Help a Californian out... What jacket should I get?!

<p>I'm starting to think through things I'll need for school next year, and I have one major question for current students or other people who have lived in cold places before and know what's up.</p>

<p>What kind of jacket do I get? What brand is the best? Are there certain things I should look for? Best rain boots, jackets, sweaters, pants, everything!</p>

<p>I'm from southern California, so I honestly have no clue how to dress for the cold. I've been to the local mountains once or twice in the winter, but I think it would be safe to say that I'll need some advice if I'm not going to freeze to death.</p>

<p>Hey! You’re going to want any kind of enter jacket! I like bonfire, northface, spider and anything from ski/snowboard/outdoor shops. It’s really up to personal choice.</p>

<p>Winter* </p>

<p>Ps
It also depends on your price range</p>

<p>Thanks for the response! And as for price range, I’m going for whatever jacket will be most effective and that hopefully doesn’t make me look like too much of a snowman. Like I don’t want to be paying $500 for a jacket, but I want one that’s high quality and that works.</p>

<p>yeah northface is pretty expensive, but land’s end has some good jackets that are cheaper…I have a land’s end and I’m in Michigan and I wore mine in the winter…and today because it snowed, in the Spring.</p>

<p>Northface fleece jacket/hoodie is really useful… Make sure you have a pair of UGGs or something similar also.</p>

<p>I have Uggs, but they’re definitely not what I’d consider waterproof… hahah.</p>

<p>And I’m looking at the Northface website right now. Would getting the trench one be overkill? I feel so clueless. haha</p>

<p>would moncler be out of place?</p>

<p>I love my Northface jacket. The wind can’t cut it.</p>

<p>northface arctic parka.</p>

<p>has saved me for 4 years</p>

<p>How many jackets is an average amount to have?</p>

<p>I have 4-5 that cover pretty much all the ranges of temperature/weather
-rain jacket
-fleece
-shell jacket
-ski jacket
-hoodie</p>

<p>Though I’ve accumulated them over a long period of time since I’ve lived in New England my whole life. If you didn’t have any and had to buy them all now then it’d obviously be very pricey. My recommendation would be a heavier ski/winter jacket and rain jacket for starters, probably would be like 200-300 total for both.</p>

<p>2 or three piece jackets are really your best bet, northface, spyder, the like</p>

<p>The inner shell can be worn like a fleece in the fall/spring, but in the dead of winter the entire coat is useful.</p>

<p>The outer shell can be used as a rain jacket or wind breaker also.</p>

<p>@Iheartschool12 - no, plenty of people wear Moncler.</p>

<p>when my daughter was considering Cornell, she stayed overnight on campus one weekend, and the other girls told her that they have their regular winter coat(s), but they also have ‘extra coats’ that they wear to parties - because they never come home from the party with the same coat they wore… granted, that may only be relevant if you attend that type of party, but, it’s something to keep in mind.</p>

<p>If this is something you might do, be sure to check out some deep-discount stores, or 2nd hand shops for coats you won’t mind losing.</p>

<p>Thank you all so much!</p>

<p>Another question–when does it start getting cold? I don’t assume that I’d need my epic winter parka for the first couple months of school. When’s the best time to purchase/bring my winter clothes to school?</p>

<p>You might want to buy your epic winter parka now or during the summer–and take advantage of off season prices. You probably won’t need it til Nov., and might be able to wait til after Thanksgiving. The weather varies from year to year. But if you own it, your parents can Fed Ex it to you if the weather turns really cold.</p>

<p>Got a real navy pea coat for DD freshman year (Army-Navy Store). She has since accumulated several other coats, but that remains her favorite for warmth and comfort (and it looks cute with a colorful scarf, as well!).</p>

<p>Second the pea coat–can be real or from a department store.</p>

<p>a light jacket and a raincoat (and umbrella) will be fine for the first few months. Rain boots, too. For the most part it’ll only get chilly at night. I’d have a heavier winter coat for November-ish, though any snow worth noting usually doesn’t happen until mid-late December. Last year might have been an exception. Along with this, some good boots you can wear to class, gloves (good gloves, cheap ones are awful), scarf, and hat or ear muffs.</p>