Winter Jacket Suggestions??

[AdamIsGone]

I am going to be spending the winter backpacking around Europe, and need some suggestions as to what jackets I should look for. I will be everywhere from milder climates in the south of Spain to snowboarding in the Alps. I'll always be able to layer, but I want to make sure the jacket I get is something comfortable and will keep me dry and warm no matter what...but I don't want to spend an arm and a leg if I don't have to. Thanks for the help!

[aliz]

If you're after a good waterproof jacket, maybe look for a ski jacket with removable layers - my brother has a good one from Columbia which had a polarfleece inner layer and waterproof shell, which can be zipped together as one cosy warm jacket or worn seperately. Ski jackets are also great because they have a crazy amount of pockets so you can carry a lot. I don't know where you're from, but if you're in the northern hemisphere, I gather that the ski season is starting up soon so keep an eye out for sales in the snow shops. Even better, where I'm from there's a big ski sale every year where the whole town pools any ski gear they don't want and it all gets put in a big hall and sold for really cheap prices. A lot of it is brand new because everyone just sells the gear their sponsors give them that they don't want. I don't know if there's anything similar near you but keep an eye out, it would be a great way to cut down costs

[joe7f]

I got a Marmot jacket with a zipout liner. It kept me warm while skiing, and when it got too toasty, you just unzip the armpits

Being able to take out the liner made it manageable. I was using just the windbreaker part while I was in Spain.

I think it was expensive (roughly 200 US with taxes) but it is now my only jacket (it also compresses well which is important)

--Joey

[marc873]

I as well find myself heading to Eastern Europe in Winter, so last night actually, I bought this Jacket for the trip. I would also suggest Icbreaker skin 200 under-wear.
Heres the Jacket (free shipping too)http://www.llbean.com/webapp/wcs/sto...feat=502790-tn

[d_fresh]

I'd suggest looking at some running jackets. they're designed to be small and lightweight.

[LiveFreeorDie]

Definately consider a waterproof shell with some thin insulation. You can either go with one that includes a fleece detachable liner or just buy the shell and bring your own layers. Something like this wouldn't be a bad choice and is fairly reasonable. If you want to go even cheaper, you might be able to find something similar at Old Navy, but performance won't be as good (I imagine this is similar to the one Aliz was talking about):

Columbia

I wouldn't recommend buying a big bulky jacket.

Just as an aside, be very careful if you decide to look on Ebay. There are lots of counterfeit North Face jackets on there from China. Actually, most North Face on Ebay is counterfeit. Good luck!

[AdamIsGone]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I believe I'll be ordering the columbia jacket that livefreeordie suggested..I think it fits my budget well and was reviewed well on several sites.

[aliz]

haha, yep, that's my brother's jacket - the shell design has changed a bit. He bought it a few years ago and is still really happy with it, which is pretty good coming from a guy who feels the need to replace his phone, camera, iPod, Car, and ski gear every six months or so. yeah he earns far too much money for his age. grrr...

[mbo108]

If you can, and don't mind it, I would try to get it in black or a darker color so you can wear it out at night if you go to some of the trendier places. even though its still a ski parka type jacket, making it dark will help it fit in a little more. I noticed this when i was in Iceland with only my green and black ski coat that looked nothing like what the locals wore out at night. but i wanted to pack light and not bring both my coats so it was all i had. it was fine during the day, but at night some bouncers at clubs looked at me weird until i took it off, then they would nod appreciatively. just another suggestion.