Winter Clothing, Help?!?!

[SandrA9810]

Ok, So I want to get some hiking clothes, and stuff good for the winter too.

Florida winter clothing consists of a sweatshirt or jacket and some pants. Nothing fancy, and nothing expensive. A headband and gloves are nice too.

I know the basics, dress in layers, wear light weight clothing to make hiking easier, breathable/moisture wick fabrics to keep sweat off of you.
But what brands do I look for??
Which ones are better than others??
What's bottom of the line cheap that will do the job, without just looking like it'll do the job??
What's the difference between the $50, $200, and $500 down jackets?
What about boots and shoes?? What kind of price range should I look for in that??
What stores should I look at?? I'm not a fan of buying online, and I'd prefer to try on everything before purchasing.

I know it's a major upfront cost, but I rarely buy new clothes. Most of my clothes I've had for a very long time. It's one way to keep me to maintain my weight, I'm not rich enough to go buy a new wardrobe if I go up a couple sizes.

I really would like to see Yosemite in the winter. Go for a snowshoe hike, a bit of ice skating, and whatever else I can cram into my time there. I'd also like to hike Half Dome eventually. So there's going to be more than one hiking trip.

 

[QVCshopper]

I like LL Bean for outerwear/boots/sweaters. There are some B&M stores, but I get most of my things online. They have a great rating system, so you can read other people's reviews. Plus, there stuff lasts and lasts. I just picked up two LL Bean fleeces at the Goodwill today and they look really good even after being used by someone else. Free shipping now, as well.

 

[SandrA9810]

Well as long as I can try the stuff on somewhere, I won't be too opposed to buying online. And I know some deals to be had there.

We might be going to Indiana next week. I might make a side trip for myself to the goodwill store there. I'll probably have better luck finding something warm for snow there than in a place that barely ever snows (texas) or never snows (florida & california).

 

[3boymthr]

We buy a LOT of hiking, camping and outdoor gear. For the best ratings of the most current gear out there get the Backpacker Magazine Gear Guide. They don't rate everything but they do compare the top of the line to the cheapy and guess what sometimes the Walmart and Target stuff wins. The moral of the story is that most expensive is not always what's best.

While I agree with PP that LL Bean has great stuff and a great return policy it's not the be all and end all of hiking and camping gear any more (seriously you don't see the guys climbing Mt Everest in LL Bean gear- it's all North Face, etc.). About 90% of their gear is made in china. The only product they still make in the US is their Hunting Shoe.

That said, for hiking boots don't mess around with cheap boots. Don't buy anything made in china it won't hold up. If you don't care about "style" but more about the fact that you want a budget boot that will really hold up hit e-bay and search for combat boots in the collectibles section (yeah, there are more there than under shoes). DH just bought some like new (seriously based on the tread they'd never been worn) combat boots for $65 for middle DS. Oldest DS got his last winter. He wears them for all his boy scout activities. At NYLT (a special summer camp) he spent a week walking and marching and going on day hikes ranging from 3 miles to 11 miles every day. He never got a blister. Given how active he is in scouting basically he wears them constantly and they are still in great shape. Some one said to DH, well those aren't hiking boots and he replied "umm, what do you think they do all day in these boots? They march, they hike." ETA if you want to find some you can try on hit a Army/Navy Surplus Store, but depending upon you're store they may be much cheaper on e-bay.

For great gear at a great price with lots of ratings I recommend hitting Sierra Trading Post and Campmor. They sell overstocks and prior year remnants and offer lots of coupons and sales if you sign up for their e-mails. From Sierra Trading Post I got a Mountainsmith inner frame backpack for $100 after my 20% off coupon. The orginal price the prior season on this pack was over $250. I've gotten equally great bargains on equipment at Campmor. They both post customer reviews.

For an inexpensive tent that will hold up well we like Coleman ($100 for a 6 man), but for a middle of the line, absolutely 100% waterproof, even after 7 year of hard use, tent we like our REI tent ($325 in 2003) - Yes, I know for most people that's not middle of the line but considering there are backpacking tents out there with prices in excess of $2,000 that's middle of the line, practically cheap.

ETA - I noticed that you mention you are thinking of Yosemite in winter. For winter hiking you want to think wool for warmth and wicking. If you go with Fleece you're going to need more layers. Wool socks are almost a must as are a pair of liner socks on the budget side you can use a cheap pair of knee hi nylons for liner socks. DH picked up some great 100% wool Dutch Army sweaters at the Army/Navy store for about $40/ea. I got a Wool watch cap at Campmor for $9. All were Uber warm.

 

[SandrA9810]

Thanks for the help.

