which covers a wide range of checks.

As a further measure, our coats in the Autumn/ Winter 2014 range will only be sourced from Duck to minimise the concerns around using down from ‘Force fed’ geese. Samples of the feathers are randomly tested to ensure of their origin.

We are opposed to the Live-Plucking and Force Feeding, we do take this matter seriously and hope you can see we are taking measures to be able to provide assurances to our customers on this matter.

We do also provide a range of man-made fabrics as an alternative to down in order to provide our customers with choice."

Good to see that some manufacturers are making an effort to reduce the animal cruelty involved in the production of their goods. It seems to be working well for angora (rabbits) too (again, 99% of 'harvesting' is horribly cruel).
Once the truth is 'out there', sales decline, profits drop and manufacturers review their processes.
'Purse Power'!! Long may it continue.

I have an ethically produced down coat, (come with a certificate to say the geese were dead before plucking), does tend to be more expensive though.

I am vegetarian and now very rarely eat any animal products, as it just doesn't sit well. But I do still wear them