Winter Coat Question

Colleges and Universities A-Z Cornell University
1

I was born in California and have either lived on the west coast or in the south for most of my life. I am use to either wearing shorts and a t-shirt and maybe a light jacket to school most of the year.

I know absolutely nothing about what a good winter coat is, for an area like Ithaca, NY. As a matter of fact, I started off looking for coats and socks with batteries to help keep me warm in the winter. LOL!

I found a website that talked about the Canada Goose coat (specifically the Snow Parka) being the warmest coat in the world.

Does anyone have experience with this coat?

Thank you so very much and congrats to everyone on their decisions yesterday!

2

Down jackets are warm, but do your research before buying, as they’re not all equal. If you start in August, you’ll have plenty of time to get one before it gets cold (August can actually be very hot and humid here). You’ll want to budget for a good quality pair of boots (don’t skimp on these). Learning how to use multiple layers of clothing in the winter is important. I’m from Syracuse, so we actually get about twice as much snow annually as Ithaca because we get more lake effect snow from the Great Lakes. I think Ithaca gets about 60" per year, which isn’t too bad. In my experience, people who have never experienced snow love it at first; by February that will have worn off :slight_smile: It can be quite beautiful though. The first few times you go outside on a quiet, snowy, moonlit evening, it will make quite an impression. The snow dampens the sound, so everything is quieter than it normally would be. Anyways, yeah, goose is good lol!

3

LL Bean boots, with thinsulate or fleece lining, and warm woolen socks will be fine. Top of the style charts too, for men and women.

Agree with layers to keep upper body warm; look at LL Bean for thermal underwear, or try under-armor. Add fleece and a flannel shirt, a warm sweater, and a down jacket /shell combo and you will be set for anything. North face and Patagonia do a good job on the down/shell combos (both have full lifetime warrantees). Leave room for the layers (go a size up). After walking across the huge campus, it is best to remove layers as needed when indoors too.

If you get a huge heavy down coat it is only good for the worst days, then you will also need lighter waterproof shells and lighter down jackets, so best to layer rather than buy a heavy expensive down coat.

You will need a couple of pairs of warm gloves - thinsulate lined and waterproof, and a warm hat and scarf.

Also consider thermal underwear for legs, or flannel lined jeans (see LL Bean again). So cozy!!

4

Cross posting with 2prep Mom,pretty much agree in full.

I had to laugh at the Snow Parka. First pass, If I’m onto the right one, am seeing $700-900+ and a rating for -40 degrees. You can get a practical jacket for far less and wear layers, as said- a fleece under the jacket and/or something like Underarmour. Then the fleece alone (like a NorthFace pullover) is good for milder days.

You can take a look at the REI or the LL Bean catalogs online and compare their temperature ratings to the Ithaca weather. That’ll start to give you an idea of the materials and how they help. Dorms and classrooms will be warm, paths will be shoveled. Where my kids were, LL Bean duck boots are popular. Also, Uggs- but get them waterproofed (at a shoe repair shop.) Many say down should be in a waterproof outer shell. Or at least, water resistant (my kids had the latter.) Most f the newer down wear is light, makes a very lightweight jacket. I’ll bet you’ll like a jacket, better than a coat- and then the leggings.

Where my kids were they rarely needed a heavy jkt before Thanksgiving, but I wouldn’t wait til the last minute, stores can run out of the style you want. Even online. Good luck.

5

Agree! The down coat is warm but way too hot once you get indoors for class, and then hard to find a place for because it’s so fluffy. We have one like that but I’ve only used it rarely, like for football games when the snow comes early. Go with a silky underlayer, then a long sleeve shirt, and if it’s really cold, a sweater under a coat not as heavy as the -40 one. If it’s only a little cold you can skip the sweater. My daughter uses a wool peacoat as her outer layer, but some people like longer coats to give more coverage for their lower body. And of course, she grew up within an hour of Ithaca :wink: .

