This is really belated, because it’s May. Oh well. Here are reviews of the two outerwear items that got me through this past winter. I’m putting them behind a jump because they’re stupidly long.
I did a lot of research on waterproof, snow-friendly, and WARM boots, and eventually decided to get a pair from L.L. Bean. Their shoes are all handmade and have a long historical backstory involving some dude hunting in cold, damp regions.
They have shoes and boots of all different heights and warmths. The ones I eventually decided on were the 10” shearling-lined boots in black. Some people in boot forums (which, yes, I totally read) said that 10” is unnecessarily high for a pair of boots, but they are wrong, at least for where I live: this past winter I frequently had to stomp through snowbanks that were 9”-10” high and I was very glad that I’d bought the tallest boots I could.
The boots are regularly priced at $200 but there was a sale going on when I placed my order so I think I paid about $180 total, including taxes, etc. Pretty reasonable, I think.
I like the rugged, rustic look of the boots, but they’re not as sleek as some folks will prefer. L.L. Bean really isn’t the place to shop if you want a pair of truly sophisticated/fancy-looking boots. But, then, it’s VERY hard to find a style like that and have it also be warm.
As for the boots’ actual performance… They are TOTALLY waterproof and VERY warm. They get an A+ from me on those criteria. I have walked through shin-high puddles, climbed over snowbanks, crossed mudslides, etc. in these and my feet were kept safe, dry and warm. I added shearling insoles because, weirdly, the boots’ shearling only goes down the sides and doesn’t cover the bottom – but I suspect they would’ve been warm enough even without that addition. I just hate being cold so I wanted to take all the possible measures.
L.L. Bean also has a really boss policy on repairing old boots. You do have to pay for it, but the prices are reasonable, and it ensures that you can basically keep your boots for as long as you want. So that’s pretty rad. I may not ever buy winter boots again. OMG, WONDERFUL.
Onto the coat. My dead-of-winter coat is from Lands’ End. I believe I read on a fashion subreddit that it was a good destination for warm coats. It is – they have a lot of options (though you won’t find many if you go on their site right now, because it’s spring so they’ve phased out many of their winter options for the time being).
My coat is the Shimmer Down Coat in black. It comes down to just above my knees. The sleeves are the proper length for a winter coat: not so long that they get in my way, but long enough that I can retract my hands into them for warmth if I need to.
The coat has a big, detachable hood lined with faux fur. I like that it’s so big, because I can wear it over ponytails, buns, etc. without messing up my hair too much, or looking like a conehead. The fur works well for shielding my face from cold winds, provided they’re not blowing directly at my face. I wish there was a drawstring so I wouldn’t have to hold onto the hood when it’s windy out to keep it from falling down. I also wish it zipped on and off instead of buttoning, because snaps make me nervous, even though the hood has never fallen off by accident. I also would occasionally have a problem where the hood would partially cover my eyes so I had a limited field of vision, but like, when you’re trudging through a snowstorm, a little extra reduction in vision barely seems like a big deal because you already can’t see shit.
The coat has smallish pockets (big enough for my iPhone, not quite big enough for my wallet) which are lined with a suuuuuper warm fleece. The inside cuffs of the sleeves are lined with the same fleece. I don’t know what science magic went into creating this fleece, but if I had freezing cold, near-frostbitten hands (from not wearing gloves like an idiot) and stuffed them into my pockets, they seemed to warm up IMMEDIATELY. This is a big deal.
The coat zips from the top and the bottom, if you’re into that. I haven’t had any issues with finicky zippers, which are like, the bane of my existence, so that’s good. It also has two zips in the back incase you want to… ventilate your ass?… I don’t know, I don’t really get it.
This coat is rated to -45 Fahrenheit or -43 Celsius. That calculation is based on a person who is wearing a winter-appropriate outfit under the coat (pants, shirt, sweater) which I did not always do, so I didn’t always find that the coat was as warm as it claimed to be. I felt a little chilly when the weather hit -20 Celsius. But, only a little. That’s a big fucking accomplishment, considering that I am always FREEZING by the time it hits like -5. I consider this coat a successful purchase.