<p>This question may seem silly and innocuous to most, but we're lifelong Floridians! Our son most likely will attend MIT in the fall (accepted EA). What are the best types/brands of jackets and other winter wear for him? How many coats? Thanks for any and all input.</p>
<p>northface and spyder are both good brand for snowboarding/skiing jackets (a bit extreme maybe but they're popular here in NY). Whatever coat you get make sure its a down coat with some kind of insulation. Also you may want to get two jackets. I have one that I mainly were just when its cold and then another when it snows. To me wearing a heavy jacket when its not snowing and its just cold in mid-november is a little extreme; to me at least lol</p>
<p>I think the down may be a bit overkill. I've lived in Michigan for like 90% of my life and I've never owned a down anything. I'm a big fan of North Face, though, both for fleece (the Denali style is pretty popular) and jackets. Any ski jacket is fine for day wear in the winter- wait until spring to buy, though, and look around online because you're bound to find a good deal. </p>
<p>He's only going to need one coat for the winter and one fleece sort of thing for the fall. If he were a girl, it could get slightly more complicated, but I think he should be set with that.</p>
<p>How would being a girl make things more complicated? Assuming girls need to be more stylish or something? Hmm. Anyway, I find that black coats go with anything :-P. Down isn't overkill - I am from very close to MIT, and am currently wearing tights, long johns, two sweatshirts plus a regular shirt, and when I go outside, I wear boots, a down coat, a hat, a scarf and gloves. I'm rather prone to being cold; long johns, several sweatshirts, etc are not really necessary every day, though they're nice for snowball fights :-). Also, I probably walk outside more than most college students (there are heated tunnels at MIT that could prevent you from ever having to walk outside :-)). I knew someone at MIT who wore a fleece jacket every day during the winter; I don't even know if he owned a coat. But he's from Maine. So, use your best judgment... but I would say come prepared with sweatshirts, a winter coat, maybe a hat and probably gloves. Still, it does vary from person to person.</p>
<p>Come on, I have the cold tolerance of a gecko with poor circulation and I still don't agree with down being necessary. Whatever, to each his (or her) own. :)</p>
<p>I do plan on bringing a hefty load of sweatshirts, though- I think I'm approaching the double digits with various sports teams, colleges, generic high school sweatshirts, unknown miscellaneous things, etc. I don't know what the weather's like in Florida and if sweatshirts are popular/ever necessary there, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to buy a sweatshirt or two for the fall, too (maybe an MIT one?).</p>
<p>And regarding the girl comment, I just meant that you might need a nicer coat/gloves for nicer occasions if the need should ever arise, and then you have to balance fashion with function... then again, I also tend to over-analyze things like this, so it may be a personal thing.</p>
<p>For coats, I would say, one hardy ski-type coat and one nice coat that could be worn to a more formal function. This applies to any gender.</p>
<p>Other things that I (as a Southern transplant) would recommend:</p>
<ul>
<li>One or more jackets or heavy sweaters</li>
<li>Lots of turtlenecks (a personal favorite) or other casual cool-weather clothes</li>
<li>Long underwear and something to sleep in during the winter</li>
<li>A warm hat! Preferably with ear coverings...</li>
<li>Waterproof gloves</li>
<li>Snow boots, and also hiking boots or combat boots for when the snow melts and turns everything into a mudpit</li>
</ul>
<p>gloves and a beanie are pretty useful, as are boots. </p>
<p>I'd opt for a rain coat w/ a good hood as opposed to an umbrella, since there are certain places on campus notorious for their Bernoulli umbrella-wrecking effects, such as the MacGregor wind tunnel.</p>
<p>One of my southern boys at MIT wears shorts year-round. He does have a semi-warm jacket and a couple of sweatshirts, which he pairs with gloves and calls it good. He has one pair of pants he wears when he plays in the snow.</p>
<p>The older one doesn't like shorts much, even in the hot summer, so he does wear pants. He also has a hat and a warm ski jacket (not down). He hates to wear the coat, so he mostly layers. </p>
<p>It is hot in their dorms and hot in some of their classrooms, so the warm weather gear (including boots I insisted they buy) gets worn only when they're going off-campus or to play in the snow.</p>
<p>One of the nicest thing about Boston is the access to in town shopping. If you send him with a basic jacket and he needs more he can get it there. REI, EMS are good spots for starters.</p>
<p>I moved to MA for college and stayed for 19 years - I second ducktape's recommendations completely. I never owned any down, but LOTS of fleece and sweatshirts.</p>