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Insulation: The insulation in women’s extreme cold weather coats is generally the major determining factor as to how warm your jacket will keep you. Insulation comes in the form of down or synthetic. Choosing the right insulation will make all the difference. Down insulation: The most common type of insulation in coats for very cold weather is down. Down insulation comes from ducks and geese and has a high warmth-to-weight ratio. This basically means despite its ability to keep you nice and warm, it’s lightweight, highly compressible, and is a great choice for visiting cold climates as you can easily pack it in a small bag.
To determine how warm a down jacket will keep you, you consider the “fill power”. Fill power is the measure of the insulating properties of the down.
Generally, the higher the number the higher the quality of the down. A high fill power means that the garment will be lighter weight for the same warmth and more compressible if you are going to pack it away in a back pack or similar.
To ensure your jackets down has been responsibly sourced, that is the birds are not force-fed or live-plucked, look for certifications, such as the Responsible Down Standard.
Synthetic insulation: Women’s coats for extreme cold temperatures that have been insulated with 100 percent down are very expensive. To keep the cost down you may like to consider a jacket made with feather blends or from synthetic fibres.
Synthetic insulation is made from man-made materials that are usually plastic based, like polyester threading and fibres that replicate the structure of down.
The fibres trap the warm air just like down does and unlike down insulation won’t clump up or lose loft when it gets wet.
Synthetic insulation is typically less expensive than down, but also heavier and not as warm for its weight. Jackets made with synthetic insulation are super bulky and take up loads of room in your luggage so don’t make the best coats for travel.
Waterproof or water resistant: With winter weather ranging from snow, sleet, wind and rain you may want to consider getting a jacket with a waterproof or water-resistant shell.
Whilst most winter jackets for extreme cold can handle some light rain, they certainly don’t all double as a rain coat.
If you think you will be spending a lot of time in the rain then you will certainly want to invest in a waterproof jacket. However most winter jackets are just water resistant which should suffice if the weather is typically just going to freezing temperatures.
The different between a waterproof jacket and a water-resistant jacket, is that a waterproof jacket has several layers of which one is a working waterproof membrane.
A water-resistant jacket on the other hand has a DWR coating, which makes the water bead and roll off the surface of the jacket. A jacket with DWR coating will keep you reasonably dry during a short time being out in the rain, but after a while the jacket will become saturated.
Wind protection: For the warmest jacket for extreme cold temperature, you’ll want to ensure your jacket will keep you protected from the wind. Exposure to wind can make a cold day even worse! Mid-weight and lightweight jackets are less likely to protect you from the wind and you run the risk of catching a cold breeze through the jacket. All the women’s jackets for extreme cold in this guide are heavyweight and should be considered highly wind resistant.
Hoods: A hood is another important factor of a jacket and can help keep you warm on a freezing cold day. For the best women’s coat for extreme cold, consider the following factors with regards to the hood:
Look for hoods that are removable, this way you can remove some bulk of the jacket when a hood is not necessary on a mild weather day.
Look for hoods lined with plush down or fleece for added warmth.
Ensure the hood can be adjusted and tightened to fit the heat nice and snugly so that wind doesn’t enter or blow the hood off your head.
For extreme temperatures look for a hood which has faux or real fur ruffs around it. This provides an added level of protection from windy conditions and traps heat around your face. Some ruffs are even removable.
Other features: Here are a few other features you may like to consider:
Pockets: Look for jackets to keep your personal belongings in as well as being lined with fleece for added warmth. Some jackets even have added insulation between the front of the pockets and outside the coat for extra warmth.
Zippers: Durable easy to use zippers are a must, look for ones with added toggles which are easy to use with gloves on. For long jackets a two-way zipper is a essential so you can make adjustments at the top of the jacket and the bottom.
Cuffs: Cuffs are great for trapping heat, look for ones that are fleece, knit or nylon. Elastic cuffs are fine but even better are ones with snap or Velcro closures to ensure the cuff is nice and tight around your wrists to avoid cold air getting inside your jacket.
Draw cords: Ensure jackets have cords to tighten the jacket at the waist and hem to ensure cold air can’t get into the jacket and warm air stays in.
Length: Winter coats also come in varying lengths and for the purposes of this guide we have categorised them into short (standard size sitting around the waist), mid (sitting around the mid thigh) or full length (from mid-thigh and longer).
For maximum warmth you will want to consider a mid to full length jacket.
Style and fit: As mentioned in the opening paragraph, the most important factor of the best winter coats for extreme cold for women is to keep you nice and warm despite freezing temperatures, but of course you also want your jacket to look stylish and be comfortable.
Let’s face it if you’re buying this jacket for a trip, you may well find yourself wearing this jacket all day every day. The jackets featured in this guide all look fantastic and will certainly keep you warm during your trip.
Also consider the fit of the jacket.
Whilst you will want to ensure there are no gaps for cold air to get into, you will also want to ensure there is room for layering underneath.
For extreme temperatures you may need room for thermals and another layer or two. — Online