6

Being from the area these threads always make me smile. Kids from around would never consider wearing a pair of actual winter boots unless they were engaged in an outdoor sport/activity and ditto for those heavy coats. Typically boots and coats are more about fashion than warmth. A lot of guys never even wear their winter coats, or just wear a lightweight NF type fleece…and don’t even own a pair of winter boots! Remember, they aren’t spending much time outside, they are just walking form point A to point B. Oh and I guarantee you will find some guys wearing shorts year round, and don’t rule out spotting kids in flip flops in the snow…

7

Hi and thank you all so much for responding!

I guess you can tell that I’m a little naïve and, based upon the responses, perhaps overly concerned with how difficult it will be to prepare for a real winter.

Although I was initially thinking that I would find something good on sale during the summer months, I agree, it might be best to wait until I get there to buy it so that I can at least try it on to get the correct size. I assume if it’s too tight, layering will be a problem, and too loose might let too much cold air in.

Layering is new to me and I think for my first winter I might look pretty funny. I keep envisioning myself looking like Ralphie’s little brother from “A Christmas Story” where he was waddling through the snow with so many layers on he couldn’t put his arms down. :slight_smile: I was thinking I would probably have to get to class 20 minutes early, just to have time to take off some of the layers to be able to lower my arms so that I can take notes!

When I took a trip there a couple of weeks ago, the admissions counselor also advised me to make sure I have a few pairs of good wool socks and a good quality pair of boots. And 2prepMom, I love the idea of flannel lined jeans! This is a whole new world to me, I never knew they made such things. I’m so excited for my first winter in the snow!

Again, thank you guys so much! All of these suggestions are really great!!!

8

We live in Florida so I was wondering the same thing,lol. My daughter will insist on wearing skirts and dresses just no flipflops. How do girls remain fashionable? Do they wear coats and uggs or snowboots and down jackets?

9

The pea jacket mention reminded me of how my girls loved them- they can be dressed up or down and they don’t need to be expensive. But our experience is they really aren’t for the coldest months. To get away with a wool coat/jkt for lots of walking or bus-waiting, etc, it really has to be the finest, tightly woven material.

So with a skirt, wear leggings or there are thick tights. (There are also insulated leggings- these were mentioned on the leggings thread here, people loved them.) Depending on her style, that can be very fashionable. Yup, Uggs. Our experience is the real ones are warmer and more durable than the imitations. (They can last a long time. Many shoe repair places up here can clean them, plus waterproof.)

About down- when you look at the catalogs, look at how lightweight these jkts now are. It’ll surprise you. (If it isn’t clear, you can call LLBean and they’ll tell you. They can answer almost anything.) Also, there are newer manmade insulating fabrics so light you won’t believe the warmth they can provide. Look at the temperature ratings. Quality companies that specialize in winter or hiking/camping wear won’t mislead.

Also about down, yes, you have to be very careful about sizing, in general, even without something under. Many styles run small (cuz the original principle is to wear them close to the body.) Buy this summer and you can always return/exchange, often with free return shipping. Too loose- your comment about air coming in-- many styles (most you’ll be looking at, as a newbie) will have a drawstring bottom, to cinch it in, if needed. Sometimes, a drawstring at the waist. Elasticized cuffs.

Also, some wear those rubber horse boots. But even with wool socks, my girls didn;t find them warm enough in the dead of winter. They are good for the muddy months, after winter. And, can also be found inexpensively priced.

10

Good read if you want to learn about down jackets.
http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Down-Jacket-Reviews/Buying-Advice

11

Thank you JustTryIt! :slight_smile: I never knew there were so many different variables when picking out a winter coat. That article had some very good information. Again thanks, I really appreciate that.

12

Okay! I am the proud owner of a few pairs of flannel lined and fleece lined jeans. They were in the clearance bin and only cost about $14.99 each at Cabela’s. I was so glad I caught this sale, they normally would have cost me $49.00 each.

