Insulated jacket recommendations?

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Turnip

Full Member
Sep 28, 2010
508
53
Radnorshire
Howdy Folks,

I'm after some options for a decent insulated jacket in the £100-£150ish price bracket.
It'll mainly be for walking the dog about town, down in the stadium to watch the rugby and an as a cozy coat when I stop for a brew on long walks.
I want something lightweight, warm when stood around and ideally synthetic, I will consider down if its sourced in a suitable manner.
I've searched google but there seems to be an awful lot of choices and quite a lot of contradiction with regards to there warmth.

Thank you in advance for any help you can offer.

Turnip
 

Paulm

Full Member
May 27, 2008
1,089
183
Hants
I have a couple of snugpak jackets, SJ3 and SJ6, wouldn't hesitate to replace them with same if needed. They also do an SJ9 but not felt cold enough to go for one of those yet !
 
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Robson Valley

Full Member
Nov 24, 2014
9,959
2,664
McBride, BC
Get out of the wind = drawstring waist inside, knitted elastic cuffs. Windproof shell = tight canvas.
Loose, very fluffy scarf piled up around your neck. Go with layers = knitted wool sweater.
A big single layer is hard for me to adjust if I'm at all active outside.
At -25C, that is not for long. Eddie Bauer down parka for that.

It never rains here when it's cold = it brushes off like sugar.
For me, here, it's only ever an issue of which model of Carhartt coat would I like?

Hindsight shows me that I'm trying to prevent air exchage from inside the coat to the outdoors, bellows style.

Turnip: I wish you well in the search. A new coat is a thing of luxury at any price.
 
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Robson Valley

Full Member
Nov 24, 2014
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McBride, BC
Thanks, brambles. I'd love to try that one on in the Coyote color ( 'Yotes are gray but I'll overlook that!)
Using a currency conversion of 1.6X, not an outrageous price, either.
I need to be able to work the cuffs and zippers with gloves and shell mittens on.
I could not tell if there was an inside waist drawstring. It looks windproof. That's a big deal for me.
 

Artic Bob

Member
Feb 1, 2018
39
25
Marches
Howdy Folks,

I'm after some options for a decent insulated jacket in the £100-£150ish price bracket.
It'll mainly be for walking the dog about town, down in the stadium to watch the rugby and an as a cozy coat when I stop for a brew on long walks.
I want something lightweight, warm when stood around and ideally synthetic, I will consider down if its sourced in a suitable manner.
I've searched google but there seems to be an awful lot of choices and quite a lot of contradiction with regards to there warmth.

Thank you in advance for any help you can offer.

Turnip

i'd echo the recomendation for snugpak (though i've heard, second-hand, a couple of horror stories about build quality) i'd also put a word in for the Mountain Equipment Fitzroy and the Alpkit Apogee.

i simply wouldn't bother with down, its just too succeptable to getting damp.
 

Billy-o

Native
Apr 19, 2018
1,981
975
Canada
So, are you looking for somthing more like the mothership ... sort of 35" long, deep pockets, hood, warm easy to get on and off?

£150 doesnt get you all that far, sadly. Thought of getting a duffel coat?

Tommy Hilfiger do a parka at around 250 pounds and there's an Eddie Bauer in that range too ... but decent parkas kind of start at £450 and head up smartly. Fjallraven often do affordable winter versions of their shorter jackets. Their parkas require mortgages, but then again they can serve as small houses.

North Face, Patagonia, Marmot and those other reliables have a consistent range of urban winter jackets that might do you, but they need a bit more budget. More inside the budget there is Columbia and there is Caterpillar.

You could of course buy a gently used Barbour and get a liner for it. Actually, I think that would be my plan. And, you might like to look at the Filson wool jacket liner and work around that with different options on top. :) I am a great one for layering.

My favourite combo in that line for looking dashing whilst sipping scotch at the edge of an amateur sportsfield is an old wool Ranger jacket from Swanndri and over it an even older Elk hide jacket I picked up from Roots in the early 1990s. Wooly gloves, hat, scarf, snacks (phone set to Airplane mode)
 
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Paul_B

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 14, 2008
6,154
1,546
Cumbria
Take a look at outdoor action online. They were selling heavy duty winter parkas a few years back if that's your thing. Scandinavian brand I can't recall. Ridiculous discount from a high RRP I think but a few years ago Might still have something now because they operate as discounters of certain brands.

Although that's not what I understood what the op wants. Something that's lighter and packable for when you're active outdoors and need a warm layer for a lunch stop for example.

