<p>hey guys!</p>
<p>i'm just wondering if anyone has any good ideas for where to get a good warm coat- i got accepted ED and winter sales are happening right now... and i want to be toasty next year.</p>
<p>REI is our family's outfitter of choice. North Face seems to be the "in" style of coat, but my mountain climber husband says that they are not nearly as protective against the cold as "real" gear. BTW, he just ordered a parka from REI for D---they are going to be climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro this summer (way cold up on top)....and got a very sweet deal. REI.com is the place; and if you join their program, you get year-round discounts, too.</p>
<p>campmor.com has great deals on name-brand outdoor equipment.</p>
<p>But honestly, you can survive a Williams winter with nothing more than jeans and a $30 Columbia fleece as long as you're not gonna be spending lots of time outside.</p>
<p>kim, my son bought a multi-layer Northface jacket five years ago and definitely got his money's worth on a cost per wear basis. You can wear the shell and the lining together or separately which makes it versatile.</p>
<p>As jeke says, though, a lot depends on what you intend to be doing. Winter sports are a lot of fun in the Berkshires and even if you don't ski or snowboard you most likely will be sledding or tobogganing so plan for heavy use.</p>
<p>Some find layering to be very comfortable: wearing a hoodie over a regular shirt (or even t-shirt) with the option to add a final top layer of long-sleeved fleece or other jacket (not necessarily down/super warm at this point) of some sort. Since students are constantly going in and out of classroom, community, and residence buildings, this allows for easy removal of one or two layers (depending on each environment's temperature). This even works well for the ski slopes (two to three layers under a lightweight, water-resistant top jacket).</p>
<p>There's another reason layering is a good idea. Sometimes winter coats disappear. My daughter had the unfortunate experience of having her winter coat stolen during dinner one night along with her hat and gloves. It was not an expensive coat, but evidently caught someone's eye. She was left with nothing but a light jacket and the temperature was below zero. Fortunately, friends helped her out with loans until we could mail her new winter gear. She probably would have been better off with several layers of clothing rather than relying on one heavy coat.</p>
<p>Kim: S is a Williams frosh. He's been very happy with Pea Coat. He does have a nylon parka type thing we bought on the cheap at an amazing sale at the Gap, but he doesn't wear it much. It does for outdoor/snow things, but not for classes.</p>
<p>Pea coat was a sale at Macy's; a designer brand (not that he cared, but it is cut narrower -- he's very slender) and majorly on sale.</p>
<p>hello :) Fancy seeing you here, lol! Is it must me or do we suddenly have ridiculous amounts of time on our hands? I have free time.... so scary, haha.</p>
<p>Haha YES it feels wonderful to post a "where can i get a coat" rather than an "oh my god i'm about to jump off a tall building" lol.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the responses! This has been really helpful! :)</p>
<p>Hey, haven't you guys heard about Mongolian cashmere. It is very warm material, also soft and keeps your body comfortable. I live in Seattle, it helps me for enduring harsh coldness. I strongly recommend you guys buy that kind of clothes</p>