I will have to wait on the winter coat/jacket until I get to school, but this is a good start in regards to getting what I need for the winter.

I’m also still hoping to find a few sweaters and thermals on sale this summer which will help with my layering during the winter.

Thanks again for all the great suggestions!

13

Yay! Just be aware a store near the college may not have the selection or the price you want. In my own search, I usually can’t find what I like if I wait past October (not kidding. Maybe it’s my preferences or where I am- and a bit of bad luck. Maybe others don’t have that problem.)

Nothing wrong with scouting online. As we said, most companies will let you return for a different size.

14

Do they cancel classes if the weather is really bad? LOL Also, what type of clothing do they need for August, September?

15

Hi Lookingforward, that’s a very good point. Thank you!

Hi Iisaol, I asked that same question (in addition to also asking if they put the instructor’s lecture on video in case of extremely inclement weather) to the dean of admissions when I was there a of couple weeks ago and he laughed and said Cornell never closes. I imagine there might be an exception here or there but for the most part, I think they expect us to be in class no matter what.

To be honest, that makes sense. At least in my case, I knew the winters would be harsh, so it’s my job to figure out what I need to do to make it as comfortable as possible.

Again, having never experienced anything like this before, I’m looking at this as quite an exciting adventure! :slight_smile: BUT, I’m also planning to keep a lot of bottled water, juice, peanut butter and crackers in my room just in case we get snowed in. Ha, ha, ha!

Someone else with more experience can probably tell you for sure about dressing for August and September, but from what I’ve read in this thread and in other threads on the board, it seems like normal summer clothes, although it may be cool enough for a sweater or something like that in the evenings.

16

Here’s what some Cornell students wore on one winter day, might give you some idea:
https://vimeo.com/10818723
Though they probably don’t always dress with the expectation of getting quiite as much snow on them.

Getting into Fall it will definitely start getting nippy. Sweater yes, but then also jacket.
And rainy. And breathtakingly beautiful. You’ll love it.

17

Thanks Monydad! I had to watch that a couple of times to wrap my head around what I was really seeing. Lol!!! At first I looked right past the coats and jackets and my heart started to race when I saw they were in knee deep snow!! What a fun time! :slight_smile:

Once I calmed down, I saw that in even what seemed like the coldest of days, they had a wide range of coats, hats and jackets.

18

Just to manage expectations:

Most of that snow looked closer to ankle deep than knee deep to me. But if you look closely, you will see that the actual walking paths were completely clear.

The university has seen a snowfall or two, and it’s pretty good at dealing with it. At a certain level.

Usually as a student you will not be deliberately walking into the uncleared part to have a snowball fight, you will be walking on a cleared path.

However that path may well have a layer of snow,slush, even ice still lingering.
Moreover, walking on sidewalks, and especially crossing streets, you will encounter much slush. For long stretches of time. Particularly as you walk off the campus proper and into Collegetown, for example.

If there’s a point to this, I guess it would be that you should certainly have some sort of waterproof/resistant footwear, with gripping/ rubber treads, extending at least ankle length, but it does not necessarily need to extend all the way to your knees.

Also, I just looked it up, at the time of that snowball fight it was about 30 degrees out.
Which is historically a very representative high temperature for a day in February; a little on the low side actually,

It does get a lot colder, though, on the odd day (and every morning & evenng), and sadly last winter that odd day wasn’t so odd. Hopefully you won’t soon have a repeat. But, on those days, additional layers can be your friend,

Interestingly, I did not make the acquaintance of thermal underwear during my time in Ithaca, That came later, when I lived in Chicago. You may need it sooner than I did. Then again you might not,

19

my boys do a lot of layering. Sweatshirt, North face Fleece, Ski Jacket (Montclair). never wanted the thermal underwear (said too warm when they are inside).

20

"never wanted the thermal underwear (said too warm when they are inside). "

That’s a good point. When I got to my office in Chicago I would actually take it off.
No such luxury when you get to class.