I own a few synthetic tops - a rab smock and a haglofs belay jacket. The haglofs is really nice if I'm between sizes for fit. I sized up so can layer it over a lot for lunch stops. It's a simple jacket, smart enough but it's an outdoors jacket. Their own equivalent to primaloft infill and I think it's about 120g/m2 back and shoulders but only 80g/m2 on the arms and torso. About the right insulation area weight for my use. Shape is a simple jacket with one full zip and two zipped hand warmer pockets. The feature I like is the high collar. I have a long neck and the neck collar of this jacket really works well when fully zipped up to get the most insulation possible. Current product line seems to only offer this jacket with a hood. I got mine 2 years ago in Scotland on a cycle tour in summer which had a couple of really cold days at the beginning of the trip before we set off. I needed a warmer layer and the only outdoor shop sold this one for £100 which tbh was a good price.

IMHO haglofs is still a good brand (even if it's not as good as it used to be).
 

Robson Valley

Full Member
Nov 24, 2014
9,959
2,664
McBride, BC
Don't bother with Columbia. I have never owned clothing that cost so much and wore out so fast ( elbows, seams, etc).
I'm outside, -2C, for the afternoon. My old Carhartt chore coat is pushing 20 years old with a few little worn spots.
 

Billy-o

Native
Apr 19, 2018
1,981
975
Canada
IMHO haglofs is still a good brand

O yes ... best fleece jacket I have ever had is a Haglofs :) Got a couple of their ultra light rain jackets too and their approach shoes are not tthings to be sneered at either (though I think those are actually made by Asics). Knew I should have got a Belay whilst they were still around
 
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Paul_B

Bushcrafter through and through
Jul 14, 2008
6,154
1,546
Cumbria
My old, black haglofs fleece is my work uniform. Factory based in the office mostly but you don't wear your smart clobber or you'll get it trashed. The fleece just keeps going for 10+ years. Sure the elbows are a bit thin and losing the black, the 1/4 length zip failed years ago and it's somehow become wider / shorter so doesn't quite fit me now. It's still a solid fleece. Besides there's nothing quite a well designed now. Closest I think is the astron fleece.

So I'm a bit fan of haglofs.
 

Billy-o

Native
Apr 19, 2018
1,981
975
Canada
Oh, I thought this was an ask for walking the dog and going down the rugby ... :lol:

You might screw up your courage and buy a Harkila jacket ... or in any case look at the hunting jacket options .. there's a few.

The Pro Huntrer has been on my list of things to try and get .. its £330 on sale at the moment. But that's it ... you'll be done

 
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Duggie Bravo

Settler
Jul 27, 2013
532
124
Dewsbury
I have a BAS Buffalo Parker, bought second hand.

Does everything you want and well within your budget.

I’m normally out in just that and a t-shirt last winter, need to keep the house warm, so I don’t wear jumpers very often.


Sent using Tapatalk
 

Turnip

Full Member
Sep 28, 2010
508
53
Radnorshire
Thanks for all your in put folks! I've got a couple of contenders now off the back of your advise, so hopefully will find "the one" after a couple of shopping trips!
 
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Robson Valley

Full Member
Nov 24, 2014
9,959
2,664
McBride, BC
Don't keep us in suspenders. I'd like to see your coat some day
and learn your top 3 reasons for picking it out ( even if one is cost.)

Yesterday here was so damn cold (building up to wet snow today) that I officially dragged out my old Carhartt
for outdoor doings. I was right = it's the wind I don't want. I'll never see 72 again and warm is where I'll be.
 

Turnip

Full Member
Sep 28, 2010
508
53
Radnorshire
Evening Folks,
So I decided to go for a Buffalo Systems Alpine jacket, I'm a 41" chest so Buffalo recommended I went for a large, it arrived today and is rather loose. wondered if anyone else has found similar and a Medium fitted better?
 
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Robson Valley

Full Member
Nov 24, 2014
9,959
2,664
McBride, BC
I'd plan on wearing layers underneath, reads you have room for a couple!
I think that loose is better than slim-tight to restrict your movement.

My raincoat is 4X large, planned to be able to wear warming layers underneath it.
 

Hodge

Forager
Aug 3, 2018
245
165
63
West Midlands
Evening Folks,
So I decided to go for a Buffalo Systems Alpine jacket, I'm a 41" chest so Buffalo recommended I went for a large, it arrived today and is rather loose. wondered if anyone else has found similar and a Medium fitted better?
Did you get a good deal, as the alpine jackets I have seen are in the £190 + price range.
 

Turnip

Full Member
Sep 28, 2010
508
53
Radnorshire
I'd plan on wearing layers underneath, reads you have room for a couple!
I think that loose is better than slim-tight to restrict your movement.

My raincoat is 4X large, planned to be able to wear warming layers underneath it.

The buffalo clothing is meant to be worn next to the skin ideally, or with a thin layer, that's why I'm not sure if I should go down a size.
 
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