Washington DC in January

[Gigi22]

May I suggest something else?
Would the OP's son be willing to wear--drumroll please--long underwear under his jeans? He can get a longsleeved thermal tee to wear under his shirt as well, and get a good fleece jacket/hoodie, mitts and a hat. He'll be warm, and you won't have invested the $$$ for a winter coat.
Remember to thoroughly waterproof his shoes/boots--this will make a lot of difference.

 

[Christine]

May I suggest something else?
Would the OP's son be willing to wear--drumroll please--long underwear under his jeans? He can get a longsleeved thermal tee to wear under his shirt as well, and get a good fleece jacket/hoodie, mitts and a hat. He'll be warm, and you won't have invested the $$$ for a winter coat.
Remember to thoroughly waterproof his shoes/boots--this will make a lot of difference.

This and the layers, is probably the best bet. It'd be a pain to have to get a coat only to find out we are having one of our "mild" weeks and it's 50 or 60 degrees (it happens). With just layering, he'd be able to dress for mild or very cold weather.

I'd still get the hat, gloves, etc, but go with the long underwear or thermal shirt underneath, and a very heavy hoodie over a warmer shirt. Some of those hoodies that my son has from American Eagle are VERY heavy. You could also get something from UnderArmour but that stuff costs about as much as a coat.

 

[mhsjax]

May I suggest something else?
Would the OP's son be willing to wear--drumroll please--long underwear under his jeans? He can get a longsleeved thermal tee to wear under his shirt as well, and get a good fleece jacket/hoodie, mitts and a hat. He'll be warm, and you won't have invested the $$$ for a winter coat.
Remember to thoroughly waterproof his shoes/boots--this will make a lot of difference.

Yep, he would. We usually have it anyway, younger DS plays flag football and even here in N. Fl at 8:00 am in Jan it can be cold. So we put the long johns on.

 

[golfgal]

May I suggest something else?
Would the OP's son be willing to wear--drumroll please--long underwear under his jeans? He can get a longsleeved thermal tee to wear under his shirt as well, and get a good fleece jacket/hoodie, mitts and a hat. He'll be warm, and you won't have invested the $$$ for a winter coat.
Remember to thoroughly waterproof his shoes/boots--this will make a lot of difference.

The problem with this is that they will be inside more then they will be outside and this will get HOT. I would skip the long johns under the jeans unless you get the itinerary and they are walking everywhere vs taking a bus/metro.

 

[mhsjax]

The problem with this is that they will be inside more then they will be outside and this will get HOT. I would skip the long johns under the jeans unless you get the itinerary and they are walking everywhere vs taking a bus/metro.

We have a parent info meeting tomorrow and I am sure we will get more details. They have been doing this for years so hopefully they will be able to tell us a little of what has worked in the past and how much time will be spent outside vs. inside.

Thanks everyone for your input.

 

[kirbydog48]

I went to DC last year for the week between Christmas and New Years, and it was extremely cold (and I'm from MA!). I think just watch the weather until a couple weeks before, and then make your decision. If they're walking a lot, it gets very windy around the mall. Definitely layers; thermal shirt, flannel shirt over it, sweatshirt, sweater or fleece, and a jacket. Also, a hat and gloves. Thicker socks and sneakers are ok, unless there's snow (DC got hammered last year...they got more snow than many parts of New England, but it was a fluke). L.L. Bean or Land's End have very good quality.