Help me find great brands for Men's Winter coats! (Fur lined hoods!)

November 16, 2011 9:26 AM

Looking for recommendations on good Men's Winter Coat manufacturers. Fur trim on hood preferable!

I've been planning to buy a new nice winter jacket for about 2-years now.

I've had my eyes on the Parajumper brand ever since I discovered them 3 years ago. I've slowly saved up over the past 2 years and are ready to take the plunge!

Parajumper Gobi Black (shorter)

Parajumper Kodiak Black (full length)

Things to take into consideration:

-Winter coat for the really cold months
-I'd like it to be fairly functional, waterproof is helpful
-Plan on using it for when I'm really outside for extended periods, like snow-shoveling, games etc.
-Would definitely prefer having a hood that's got fur trim (part of why Parajumpers caught my eye)
-Decent amount of pockets
-Not really a fan of North Face

What other brands are out there you can recommend? Thanks in advance!

posted by PetiePal to clothing, beauty, & fashion (9 answers total)

Canada Goose
posted by Homo economicus at 9:31 AM on November 16, 2011

If you're willing to spend Parajumper prices, you might want to take a look at Kanuk. It's a bit pricier than Canada Goose, but very warm and durable.
posted by reformedjerk at 9:34 AM on November 16, 2011

I just got a Lands' End winter coat and saw they had a few with fur trimmed hoods. Bonus: if you are big or tall their sizing is accurate and fits great.
posted by sanka at 9:50 AM on November 16, 2011

How cold are you talking about, here? (It was -40 on my walk into school this morning, and my ordinary down coat with a fleece underneath was fine, but I was moving.)

Here's a couple that looked pretty nice from a local outfitters' store with web presence:

Canada Goose Resolute --- plus bonus reflectivity

Canada Goose Expedition

(I'm not saying you should order from those links; it was just a handy place for me to search).

I'm also a fan of Mountain Hardwear stuff, but I don't think they have fur.

-----------------

But if you really want something awesome: order from Apocalypse Design. They're a local company here in Fairbanks, and I've only ever heard great things about them. Apparently you can add a detachable wolf/wolverine ruff to any parka. That would be so fantastic! I wish I had the money!
posted by leahwrenn at 10:36 AM on November 16, 2011

I've never been let down by L.L.Bean.

They have a jacket called the Baxter State Parka that looks like it would do the job for you.
posted by Sir Cholmondeley at 11:21 AM on November 16, 2011 [1 favorite]

Canada Goose is all the rage, but I've had my eye on a Fjallraven for a while now.
posted by smitt at 11:49 AM on November 16, 2011

I gotta say, that's a heck of a lot of money for a coat that says almost nothing about actually keeping you warm! I'm with Sir Cholmondeley; I'd go with an L. L. Bean Baxter State Parka. It's about $750 cheaper, too.
posted by MexicanYenta at 11:49 AM on November 16, 2011

Foreword: If you want to see my suggestions and skip through my rants, explanations, and ruminations, skip to the last paragraph. Also, you don't say why you want a fur lining around the hood- I recognize it gives a certain aesthetic look to the garment, but it has negatives including function (will collect snow and ice), durability (will be the first thing to show wear), and environmental impact (think of all the cute animals).

I'm not very impressed by the amount of value you're getting with the Parajumper brand. For that amount of money (~$800-1000!) you should be getting a garment that both looks good and provides exceptional performance as a piece of outerwear. Forgive my bluntness, but this looks like a fashion item masquerading as a coat. Yes, it may keep you warmer than a t-shirt, but for that money you should expect much more.

For instance, it says it has an internal waterproof coating; so what is it? At that price, it should be a Gore-Tex, eVent, or similar waterproof/breathable membrane that will let humid air out. If it's just a rubberized nylon, any physical exertion while wearing the jacket will leave you cold and wet from your own sweat.

They say they have a 90/10 down lining; I don't know what 90/10 is, and it doesn't say what kind of down is used. Quality down jackets are made with goose down (duck down and other types are inferior) and are usually identified by a number indicating loft, which is how many cubic inches of volume one ounce of the down can expand to. 600-fill down is the minimum threshold I'd recommend, with 800-fill or higher being top quality. Greater loft=greater warmth. You'd also want to know how many ounces of that down are in the garment; even if good quality down is used, if there's not much of it you won't be very warm. However, a sufficient quantity of quality down means you can stay just as warm in a lighter, less bulky garment.

Here's some suggestions:
Don't just buy one coat. For the amount you're looking at (and possibly far less) you can get two or three pieces that can be used together or independently.

1. A shell that is function as both the a water- and wind-proof outer layer in winter, a rain jacket in warmer weather, and a windbreaker when it's windy but not particularly cold.

2. An insulating layer; this can be either a down jacket (if you want greater warmth) or a fleece (thinner but not as warm). You can also do with both, and wear whichever is appropriate. I have all the options I've outlined, and use them both together and separately.

Here are some companies that produce high quality garments of this type:

Arc'Teryx
Marmot
Mountain Hardwear
Patagonia
Rab

Good luck, and stay warm!
posted by EKStickland at 12:52 PM on November 16, 2011

Seconding going the layering route rather than a big parka. I have an older eddie bower down parka that's good to about -40. If I am standing still. If I decide to move I quickly overheat and start to sweat, which is really, really bad in the winter. You mention being outside all day and shoveling, games, etc so you want something that you can adjust depending on your output.
I usually wear a combination of a gore-tex outer shell, 300 weight fleece mid layer, wicking shirt, and wool long johns. This, from experience, is good till about -42c if I am walking.
If I am skiing or doing some other activity in about -10c I usually strip all the way down to my long johns, its more than warm enough. If I stop, I put everything back on. I have had good luck with arc'teryx gear, but get most of my stuff from Mountain Equipment Co-op up here in Canada.
posted by Pink Fuzzy Bunny at 1:04 PM on November 16, 2011