I am not about style at all. Give me a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and I'm good to go. Mens or womens styles, I'm good for either. Of course I prefer shopping for mens pants... so much easier to find my size. And not have to pull off 3 different sizes in the womens to see which one will fit. I hate the size 6 in this brand, size 5 in this one, and why am I wearing a size 10 in this?

I've read a lot of comments about Gore-Tex and how well the product holds up to the standards they say it does. I found these shoes on Bass Pro Shops website, and I really wish I had $50 right now to purchase them. New Balance was the only shoe I could wear when I was working at Disney. I got some bad problems when I wore other brands. http://www.basspro.com/New-Balance®-WW977GT-GoreTex®-Hiking-Shoes-for-Ladies/product/95398/-1382877
They look like they'd be great for summer day hiking. But I know it won't be good for the winter.

 

[3boymthr]

Yeah, those would be great for summer but you'd have snow down your ankles in winter. I love New Balance. They make a really comfortable shoe. For that matter in summer I wear these when we go on a day hike: http://www.landsend.com/pp/ToeStrap...&CM_MERCH=ov-search-_-Mary+Jane&origin=search (well mine are tan but you get the idea)

If you plan on hiking in areas with snow or any type of body of water Gore-tex lined shoes & boots are the way to go for winter or summer. You can get combat boots that are lined with Goretex.

 

[SandrA9810]

Part of the trail to Yosemite's Half Dome is on the Mist trail, the name says it all. It follows up the path next to a couple waterfalls, so there's a huge amount of spray and mist that keeps the area really soggy and wet.

Cross my fingers my yard sale goes well this weekend. I might just have to buy them.

You gotta remember too, I'm a native floridian. Below 60 degrees and I'm bundled up. I was a total mess last year and the year before in the winter time when we hit freezing at night time. Although the nice thing about working at Disney, is they had tons and tons of hand warmer to give out. I used to collect them during the milder days so I'd have them on the cold days. I'd keep them in my pant pockets and in my vest. If it was really bad, they'd be inside my gloves too.

 

[MinnieVanMom]

Check out Sierra Trading post and sign up for email. They always have a great offer via email to save and they are the source for all things out of doors. I bought from them for our trip to Europe because they sold clothing that travels well. I buy a lot of winter items from them because they do have a review section and a good return policy.

 

[pixiewings71]

Sandra are you still in Modesto? I think it was Modesto or maybe Stockton but I'm remembering Modesto. lol If so you're not that far from me and it gets cold here, it may not snow but it certainly freezes!! It gets down to 30 degrees here, just fyi. and it does snow in CA, maybe not where we live but it does snow so you will have no problems finding winter gear in stores around here or at Goodwill. Layers are always good, gloves, hats, boots, warm winter socks (I hate wool socks tho), you'll need those to go to Yosemite in the winter, especially if you're hiking, the boots will be a necessity. You might want to have hand warmers too, you put them in your coat pockets and they stay warm for hours, I like to use them when we are out in the cold weather. You should have a sporting goods store where you are, any good sporting goods store will be putting out winter gear any day now, and you can always find things at Target or Wal-Mart as well, just don't skimp on your coat or boots is my biggest advice, hats and gloves can be found cheaper but IME the coat and boots are very important to have good quality.

 

[marcemc]

I have bought some really nice items at Eddie Bauer outlet. I recently asked on this board about Athleta clothes and got a lot of good opinions about and I am waiting on my order.

 

[SandrA9810]

You've got it right, Modesto.

I went to look around Bass Pro Shops. I love the store, even though I rarely buy there. The Ascend and Natural Reflections caught my attention the most. They both seem to be sold in layers. So instead of a $150 all in one jacket, they sell each lining at like $35 each.

A couple years ago, I found an outlet store in Orlando, for a name brand jacket company. I think it might've been North Face or something, but they had amazingly warm jackets for a tiny fraction of the cost. I mean, $200 jackets for under $50. Shortly after I found the store, it closed down. I really wanted one of the jackets, but with no plans to visiting the north in the winter, I didn't really need one at the time.

I wish I knew where to find the outlet stores around where I am now. Of course the bigger the tourist area, the bigger the outlet stores. Ft Lauderdale and Orlando had their fair share of great finds.

 

[pixiewings71]

Unfortunately I don't know of any outlets in Modesto, we don't really stop there we just drive thru on way to someplace else. But I do know of the outlets in Vacaville, here's a link to their page of stores. http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/store_listing.asp?id=50

 

[SandrA9810]

Oooo Thanks. Looks like the Outlet mall there in Orlando. With a Tommy and a Columbia store. I'll have to be careful there.

I can't say there's much to stop for in Modesto. Although the mall right off the highway, has one of the really old Disney stores. You know with the old film strip design in teal and pink?? Ok, so that was my only highly amusing moment.