<p>My son will be attending cornell next year. What are the quintessential clothing recommendations from other parents of Cornellians? I don't want to buy a bunch of gear, only to find that he won't wear it, doesn't need it or it doesn't really keep him warm. Name brands welcome.</p>
<p>Northface for jackets. Timberland boots.</p>
<p>My oldest DS, born and raised mainly in sunny southern Cal, recently relocated to NC is currently attending school in balmy (HA) Minnesota. Talk about a change and cold. I sent him with a set of cotton sheets and flannel sheets and a down comforter with duvet covers (1 cotton, 1 flannel). I sent him with a Columbia parka, insulated but not that big puffy kind. Also a Timberland coat (heavy, but not a parka) and a medium weight but flannel-lined Ediie Bauer. Sent him 1 pair of Timberland boots, 2 pairs of athletic shoes and another pair which was water-proof. So far, he has used all of them, for the different types of weather. Sent 1 pair of heavy-duty snow gloves and 1 pair of lighter-weight, keep-the-cold out gloves. My mom sent a few beanies (knit caps) and i sent a heavy-duty wool baseball cap. Again he has used them all, and has said how useful they all were. The jackets were all darker colors, nothing flashy. Also a heavy-duty backpack that would hold up with all that cold weather.</p>
<p>Socks that wick away the moisture, and plenty of sweatshirts with hoods to layer underneath or to wear alone on warmer days. Son says so far so good. He is also a fotball player so he needed the underarmor for playing/practicing in the cold weather. I found the coats mostly online, spring and summer when most went on clearance. Same with boots, and his heavier linens. Used the eddiebaueroutlet.com and jcpenneys.com from some of the jackets and gloves. I started looking as soon as I knew where he was going since he had no heavy winter clothing. That way it wasn't so overwhelming in August.</p>
<p>Saved a ton of money buying all his winter stuff in the off-season and after season sales.</p>
<p>Hope this helps,
Kat</p>
<p>ps found the Timberland jacket at Marshall's, and some of the really nice socks and sweat shirts at TJ Maxx and Ross.</p>
<p>Not a Cornell person, but experienced in cold & snow. LL Bean catalog has lots of good stuff for cold New England weather. Key items:</p>
<p>-down jacket longish (thigh length)
-good LL Bean boots (rubber bottoms, w/ lace up tops & fleece inside)</p>
<p>Mostly I found the problem was bundling up to walk to class, then my class being in an overheated building so I was melting & falling asleep since I was overdressed. I found easiest to dress normally & have very heavy coat, plus hat, gloves, scarf, etc that could all be removed once I was in the building.</p>
<p>Check out Sierra Trading Post. GREAT buys on outdoor clothing, and a very good return policy. They are an outlet for overstocks, 2nds etc, and have been around a long time.</p>
<p>As one who has lived in, and liked, cold weather, layering is a good concept. As a practical matter, don't drown your kid. Let him get to Cornell and figure out what's practical, trendy, or whatever. There's plenty of time to buy in the fall after he arrives, and there is always Thanksgiving.</p>
<p>Even worse than buying something not on sale is buying something on sale that never gets worn. Clothing can be like that.</p>
<p>1) Duofold long underwear - tops and bottoms. Don't buy cotton. Cotton holds water and chills the wearer. 2) Smartwool or Thorlo socks. These socks are blends of synthetics and wool. They wick moisture away from the feet while keeping them warm. They aren't itchy like wool socks. 3) A warm hat. More heat is lost through the head than any other part of the body. Polarfleece is a good option. Polarfleece fabric is made from recycled plastic. Although not strictly waterproof, it sheds a great deal of moisture and is very warm. 4) Mittens, if your son will wear them. Mittens are much warmer than gloves. 5) Goretex hiking shoes/boots. Goretex is a fabric not a brand name of shoe, but any outdoor store will have a variety of footwear in Goretex. Goretex will keep your son's feet dry. Once a person tries Goretex (or similar fabric) you'll have a difficult time getting him to switch to anything else. It's great to be able to tramp across dewy grass or wade through a puddle without a drip of water penetrating your shoes. Buy hiking shoes/boots that fit your son; it doesn't matter which brand they are. The fit for different brands varies. 6) For a jacket, buy one that is basically a waterproof shell with a zip-in lining. The lining is makes a good mid-weather jacket, the shell can be used alone in warm, rainy weather, while the combination is good for cold days. Columbia and North Face, among others, make good quality jackets. 7) Although it isn't clothing, buy sunscreen and lip balm. A person can burn just as badly on a cold, sunny day when the ground is covered with snow as he can on the beach in the middle of summer.</p>
<p>If you can't find the above near you, check the internet. Several websites sell all of the above. You can often purchase winter clothing on sale at this time of year.</p>
<p>I will pass back the same information that was given to me last year. Check out
Rei <a href="http://www.rei.com%5B/url%5D">www.rei.com</a> (don't forget to check out the outlet store)
Siera trading <a href="http://www.sierratrading%5B/url%5D">www.sierratrading</a> post
ll bean <a href="http://www.llbean.com%5B/url%5D">www.llbean.com</a> (daughter never owned anything from LL bean until she went to Hanover, NH)</p>
<p>Since stores are going into resort/spring season, stores are looking to get rid of the winter merchandise which is now on sales at really low prices (Lord & Taylor is now having a sale on their winter stuff 50 to 80% off, some with an additional 20% of coupon). I would also shop the web at various deparment stores because they have exclusive web specuals. If your are near any of the Chelsea premium outlets, definitely shop at the North Face Store and the Timberland outlet because you will not be able to beat their prices.</p>
