Cold Weather Gear
 

My daughter will be transferring to a university in Nebraska in the fall. We're from Texas. What's the best cold weather gear for the winters? Mind you, she has nothing for cold weather because we just don't need it. I'd like to start shopping now while winter items are on clearence. She did visit the university last week and ask several girls about clothing which didn't yield very good responses. All of them have grown up in that climate and just wear light jackets. Specific brand names will be extremely helpful.

I can't speak for Nebraska - don't know what brands are popular there, but Northface is a pretty popular jacket/parka brand up here. They're pretty light but really warm.

Columbia jackets are nice because they have a jacket and then a windbreaker zipped to it - which you can zip apart to wear each on their own - so it's three jackets in one. They are sturdy, cute and WARM.

Also, make sure she has a WARM pair of boots. Cute doesn't cut it. Walking to class with cold feet is not fun.

My oldest attends the Univ of Wisconsin and my youngest will attend either Indiana or Colorado in the fall. We love Northface.

She'll need some warm boots (sherpa lined are best). Also, 1 or 2 hooded zippered sweat shirts are great for layering along with a warm down vest. Nebraska can get pretty cold like Minnesota.

I'm a big fan of Patagonia's Capilene-brand long underwear. She might not need them that often but they last FOREVER. LLBean and Lands End have good, durable, inexpensive (but not cheap--see below) winter gear. Other brands that are good for weather stuff are SmartWool (thin, but warm, socks and hats), Spyder, and NorthFace.

This is the thing NOT to go el cheapo on. When I left Florida to go to school in New England, my mother bought a lot of my winter stuff on the cheap and I definitely suffered for it the first few weeks of winter. To be sure, it was cute but not at all durable. I ended up buying almost all new winter stuff.

Think about some Cuddl Duds while you're at it. It's been a mild winter this year (so far!), but there were several days I wouldn't have survived without them!

Don't forget coordinating gloves, scarves, and hats, and lots of hand cream!

She needs to be prepared with layers, a good set of hat, scarf, mittens (probably 3 sets since she's bound to lose probably all 3 sets by the end of her first winter), and a good pair of boots where fashion is not the thing. They don't have to be godawful, but winter boots with heels are just silly. Also, StaticGuard is your friend. And tights.

One item I wish I'd have known about back then was a good pashmina. Not a fancy silk one that can't be washed, but a good functional scarf that can be tied onto a bag, thrown over your shoulders, wrapped tight around your neck or even tied over your head when the weather turns from beautiful to cold and grey to outright blizzard.

Warm boots THAT ARE NOT UGGS. Uggs don't have proper traction for icy/windy weather.

Heavy socks, lots of them. More than 2-3 weeks worth. If her feet do end up getting wet, she'll have plenty and won't need to do laundry so often.

I like to wear really thin gloves under my heavier gloves when it gets really cold. Scarves, scarves, and more scarves. Pashminas are great because they keep you reasonably warm when worn like a scarf but can take the chill off if your daughter is in a cool classroom.

Long sleeved shirts to layer under everything in various colors. They could be the waffle-cut "long underwear" style but I find those don't keep me much warmer.

It's not super trendy or fashionable (and wasn't even at the time) but when I was in college in a windy place my parents got me a Columbia jacket that covered my butt. I was mighty appreciative the first time I fell on my ass on a student walkway and my butt didn't get wet.

Really, she's going to need things to layer with, so that she's not frying when inside but can handle the cold outside.

I knew I could get excellent answers from here. Can you elaborate on the boots? I'm telling you, winter weather is truly a foreign concept to us. Would underarmor work or would something like the cuddl duds be the preferred? My poor baby is going to turn into a popcicle next winter. Where can I look for a pashmina online? Had to google what that was, lol.

NOT the Denali. Yes, they're super popular (I love mine for fall), but they're not warm enough for winter, especially in Nebraska. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Northface TriClimate jacket, however. I have a Columbia that I love as well.

And ditto on all of the advice above.

