<p>My s is a freshman and this is his first winter in a cold climate. I bought him a North Face jacket with a zip-in down lining. He has been told this jacket will not be warm enough for Boston’s winter weather. He also has a variety of hats, gloves, scarves, etc, etc…Please offer some advice to a miami mom.</p>
<p>what will be "warm enough" varies by the wearer -- coming from florida, your son will probably need something a lot warmer than another student from new england.
if you have not already checked there, you may want to go over to the parents cafe forum (subforum of parents) -- i think there have been threads about coats before, or you can pose the question there. that way you can get advise from a broader range of parents with experience of going from warm to cold climates than you might get here.
(we live in the northeast, so didn't find a real change in the winter wear our student needed so i can't be of much help)</p>
<p>yeah, you should get him the warmest coat you can find either the warmest north face version or the gap warmest coat (i've had mine last 5 winters and it's great!) sometimes if i have to walk from the upper-class housing area to the north academic quad, i bundle up with a long sleeve shirt, sweatshirt (with hood up), winter coat, gloves, scarf, and hat b/c not only is Boston obviously cold but the campus seems to be a wind tunnel because of all the hills</p>
<p>patagonia has nice fleeces you can wear under a jacket.</p>
<p>thanks for the suggestion of fleece, I will order s a few.</p>
<p>Your son needs a very warm jacket with a hood, like the ones in LL Bean catalog. New England winters are not only cold but windy.</p>
<p>WorkingMom2005
Are the LLBean jackets any different then the warmest NorthFace? It has a zip-in lining (including arms) and the outer jacket is waterproof as well. The inner jacket can be worn by itsself and is down. I just sent him a fleece hoodie and two flannel shirts.</p>
<p>Well, hopefully, your son got out before the storm on Friday. As a Miami resident, Saturday morning's 12 degree temperatures (and the 12" of snow on the ground) may have taken him by surprise.</p>
<p>The real cold part of the winter is after they return for second semester. My daughter (sophomore this year) was telling us about how you could recognize the southern students from a distance. The kids from the area (we're from Massachusetts) were walking around with a shirt / sweater / light jacket, and the out-of-area kids looked like the Michelin man from all the coats.</p>
<p>LLBean is a good choice. I've found them to be a bit warmer (not grossly, just a bit) than a comparable NorthFace. Wearing several layers has more impact than the brand of the coat, though. The important thing is to have a coat with both a waterproof and windproof shell. A hood is nice (or a hoodie under the coat), and warm gloves are important. People not used to the cold often find mittens warmer than gloves.</p>
<p>It's a culture shock. My daughter gave her best friend a ride to the airport Friday before the storm started. There was a hard freeze the night before. Her friend (now enjoying 80 degree days in Texas) didn't understand my daughter's comment that the doors on the car were frozen shut. "What do you mean 'frozen shut'?" "It means we're going to keep hammering on the edges of the doors until one opens." ;^)</p>
<p>no matter what, you should wear multiple layers in places like boston.</p>
<p>it's usually thermal base, fleece/sweatshirt thingy, and then a waterproof/windproof shell.</p>
<p>for the shell, i think you should always go top of the line, gore-tex no matter what. it's the most comfortable, breathable, and windproof.</p>