<p>Patagonia and north face have really good insulating things. I have to say, if you want to make a good investment on a nice looking warm jacket, definitely get a barbour jacket</p>
<p>my dad’s planning on getting my brother and i north face winter fleeces. i don’t know where to look for snow boots, but i’m guessing that either north face or sorel are pretty good. i don’t know where i stand on bean boots, quite honestly</p>
<p>^you may or may not like the way bean boots look [i like them personally, but that’s another matter], but they are superior as far as comfort and functionality goes. If all else fails, wait until you get there and ask some more local people what boot brands they’d recommend.</p>
<p>LL Bean boot, the ultimate in preppy footwear. Not slippers!</p>
<p>What are better, bean boots or uggs?</p>
<p>Bean boots!</p>
<p>I think bean boots look dorky… :P</p>
<p>Depends how you wear them… Under jeans they look really nice, tucked in with some cashmere leg warmers, a warm sweater and a blazer over it… Oh how do I miss my winter clothes :)</p>
<p>My daughter loves her fleece lined bean boots for the NH winter. Bean boots are more practical than Uggs for trudging around campus.</p>
<p>Having grown up in the northern climes and having also spent many a winter skiing, I have a few thoughts regarding winter clothing. Most important to consider are the extremities. This means head, hands, and feet. It they are warm chances are the rest of you will be too. And for that “rest of you”, think in layers. A wool cardigan sweater, or a fleece, over soft inner clothing, and loose - nothing binding. You should be able to take it off and put in back on again easily. A hard shell, such as North Face, Patagonia or LLBean make, will keep the wind and wet out. </p>
<p>My choice would be first and formost : Uggs boots ( for cold cold days and any time it is not wet out) & LLBean boots for wetter weather, or any of the other Wellies that are so popular now. The fleece lined LLBean boots are awesome ( my daughter asked for them for last Christmas, and just LOVES them) and can do double duty. They are also guaranteed for life. </p>
<p>Mittens will keep you much warmer than gloves, and any hat that you love is a good investment. Hats are funny in that one usually has to try on many before finding one that is becoming, but it is well worth the hunt. A ski shop is often the best place to find one.</p>
<p>Most importantly - a HAT! At 32 deg F, 30-35% of a body’s heat loss is from the head. At lower temperatures, the percentage is even higher. You’ll find that most northern New Englanders wear a hat throughout the Winter. Some are inventive, some are hilarious, some are high fashion, and, yes, some are preppy too! But please, wear a hat! :D</p>
<p>And nerdgeekdork
you think LLBean boots look dorky?
But that is why you are nerdgeekdork ! :)</p>
<p>Good wool socks–the best boots in the world won’t keep you warm if your feet are wet. We wear good quality wool socks–on the thin side–8 months out of the year here, and camping in the summer.</p>
<p>And I second the hat–wool is better than fleece. And a pair of thin long johns (capilene type–not cotton) will keep your legs warm under just about any pants or leggings.</p>
<p>Of course, if you’re just running from dorm to class, you can probably get by with whatever you usually wear.</p>
<p>What kind of hat would be best? In Georgia, you don’t need mittens or hats or boots during winter… yeah. i have a lack of experience.</p>
<p>Go to Sierra trading post on-line. Depends what you’ll be doing–a fleece hat is fine for getting to and from places but you’ll want a good wool hat (skiers here like Swix) for outdoor activities. Might be best to wait until winter and buy something at school though.</p>
<p>You want comfy wool sock too, not those big heavy itchy ones. Again, they’re easy to find up north.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot! I guess I’ll wait until winter and go out of campus when I need winter stuff.</p>
<p>NOTE: Most people who live in NE don’t go all out. Don’t go all winter jacket with boots and ext. insulated gloves. Layer but look like you’re not. Leggings under pants, boots, several jackets/sweaters that aren’t thick looking. Cool hats are a plus ;). Scarves are very ‘in’ for girls. Just my two cents, may be different. I’m just saying what people usually wear…</p>
<p>My experience is similar to what Rad described. Keep in mind that when it is bitterly cold, you don’t go out much. Also, some buildings are kept overly warm - to the point where it’s too hot when you’re all layered up. I often find myself braving the cold with just a hat and gloves (that I can stick in my bag) when I know I’ll be spending most of the time indoors. That way, I’m not luggin around a big coat.</p>
<p>Of course, I don’t spend my time on a sprawling prep school campus. I’m talking about running errands and shopping.</p>
<p>You really don’t need specialized insulating attire unless you plan to be spending a lot of time outside. usually i just wear a layer or 2 under a down liner, a pair of pants [or tights and a skirt], scarf, boots [unless it’s not wet or snowy and i want to wear flats] and a hat/mittens if it’s really cold.</p>
<p>I walk a mile to school every day and do most errand running on foot rather than by car, so I’m out and about a lot in the winter. Having grown up in New England and then moved to the Northwoods, I’ve learned some stuff about easy ways to beat off the chill that I wish I had known then. </p>
<p>I agree with all of the above–since you’re moving in and outdoors, it doesn’t make sense to get too layered up. </p>
<p>However, up here, once the temp start getting below 20 degrees F., most of us wear thin capilene or silk underwear under our jeans or other pants and thin wool socks all winter long, and we’re comfortable indoors and warm outside without looking all “bulked out.” To me, here’s nothing less comfortable than jeans against bare skin when you’re running errands in the winter. And why feel chilly and uncomfortable when you don’t have to? </p>
<p>It’s important to keep your head and hands covered somehow too–but how depends on where you’re going and for how long. A hood and hands in your pockets will probably be fine for going to and from class–but I hate to think of you all stuck inside on a winter day when a good wool hat and warm gloves or mittens would make it perfectly comfortable to be outside. My kids all also have good, breathable, windproof/water resistant shell pants for exercising in the cold that also work great for sledding, skiing, snowboarding, and snowball fights. They use them year round as rain pants, so they’re a good investment.</p>
<p>After lots of years of fleece/shell layering, I got sick of it and just bought a decent Lands End winter coat (not down which tends to get soggy and heavy when wet, but that other puffy insulating stuff), and it does me fine in 20 above or 30 below zero (not that you’ll often experience 30 below in New England)–much lighter, and easier to get on and off than dealing with multiple coats. </p>
<p>Have to say, though, that a lot depends on your internal thermostat–having grown up in the cold, my kids think 40 degrees is shorts weather. Even they can get hypothermic remarkable quickly when they get wet though–so the wetter, “warmer” cold of New England winters actually concern me more than the extreme dry cold we experience here. </p>
<p>Number one tip from a reluctant northerner…never underestimate the power of a pair of SmartWool socks to exponentially increase your happiness in the winter 
</p>
<p>Don’t let the cold keep you indoors!</p>