Underarmor would work particularly well for layering, but the cuddl duds are good, too. I really prefer lightweight long-sleeved t-shirts.

Try amazon for the pashmina scarves - if you find a decent deal it might be good to get a couple of different colors - they're just thin (but not see-through) scarves that are really really wide. You might also be able to find them at your local Nordstrom Rack (I was at mine today and they had about a billion in a bunch of different colors). Here's an amazon listing which is prime eligible if you have Amazon prime - http://www.amazon.com/Premium-Pashmi...2467288&sr=8-2.

For boots, you need something that has at least semi-decent traction - maybe like this? http://www.zappos.com/sorel-joan-of-arctic-black

I'm partial to waterproof but that's because I live in Chicago where people don't feel the need to shovel their *#$%&@ walks, they throw down ice melt instead which makes it slushy.

LL Bean, Lands Ends, Columbia and North Face are all excellent choices and high quality.
I will sound like a hick for saying it, but I LOVE my Carhartt winter coat. Its sherpa lined, pink and not too ugly. Ditto some heavyweight hoodies and zip up hoodies. Smartwool for socks, SO soft and worm and awesome. And ditto on the CuddleDuds! I wear them under my jeans and Carhartt coveralls.

http://www.carhartt.com/webapp/wcs/s...uickView=false This is what I wear for work in the winter months.

Coats like north face metropolis or transit or similar, hunter (or hunter style) rainboots with liners, patagonia better sweater jacket or vest, under armour cold gear (fabulous, daughter swears specifically by them, they are not cheap, but they last, and keep everything nice and warm) - seem to meet style and warmth requirements at the universities (midwestern and mid atlantic) that my daughter and high school friends attend. Of course each campus has its own campus style culture, but hard to go wrong with these.

I have a pair of silk long underwear bottoms which are awesome on really cold winter days. I think Lands End has them on sale right now. They're lightweight so they layer well. They also dry fast if you need to rinse them out to wear the next day. Might want to get at least 2 pairs.

Ditto to Under Armour! While it can be expensive, you can get it at some stores for super cheap since it's end of season. I got a pair of pants for running a few weeks ago--they should have been $110, but I got them for $39.99 because they had pink ribbons on the waistband and October is over. :rolleyes: There are also Under Armour outlets.

Sorels might be a good choice for winter boots.

I get my pashminas at the local souk. For you, hmmmmm. I don't know. I just looked online to see where you can buy them in the states. Yikes! They're a lot more expensive there! I can get ones I'm happy with for about $10.

Do you have REI anywhere near you, or someplace you'll be travelling to before she starts school? That is where I buy my serious outdoor clothes/equipment. If you can't get to one of their stores, they have a fab website! Here is the section for just winter boots: http://www.rei.com/category/4500232. Plus, if you sign up for an REI membership (only $10 I think for a lifetime membership), you get a portion back on everything you spend (it's a CoOp). I just got my dividend for the year ($25 or so).

I have always loved Columbia jackets. Like someone else said upthread, many of their jackets are 3-in-1. I wear both the outer and liner for cold days and skiing, the outer only for days when it's not super cold but might rain, and the liner on chilly but clear days.

Woohoo, there is an REI in Plano and Dallas. That's close enough we can venture that way one weekend. We will be heading to Nebraska the end of April for Cheer try outs. If there are any stores along I35 in Kansas and Nebraska we should hit, please let me know.

Some good brands are Patagonia, Marmot, the North Face, Columbia, Eastern Mountain Sports, Under Armour cold gear, and Mountain Hardware. She'll probably need a good to-the-knee coat, which will last her all four years, a good quality rain coat, a fall weather coat, and then plenty of layers. I ended up getting a to-the-knee coat, a soft shell jacket, and a windbreaker rain jacket and that all suited my needs well weather wise. But I also had a pea coat and a bomber-type jacket for when I had to wear my coat to events and such. But I'm also a jacket hound, haha. I hate being cold and/or wet, so.

