<p>My son is trading the warm weather in sunny Florida for the chilly winters of the northeast as he heads to college this fall (what's he thinking? :)) . It's obvious that he'll need an entirely new wardrobe, but my dilemma is that I have nowhere from which to attain the requisite jackets, coats, scarves, etc. Students on campus at the college he is to attend suggest that he purchase clothes up north, as the winter clothes in Florida will fail to keep one warm in October, nevermind the throes of January. Since we can't afford the expense of flying or driving to somewhere where winter is a recognizable season, we're thinking that perhaps the best solution would be purchasing clothes online. (We're apprehensive about waiting until the couple days before move-in, in case we're unable to find what we're looking for then.)</p>
<p>I've been lurking on this site for a few months now and the advice dispensed here is unmatched. I was hoping perhaps others who were in this situation could shed some light on appropriate winter wear. I've heard that L.L. Bean is a good starting point. Have any of you bought winter clothes online or can you perhaps suggest sustainable jackets that will succeed in keeping my son warm?</p>
<p>Any advice is very much appreciated. Thanking you in advance.</p>
<p>I like sierratradingpost.com and campmor.com for my kids' winter wear. They're both close-out brokers, and there are great deals on major brand-name stuff. There was another, fairly extensive thread on this...someone will probably link to it soon. And yes, snow starts in mid-October where my daughter is, so get him ready.</p>
<p>I have bought a number of items from LL Bean on line. They are wonderful, especially if you have trouble with an item. They will replace things, no questions asked. I remember once ordering a jacket for my daughter which was supposedly delivered to my house. Because I told them I had never seen it, they immediately sent another one. If you have something that wears out faster than you think it should have, they will replace it. They deliver quickly and efficiently. I am such a fan that my one and only credit card is an Visa LL Bean card, meaning I don't pay shipping or monogramming (used that once) and I get a coupon for $10.00 every few months depending upon how much I use the card. I have a southern boy going to the NE, too, and if I could just figure out a way to get him to ditch the ratty parka he's been wearing for more seasons than he should, I would get him a new one from LLBean. As it is, I think we will opt for long underwear and boots until he sees it no longer works!</p>
<p>We live in Florida and buy our clothes from Lands End and LL Bean for our northern sojourns......good quality and prices, fast shipping.....good luck!</p>
<p>I agree that LL Bean and Lands End are great mail order companies. Your son might want to wait until he's settled in a bit at college before doing the bulk of his shopping, though, to get clothes that fit the fashion sense of the college. Toggle coat vs. parka, cords vs. flannel lined jeans, nice sweaters vs. hooded sweatshirts, that sort of thing.</p>
<p>My son went from our home on Kauai to college in Oregon. We bought his coat, long pants, and shoes upon arrival in September since anything mail ordered and sent to Kauai costs too much in shipping and then it would have to be lugged to Oregon!</p>
<p>We purchased a great parka on sale from from Lands End and it shipped directly to Wisconsin. It made us feel better knowing our California prince had something warm to wear until he got around to shopping for himself.</p>
<p>0 degrees, hairs in nose are freezing, and they are walking around in a windbreaker. Don't get it - never will. </p>
<p>How about layers? A college hoodie with a light-weight parka with polar fleece lining will get him through just about anything and he might actually wear them. :rolleyes: Don't forget a hat (not baseball) and some polar fleece gloves.</p>
<p>Your son won't need the warm clothes for several weeks, up to two or so months, after he arrives at school. As mysweetbaboo implied, you will not believe what kids up here do NOT wear when it gets cold. No jacket, no boots, NEVER a scarf for a male - don't even start down that path unless you find out he'll go for it. No gloves. Possibly a fleece and that will not be zipped up.</p>
<p>Your S has "Florida blood", we'll assume, so he may be colder. But he won't want to look different. At least my S, who is no fashionista, wouldn't want to. There is lots and lots of time. Get him a fleece now - Columbia is popular, NorthFace. S will NOT wear LLBean (and we get a discount!). This is just an example of the type of $ you can waste. The brands he will accept depend on whether he goes for the preppy look, sloppy look, whatever (and that may change). </p>
