I have to agree with LL Bean (and a lesser extent Land's End). Good price points, especially for Gore-Tex and down. Great quality, customer service and warranty.

If you do want some of the other brands, munckee is on target with www.campmor.com. I live a few miles from their brick-n-mortar store and they have great pricing and service. Their in-house line (Sportif, I think) has an excellent price point.

If your concerned about bulk, you may want to look at a Primaloft (synthetic down) jacket. I have a Lowe Alpine Primaloft 'sweater' that can stuff into it's own pocket, yet keeps me warm in bone chilling tempature.

Michael

 

www.REI.com

 

I've tried buying North Face clothes and have to say, their sizes are WEIRD. Sleeves are WAY long, neck too small...I don't know why they have to deviate from standard sizes so much.

 

Thanks, RUGBY. Is that what Primaloft is? I was looking at this LLBean jacket with this material. Supposedly good for up to -40F w/ proper layers.

 

Timberland also makes some nice jackets.

 

PychoBen,

Yes, the jacket you show (LL Bean's Rugged Ridge) has the same Primaloft fill that my jacket has. I'm not familiar with LL Bean's Tek2 fabric but you will be hard-pressed to find a water-proof jacket with a synthetic down for $149. You could go for the Penobscot but for $20, you move up to a water-proof shell.

I think it would exceed your stated needs and if you don't like it, you can return it - - - no questions asked.

Michael

 

Personally, I'm a Patagonia whore for all of my snowboarding shells. I think that their quality is second to none. Patagonia, however is expensive. I usually get my stuff during their sale season (end of winter). If you check their website right now, and click on "Web Specials" you may be able to find something at a decent price.

As far as down jackets go, I got a really good deal on one from Polo RLX (Ralph Lauren's athletic gear) last season and am impressed. I thought that the jacket would be a total piece of crap, but its not. Best of all, I got it for $99 at the end of last winter. Check out polo.com to see if they have anything at the RLX website - but I'm guessing that the value of non-sale items there is not ideal.

North Face stuff is ok, but their colors and styles are a little too "skiier geek" for me. HH is the same way. Columbia was great when I was a little kid and liked neon yellow and purple jackets, but I haven't really considered their clothing in a while. All seem to be functional and of decent quality though.

 

Thank you all for your feedbacks. They are very helpful. I ordered the LLBean jacket in the picture last night. That should keep me warm this winter. I froze my azz off last year in my look-good only business coat.

 

Ben, stop the modding. Get clothes

 

I've worked at TNF for a year, and here's my input

they were switched over to Vanity Fair, and their jackets no longer carry their full lifetime warranty. They are overpriced but you are nonetheless getting a top notch jacket... i prefer the 700 series goose down as it can fold into its inside lining pocket for easy storage or when traveling.

If TNF is too rich for your blood, columbia is another good one, just try everything on till you find something snug or you like