<p>Two years running now, my son has decided too late that it's time to go out and buy boots. Can't find them in his size in late January! Therefore, I recommend going with your kid to buy the boots! (I will do this the end of next summer.) (Yes, right now my otherwise extremely intelligent son is wearing running shoes in Boston... but he doesn't carry a spare pair of dry socks with him wherever he goes. </p>
<p>We are REI members, and get a rebate of about 8% every year. However, sale merchandise sometimes doesn't qualify for the rebate. However, things like socks do. </p>
<p>As for scarves and hats, I second the recommendation for polarfleece hats; they don't itch, and can be found fairly cheaply. However, hand-knitted things are kind of trendy on college campuses now (esp. if they are a little funky), and my son actually has a small collection of handknitted wool scarves. He even wears the one I made him. His favorite, I will note, was knitted on too-small needles and is very dense.</p>
<p>landsend overstock catalog currently has men's hikers in waterproof suede and cordura nylon for $24.99.</p>
<p>The same Lands' End catalog has down coats and parkas on sale. I tried talking S into buying one now for Boston winter next year and he snorted at me.</p>
<p>Marite-
the landsend.com outlet site is where I picked up my DDs parka for this winter. I used the on-the-counter feature, price is marked down on M/W/F 25%/50%/75% off outlet price. And the coat has kept her very, very warm.</p>
<p>Kat</p>
<p>Kinshasa:</p>
<p>He'll join the other CA students in ruing the weather.</p>
<p>Marite, I told him he's probably right, it's jumping the gun to buy one now. After all we'll have enough stuff to shlep on the plane. Down coats are bulky and could take up half a duffel bag.</p>
<p>Eastern Mountain Sports (EMS) has good sales on occasion. Also, a well-made down coat will compress down to practically nothing--it's the loft (air caught by the feathers) that will provide the insulation.</p>
<p>i can't tell you about any "good" brands or anything, since most of them overcharge you for god knows anything, but i like fleece sweatshirts and hoodies. i got my hoodies and fleeces at aeropostale in philadelphia for $5 each (end of season clerance), harley-davidson hoodies from work for free. and i got my heavy jacket at a deb shop for about 15 bucks, and my leather jacket at work for about 50. other than pants, that's enough winter clothes for me. Oh and my hats and gloves, walmart, like 2 bucks for a set of hat and gloves :)</p>
<p>DS has the winter coat: his father's old heavy camel hair coat (which hadn't been worn since 1991). He wears his father's nice wool sweaters too (most of which haven't been worn since 1991, either). (I found a nice new merino one at Costco for $20 last week, though.) Unfortunately, his father's old heavy leather waterproof hiking boots are the wrong size. (And he hasn't worn those since 1991 either.) (And no, I can't get rid of them. After all, he was right: our son DID grow into the coat and the sweaters.)</p>
<p>I appreciate the Lands End suggestion, BTW, but DS is VERY picky about his shoes, often tries on every pair in the store to find the most comfortable ones. His favorite shoes are Teva sandals, because he can use the velcro to adjust them to perfection. But of course, they don't work if there's snow on the ground.</p>
<p>Never underestimate the power of online shopping and short ship times once they're there. </p>
<p>We are a hop-skip-and-jump from LLBean but do all ordering online for ease...</p>
<p>I have always hesitated to buy S clothing in advance bec. he'll only decide what he wants after seeing what others have. Your Cornell kid won't need the cold-cold stuff from day 1, so you can wait on quite a bit of it, hear what s/he wants and go online later.</p>
<p>Btw, you won't believe what HS kids up here in cold-cold country are wearing for "cold weather gear." Shortsleeve t-shirts, unzipped hoodie or soccer warm-up jacket, no boots (no matter how deep it is), soccer sandals for some of the girls (yes, soccer sandals; yes when there is snow on the ground). S has not owned a winter jkt for 2 yrs (I throw an old one of H in his car for emergencies), has not worn gloves in several years etc. etc. (except on ski slopes). Don't ask me to explain why they do it!?!?</p>
<p>Maybe college kids are more realistic bec. walk more during day from bldg to bldg, but just to emphasize that what s/he will really wear for winter gear and what you imagine may be v different.</p>
<p>What I have learned is that cold becomes a relative term. This time last year, 30 degrees in NYC would have been cold for my daughter. In hanover, 30 degrees means she can layer a few t-shirts under her sweater, throw on her fleece because it's kinda, warm. Every time that I think that it is cold and I ask her:</p>
<p>Are you wearing your heavy coat? Do you have on a hat? She replies that she is pacing her self and doesn't want to throw on too much stuff because it is going to get colder. Last week they had some -20 degree days (she wore her north face jacket, with the fleece, sweater, silk thermals, scarf, hat and ugg boots- still no heavy duty layering of clothes yet), and she said she is still pacing because it is going to get colder.</p>
<p>I just mailed her a down coat today along with some extra hats, gloves and scarves (part paranoia, part because Lord and taylor's had winter stuff 80% off and an additional 20% of coupon- she would have never forgiven me for leaving behind the $400 Michael Kors jacket for $64. I did her proud we talked on our cell phones as I literally waited to see if a woman was going to actually purchase the last one that was in D's size. She didn't I scooped it up).</p>
<p>Michigan checking in.</p>
<p>Long underwear, long underwear, long underwear. Especially the bottoms, since you don't have a coat for your legs. I have found that having that layer against my skin, keeping the cold air from getting me, makes ALL the difference.</p>
<p>Down jackets are nice. Keep you warm, aren't too heavy, can be stuffed or crammed out of way once you're inside.</p>
<p>The voice of experience: you can freeze in a down jacket if you get caught in freezing rain or wet snow. The down packs down (pun intended) and doesn't insulate anymore. So now you're in a thin, wet jacket. Give me wool or polarfleece anyday. And layers.</p>