<p>So get only the fleece now and buy the rest on-line and ship to him when it gets cold (if he doesn't want to shop for himself up there - which would be the easiest). You will waste less $ paying the big bucks for overnight shipping than you will buying the wrong stuff.</p>
<p>Anywhere in the Northeast, it can wait until early-to-mid-October for buying winter clothes; your son might well want to wait and see what works on his campus. My son went to high school in Hawaii and MIT for college (he'll be a junior in the fall), and he discovered EMS in Boston early on. (He insisted on going to college with just his wardrobe of shorts, flipflops, and Hawaiian shorts.)</p>
<p>The biggest problem for my son has been his inability to get used to closing his window at night; he sleeps with six layers in the deepest part of the winter. A sheet, three polar fleece blankets, and two quilts, one lightweight and cotton, the other wool/flannel. He also like the lightweight fleece pajamas you see occasionally in the Lands End and LL Bean catalogs. (In fact, he wears lightweight fleece pants a lot in the winter--bought them at EMS.) </p>
<p>My son is undoubtedly a little weird. He doesn't own a single pair of jeans. He likes to wear his father's old business-type camel hair winter coat, which my husband hadn't worn since 1991 (we found an old airline boarding pass in the pocket). He does wear a wool scarf; in fact he has a collection of them, because girls knit them for him, because they worry he's cold. No hat.</p>
<p>What about shoes/winter boots? Should I purchase online (and worry about fit) or take him to a ski store? What kind of shoes do the kids wear in cold/snow?</p>
<p>"What kind of shoes do the kids wear in cold/snow?"</p>
<p>Again, you'll see everything from flipflops through Sorel boots. Most guys, I expect, will continue to wear whatever they wear when it's not cold or snowy. It's a macho thing. We do have plowing in the northeast, and most walkways get cleared enough after a snow storm such that you can get away with a pair of sneakers if you don't mind a bit of moisture. If you have a son, however, who wants to spend any time in the snow, I would recommend Sorel boots (thick felt liners, rubber or water-proof outers), especially ones that you can just pull on without having to do any laces. Any good outdoors store in the northeast will sell them or something like them. Beans, EMS, and REI probably sell something comparable. </p>
<p>As for daughters, I would recommend waterproof snow clogs made by Beans. They have enough of a sole to lift you above the slush, and you can slip them on and off without having to bend down to do laces. My daughter (who had had proper snow boots all the way through high school) was very happy with these clogs last winter -- one of the snowiest on record in Massachusetts -- just to get her to class and back every day.</p>
<p>Good luck! Snow is actually pretty wonderful stuff when you don't have to drive in it.</p>
<p>You'll find a variety of brands here including REI's own which is a great value and very well made - they try to emulate the higher end, higher tech brands.</p>
<p>Minnesotan, here.... I would advise waiting until your son is settled in. The first couple of weeks in September are often in the 90's and your son may not need a jacket until mid-October. A popular style of winter jacket is made by Columbia. It basically is a waterproof shell with zip-out lining. You can emulate the same idea by wearing layers of cothes: t-shirt, swearter or sweatshirt, polar fleece vest, nylon windbreaker. Hat, gloves and boots and your son will probably be toasty until winter break.</p>
<p>In addition, if he is anywhere near a shopping mall at school, stores will carry winter apparel including coats, gloves and boots. (Even Target and Wal-Mart will have polar fleece and down items.) The quality will be just fine and the price will beat out anything we've ever seen online.</p>
<p>And of course, while your son is bundled up, most of the "cool" kids will be wearing shorts and flip-flops in the blizzard!</p>
<p>"Your S has "Florida blood", we'll assume, so he may be colder. But he won't want to look different. At least my S, who is no fashionista, wouldn't want to. There is lots and lots of time. Get him a fleece now - Columbia is popular, NorthFace. S will NOT wear LLBean (and we get a discount!). This is just an example of the type of $ you can waste. The brands he will accept depend on whether he goes for the preppy look, sloppy look, whatever (and that may change)."</p>
<p>Just to add that North Face is extremely popular in the NE as well as expensive(around 300$ range). In my NYC high school, these get stolen pretty often.</p>