suggestions for winter jacket,furnace warmth - Page 3

I need to research undergarments as well. During winter I'll be working some of the time in schools with no heating in freezing temperatures and I sweat. I wear cotton sweat pants under my dress pants though, which helps a lot. It's just the top layers I'd like to cut down.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Currawong 

I need to research undergarments as well. During winter I'll be working some of the time in schools with no heating in freezing temperatures and I sweat. I wear cotton sweat pants under my dress pants though, which helps a lot. It's just the top layers I'd like to cut down.

Silk long underwear trumps the polypropylene stuff IMO -- you can select from different degrees of insulating qualities.  Merino wool is really nice too, since it is thin, soft and non-itchy unlike ordinary wool long johns.

I would suggest the Canada Goose Expedition Parka. It's really nice and warm :-). You could also go for a shell jacket and use more layers. 

I've been looking for an animal friendly parka too for a few months now. There are a lot of primaloft options at places like the sportsmansguide and cabellas -- I was hoping to find a serious winter parka, 3/4 length with big exterior pockets so I could carry a lot of gear. The best options I've found so far are the Wiggy's Antarctic Parka and some variation of the government issue snorkle N-3B cold weather gear. There are a variety of N-3B's, made by all sorts of people, I'm a bit turned off by the buttons as I don't think they're easy to do and undo with gloves on -- was hoping for snaps, but the price is right at about $150 as opposed to $300-400 for the wiggy's. 

Love to hear what you come up with.

Is a down jacket better than layering ?

I like down for it's ease of use. It's just one layer efficient layer you can chuck on. Layering is a bit more adjustable and less of an all or none proposition. Where I used to live and snowboard a bunch it got pretty cold (for me, I'm sure others would be fine) and a down jacket was good for dry cold days walking to the post office. For more active stuff layering was always a much better option.

Layering gives you a bit more flexibility than down. A vest is a great layer to add warmth of an outfit, and it can be pretty cheap. One advantage of vests is that the pit area is open and temperatures get regulated during activities. Remember that with layering you need to  trap some air between the layers, so don't go too slim fitting on the mid and outer layers- not much lycra in the arctic. 

I don't spend much time in the extreme cold myself, Maybe just Maybe I have to walk 5 miles to work if my car can't drive out of the garage because of the deep snow in the alley. Those days are rare since i only had to do it 4 times in three years.  I usually can get away with layers and a thick pea coat, as long as my face/head and hands/feet are protected i am good. I find it more of a fun Challenge to walk in the bad weather and last years snowpocalypse  kicked my butt! I was totally under prepared for it. This year I bought a Cheap Eddie Bauer Parka and I am looking for some good cheap Snow boots now. I never liked wearing Fleece in the layers though like some suggest, I sweat way too much and then it turns cold fast with Fleece. I feel bad for you people who have to be out in the cold more then i do, but I believe the layer approach is the best as long as your layers are chosen wisely. Also I never believed in heavy clothes as they tire you down more then help with the weather...but again I am not out in the bad stuff often.

I always found the difference between walking in 25 degrees vs walking in 15 degrees mind blowing, that 10 degree change can destroy you so fast if youre not prepared.