<p>This fall I'm gonna be living in Boston, but I've never been in one of those new england weather, I've never even experienced the 4 seasons. So.. I would like some advice with jackets... some people I've talked to recomend wool coats when on the other hand some recomend jackets like those from the northface and columbia... what do you think would be best? Does wool keep you warm?</p>
<p>Wool works. When my cousin went to Boston from California, he bought a long black wool coat. Some wool clothing may be dry clean only, so you probably won't want to wear those when it's raining. =P</p>
<p>Wool wins. I live in the Mid-Atlantic, but it still gets pretty cold here in the winter, and my favorite coat is my wool varsity jacket. You'll need something else for when it rains, though. I don't like to wear mine out in even light drizzle, because wool gets smelly if it gets wet. Weird. But true. My other jacket is a ski jacket, for when it snows. You can find these at a sports store like Dick's or even a skate/snowboarding shop. As far as ski jackets go, price is (unfortunately) a pretty good indicator of the quality of the jacket. Mine is a Spyder coat, and it's amazing. So, I guess the answer is you'll probably want both, but you can survive with just the ski jacket if you're not super fashion conscious, haha. Don't forget gloves and lots of sweatshirts
(also, Underarmor. It's like cool long johns)!</p>
<p>Get your mother-in-law to buy you a cheap ski jacket in Hong Kong. At least that's what I did. Something like Kanuk would be overkill...</p>
<p>Go to llbean.com Get one of the jackets that are 3 in 1. There will be a fleece liner that can be zipped in and out, and a shell. Fleece is awesome in the spring and fall, and on warmer winter days. Fleece keeps you so warm, and doesn't get nasty like wool does when it gets wet. LL Bean is a company from Maine, so their jackets keep you warm. They're also a lot less expensive than Columbia or Northface (I have no affiliation with LL Bean, we simply have had awesome luck with their products). Despite the lower cost, they are high quality</p>
<p>I moved from GA to NY for school; I had one jacket lined with flannel. I bought a wool jacket and a waterproof jacket. I wore these all the way through the winter, and during the coldest times, I just wore a sweatshirt underneath them. It's just like your mother said (unless you too grew up in the South, then mothers on TV said it), "dress in layers" so that when you get to class you can take off one or two depending on how cold the classroom is.</p>
<p>3 in 1? 2 in 1 is usually good enough but can get rather bulky. Then again, last time I bought something like that was 13 years ago (made by Chlorophylle, not LL Bean, but no being from Maine, I'd rather buy local), with new technology it's probably much better nowadays. </p>
<p>A Chlorophylle winter coat (now those are neat) would also be overkill for Boston...</p>
<p>Winter coats suck, I usually just wear a sweatshirt.</p>
<p>yah seriously i just wear a fleece sweater. I rarely wear a ski jacket or anything ... where i live (new jersey) the winter is just very long ... we have maybe a few days of really cold weather (because of wind :P) </p>
<p>^-- thats assuming you stay outside for less than 30 minutes</p>
<p>I live in Michigan and I don't even own a coat.</p>
<p>Michigan has no winter.</p>
<p>3 in 1 coats are a godsend...and no, they're really not bulky. Usually it's just that one liner zipped into a windbreaker type of coat and the liner's reversible, so you get your third option. That's good if you don't want to have to worry about rain or whatnot, but I still prefer my wool pea coat, just because they look nicer on.</p>
<p>For dry weather - wool all the way. Trust me on that, I had to buy one in Colorado over spring break. Stood outside for three hours straight in 20 degree weather, and didn't get cold. And I'm from southern Texas where the coldest weather we get for an extended period of time is usually in the 40s or 50s.</p>
<p>Why don't u just wear one of those puffy jackets in the frigid cold or a hoody for other times when it's in the 30s??</p>
<p>Wool schmool. lol. I live in Illinois, WHERE WE DEFINTELY EXPERIENCE 4 SEASONS, and I'd bet wool doesn't make a huge difference of you being or not being cold.</p>
<p>I'm also from California but am going to school in New Hampshire. Our winters are cold (minus 0), wet (lots of snow and rain), and very windy. Wool isn't the best solution for this type of winter. A lot of my friends bought down coats from North Face, but these usually start at about $200. LLBean, Eddie Bauer, and other ski/snowsport brands have great products but won't be cheap. </p>
<p>I didn't want to buy the wrong thing and pay so much money for it, so I ended up buying a $40 down coat from Old Navy. It worked perfectly. JC Penney and the Burlington Coat Factory also sell quality coats for WAY less. </p>
<p>Jeans and sneakers usually work fine -- I never wore my snow boots. Usually the streets and paths on your campus will be cleared, so you won't have to be trudging through the snow. A good coat, hat, and pair of gloves are the most important things to get.</p>
<p>Coats suck, just buy a couple of hoodies and you're good.</p>
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Coats suck, just buy a couple of hoodies and you're good.
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<p>Will you stop saying that. Just because Ann Arbor has no winter doesn't make winter coats sucky.</p>
<p>Buy a thick coat for winter because it lasts until the end of March here in Boston. Not buying one is masochistic IMO. I'm cold even in my thick down coat in the winter time. A light jacket (not too light though, its windy) w/ a hood would also be good to buy for the spring.</p>
<p>I'm from Texas, and I just got through a year of college in MA. I actually don't recommend wool: it's pretty heavy, and not water or wind resistant, and I think Boston is really windy.</p>
<p>What I did was a layer of fleece on the inside and a down coat or vest on the outside. A nice long down coat is really nice on days below 0 degrees (farenheight) and lots of wind. A hat, scarf, and gloves also does wonders.</p>
<p>L.L. Bean has some great winter coats. Personally, I hate wool for the uncomfortable nature of it. Fleece, on the other hand, is comfortable and warm. Go with fleece, not wool.</p>