<p>Dh was in charge of outfitting our Texan ds for the Minnesota winter, but he had to leave town this morning on a family emergency. Now it's on me to get up to speed quickly as ds leaves Saturday. Here's my thinking of must-haves:</p>
<p>1) Extremely good hats (he has) and gloves.
2) Super-warm jacket
3) Waterproof boots (he has)</p>
<p>We found these items at REI, but we can get them online and just have them shipped to school. Does that sound like a plan? The reason snow pants are optional to me is because these gloves and jackets are so expensive! Am I being penny-wise and pound-foolish?</p>
<p>Your son should be able to get CHEAP snow pants at Walmart or Target in MN. These will work fine for “playing in the snow”…if he plans to ski, he might want something more durable…and warm. Northface jackets are popular with most college students. My experience with my own kids (we live in the northeast) is they like to try these things on. Do you have a Dick’s Sporting Goods near you? You might want to check there…even in Texas folks buy winter clothes (for ski trips of just because it’s cold)…and they do carry Northface there.</p>
<p>My kids both have polar fleece scarves that they wear when it’s windy and cold.</p>
<p>Also, your son should plan for the “layered look”. Our kids almost always layered an hoodie and/or fleece under their winter garb.</p>
<p>Re: boots…waterproof is nice…so is warm. But my son went to college in Boston and unless there was a blizzard, he wore his sneakers. DD didn’t even own winter boots. Just an FYI.</p>
<p>Picturing anyone wearing snowpants on campus. ROTFLMAO</p>
<p>For really cold days it’s longjohns under jeans. All you ever need in town. Now if you sno-mo riding or boarding–yes, some snowpants would be OK.</p>
<p>The jacket looks great. I don’t think you need to pay $200+ for a decent winter jacket, but if you are going to go first-class that’s the item to spend on.</p>
<p>Gloves – you don’t need super-performance gloves. And I find most kids don’t like mittens – too tough to text while wearing them! I would get a pair of gloves with no tips on the fingers (for texting), and any old pair of mittens to go over them for extra warmth when necessary. Or (what I use) a polarfleece combo finger glove with a retractable mitten cap. I paid $10 for them at a J. Crew Outlet.</p>
<p>Get him a scarf, too. Not necessary, but stylish, toasty and personal.</p>
<p>I also liked earmuffs more than a hat. Less chance of hat hair and does about the same job for keeping you feeling warm when a knit scarf is added. But I have good hair.</p>
<p>Pictures from "Christmas Story"keep going through my head.</p>
<p>We live in Minnesota. The jacket looks fine. If you have already ordered the mittens then go with it, but gloves are probably preferable. A hat is important (be prepared for him to lose the hat and/or gloves, though, it is not uncommon…). Regarding the boots, he really probably won’t wear them too much, as they are clunky for class. A lightweight (even low cut) hiking shoe would be a good option. They do shovel most of the sidewalks on the campuses, so I wouldn’t worry about a taller/ankle high boot unless he wants them anyway. I am a fan of Smartwool socks with the boots/hiking shoes, but they are expensive. If he is not a turtleneck person (we are, as they are very practical in MN, but some are not), a scarf is also a good idea.</p>
<p>Agree on the snowpants, I would skip them for now, maybe give him the okay to buy something when he gets there if he finds he needs them. A pair of long underwear bottoms might get worn, as suggested (I wear them every day, but that is because I have to take my high-maintenance dog outside three times a day!).</p>
<p>A fleece shirt or jacket is cozy for hanging around in during the winter, too.</p>
<p>op - it’s important to be able to layer clothes because the temp variation from outside to inside can be significant. A warm hoodie or two (old navy?), and thermal t’s are good. DS loves his warm sweat pants this time of year as well. Kids can be a thermal mess, and S will wear sweat pants and a tshirt around the house.</p>
<p>A combination that provides some flexibility is a pair of lightweight tech pants that can be worn under another pair of sweatpants. This gives him three potential warmth levels.</p>