Some great places to look for deals are e.bay (I got my soft shell and my windbreaker for like 1/4th of their actual cost and they were only gently used), Sierra Trading Post, REIoutlet.com, and Campmor. Also outlets have great deals, especially with their sales. Now is also probably the time to be buying as this is when stores are clearing out winter merchandise. I would also check out places like Plato's Closet and even local thrift stores, you never know what you can find. Best of luck to your daughter at Nebraska.

Spend $25 on an REI membership, you will be glad you did. I've almost exclusively used their own gear or gear I bought from them to live outdoors in Alaska all summer, experiencing all four seasons from May-August, and it never let me down.

A lot of those cold winter boots are really not comfortable and often don't last very long, as well as being kind of fugly. All that extraneous fur and fluff is just something else that can get wet and dirty. If one isn't dealing with sub-arctic temps the best boots I've found are Keens, stylish and practical, and come in half sizes, unlike almost every other boot out there. Don't forget socks, Smartwool is great as is the REI house brand.

I adore these http://www.keenfootwear.com/us/en/pr...silverton%20wp and though the retail cost is a bit high I've found their items on sale at REI and Sierra Trading Post. I don't think you can easily get them outside Canada and the Lower 48, but the best boots of all time are Lobbens from Norway. If you're interested www.piasweaters.com in Anchorage sells and ships them with no Alaska state tax. I only had to buy a new pair because I had foot surgery and my foot became narrower and longer, and I rocked that pair for over a decade. They are also lighter than regular boots and the traction is great, I know people in the mushing community who swear by them. I keep a pair of flats in my office or carry in my bag to change into so I don't overheat while I'm inside.

As far as coats go, many Columbia coats are excellent, I have a waist/hip length one with a zip out fleece I often wear. Depending on the weather and the streets I'll pair it with a light pair of snow or rain pants to keep dry and clean between point A & B. The pants I have from REI (Ultra Light Pants & matching jacket) have survived multiple archaeology digs and pack down into their own bag so I can take them off and look presentable while not carrying around wet outerwear. However if there is a melt issue and splashing, I wear a longer LL Bean raincoat with a removable wool/down lining that comes to my knees and keeps me dry all over. It went up in price but it is good for more than one season since the lining zips in and out. http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/65931...9-ppodxs&dds=y

Other than my boots everything I own is a bright color so I can be seen on dark or gray winter days and it does add a bit of cheerfulness. I have worn thinner Isotoner style gloves with the special finger material to use on my smart phone and iPod inside a pair of mittens. I knit my own mittens and hats, and the last commercial pair I owned my mother got me from Iceland and they just need thumb repair. I don't often need thermal underwear unless it gets to 0, but I found Jockey brand at Ross that is the thinnest, most durable, and outrageously comfortable I've ever owned.

VandalSquirrel...we are so Northwest.

I'm originally from just outside of Chicago so I'm completely used to the cold and snow for months on end. Here at Indiana, we tend to swear by North Face. I came here thinking I would never fall into the trend, but after some long trudges to class in the freezing rain/snow/sleet/whatever, I caved and bought one. Since your daughter probably isn't used to the cold, I'd recommend a knee length one with a hood. It will be more expensive, but prevents the need to layer AS much. I know I wear a Denali year round, but I tend to layer with a sweatshirt or cable knit sweater.

I'd also recommend a good pair of rain boots, Target online has cheap ones, or you can go up to Chooka or Hunter, depending on your price point. They will crack and leak after 1-2 seasons of temperature change, I know that from experience.

In terms of actual boots, I'm partial to my Uggs but we don't get quite as much snow as we used to. I did have a pair of more treaded knee high boots, but now when it snows I settle for my Uggs.

Other random things I can think of: gloves (many pairs), headbands (a few) for absurdly windy cold winter days, Eucerin intense moisture hand cream, throw blankets, several warm coffee mugs that are leakproof so she doesn't have to hold them all winter (I've experienced far too many purple fingers from this), Polo cable knit sweaters...which I live in in the winter, and jeans that can be tucked into boots.