So basically I'm trading a manpurse in for a man pocketbook....

October 16, 2007 6:00 AM

I read and get cold; where is the winter coat that can hold a medium-sized book?

I'm done with the manpurse and I'm sick of being limited to my small book shelf when I read on the subway. Carrying the book throughout my day gets old, but a bag, no matter how stylish, for a single book feels like overkill. I'm to books as Linus is to his security blanket, so I want a coat that can handle a moderately sized book.

My style, other than bookworm, is calm late twenties/early thirties. I have a relaxed work environment, but am personally not into garish or shiny. I live in the borough of kings, so some style is fine, and some warmth is nice.

Help me Metafilter, you're my only hope.

posted by history is a weapon to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (10 answers total)

G-Star? Most of their jackets have pockets all over the place. I know my friend (who is a girl) has a jacket with two big pockets she can cram all sorts of junk into.
posted by chunking express at 6:18 AM on October 16, 2007

Have you consider something car coat length for ease of sitting? Specifically, a barn coat from LL Bean. The men's version has pockets large enough to fit a nice fat book inside. You can get different liners for different warmths or take the liner out altogether for milder days.

Also, this Burton be too sporty for your tastes, but the pockets are ginormous.
posted by iconomy at 6:36 AM on October 16, 2007

Caem in to say Bean's barn coat, and ico beat me. But yeah, it'll last forever, it's understated, and the pockets are huge.
posted by Miko at 6:43 AM on October 16, 2007

Many of those dirty-old-man style raincoats have huge pockets on the inside liner. They're also really warm.
posted by kuujjuarapik at 6:51 AM on October 16, 2007

Something from Filson perhaps? I have one of these and you can fit anything smaller than a quarto in the front pockets. Warm and bulletproof. Style is subjective of course. If you wanted to carry around a coffee table book you could buy one of their proper hunting jackets with an integrated game pocket although you might be uncomfortable with all the odd looks you would receive.

Or, you could switch from jackets for books to jackets FROM books. That N-3B looks like it could hold a book or two.
posted by well_balanced at 6:53 AM on October 16, 2007

I have an N-2B and N-3B, they have no pocket sized for books, and due to the thin fabric of the lining, would not support a pocket being sewn in.

My recommendation to you is to get a long coat and have a pocket sewn in. Cheap, and allows you your choice of style.
posted by fake at 7:14 AM on October 16, 2007

I once found a navy officer's coat in a used clothing shop. Very warm, and it had all sorts of very deep pockets. I'm not sure I could have fit enormous hardcovers in them, but trade paperbacks or rolled magazines were no problem.
posted by occhiblu at 7:16 AM on October 16, 2007

Work clothes, e.g. barn coats, army fatiques, hunting clothes, etc., often have gigantic pockets.

I've got a Canadian army surplus extreme-cold-weather parka whose hip pockets are big enough to hold an unfolded magazine, or any of my college textbooks (well, aside from some of the big art books--but I digress).

The other advantage to work clothing is that it's often comparatively cheap. This is good, because the pockets in most clothes aren't really made to carry heavy books, and, if you make a habit of carrying around Umberto Eco or whatever, you're probably going to make the jacket wear out faster. Consider paperbacks.
posted by box at 10:19 AM on October 16, 2007

box just reminded me of my favorite outerwear secret: Cabela's. Primarily a hunting gear company, they have evolved into something of a grittier L. L. Bean, and when I taught outdoor education I purchased a lot of things from them. Someone clued me in to the fact that no one is more finicky about good, long-lasting, warm, tough outdoor gear than hunters - people who are going to be lying face down in wet snow for hours really know the difference between decent gear and gear that's for show.

And I think you'll find lots of models that have big and plentiful pockets, because of all the doodads hunters want to carry.
posted by Miko at 10:33 AM on October 16, 2007

I've found that the back pocket of a phtographer's vest is a perfect size for a good-sized hardback book or a small laptop. I've been buying my vests at Sunny's Surplus, but they went out of business a while ago. Need to find a new source.
posted by Fferret at 11:32 AM on October 16, 2007