<p>It sounds as though you’ve got it well in hand. If you want to add something, consider buying the most lightweight acryllic-knit ski-face-mask. It lives in the bottom of his knapsack, just for nights when the wind blows and the temp falls below 15 degrees Fahrenheit. It shouldn’t take up much more room than a hair scrunchie, but is handy in emergencies.</p>
<p>You can also layer socks by buying ONE pair of very thin silk ski socks, using ankle or trouser height. Put those on under any other pair worn. Some like them, some don’t.</p>
<p>Scarves! Those are a must even for guys, especially with a north face in my opinion.</p>
<p>And might I recommend Glittens instead of mittens, glittens are those gloves with the fingertips cut that have the glove part that can flop over the fingers. I have several pairs and adore them, I can take the top part off to text and still keep my hands warm.</p>
<p>I’m not sure the college age student would agree with this. My son had thermal underwear that NEVER was worn…not once. There were PLENTY of cold, snowy and windy days in the winter in Boston.</p>
<p>My son got his winter garb after looking to see what OTHERS had…I would suggest the OP ask his/her son what he wants. What the parents view as “essential” the kids might not ever use. </p>
<p>A good coat is something that is needed…but even that might not be worn by some kids who prefer to layer their hoodies and fleeces.</p>
<p>A good alternative to the snow pants is a good pair of wind pants that can be thrown over jeans if sledding. You basically want something that will shed the snow and not get soaked.</p>
<p>Depending on how brand sensitive he is - if he is not interested in having the “right” jeans, look into flannel lined jeans by llbean or Eddie Bauer. Looks just like regular jeans but with a little extra warmth. LLbean also has some nice lined shirts that can get thrown on over a tshirt.</p>
<p>He’ll acclimate in a couple weeks and stop wearing a coat when it gets warm, aka 35 degrees!</p>
<p>we just returned from a ski vacation.
Outside of wearing long underwear for the drive down- I didn’t wear it.</p>
<p>while mittens may be warmer- you can’t really do much with them on- so might as well just stick your hands in your pockets.
You can get fleece gloves & for more dexterity- just snip the tips of the fingers off.</p>
<p>After paying out a lot of money for a pretty nice ski jacket , insulated with removable hood & snow skirt- I am sticking to a good wind/rainshell with options of a down sweater or fleece jacket underneath depending on weather.</p>
<p>In the northwest you can’t wear down by itself ( and stay warm), but I have not had much luck with synthetic insulation even though I have all the tech washes.</p>
<p>My D wears her shell with a hoodie underneath for snowboarding.</p>
<p>I should add that, through four years of college apiece in Chicago – which is not quite as cold as Minnesota, but is darn cold enough – neither of my kids had anything that I would recognize as a real winter coat or boots. I’m sure there were kids at their college with Northface jackets, but not among their friends. They wore hip mid-length cloth coats or leather jackets, with knit caps. As others have said – layers are everything. And a maintenance staff that clears the sidewalks so they don’t have to walk in deep snow in their sneakers.</p>
<p>However, I see that the North Face jacket you referenced has two layers, so if he doesn’t have the ski jacket already (S did, from skiing), then it may be the better bet. Lots of students in the Chicago area wear North Face. It is pricer than some but it wears well, we’ve found. Plus, if you sign up at REI, you should get a rebate dividend back for part of the price next year.</p>
<p>Mittens do keep hands warmer but it’s probably true that students would want more flexibiity for their cell phones, iPods etc. I just got a pair of these Isotoner Smart Touch gloves (the plush lined version) and they work as advertized and kept my fingers nice and cozy up a Mammoth Mt apres ski. [Umbrellas</a>, gloves, slippers | totes ISOTONER](<a href=“Totes Umbrellas and Rainwear”>Totes Umbrellas and Rainwear)</p>