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A good winter coat will keep you warm and dry even when the snow is falling and the wind is howling. A great winter coat will keep you warm, dry, and looking good, too.
The Patagonia Men's Topley Jacket is our top pick because it's well insulated, water resistant, and imbued with understated but undeniable style.
Winter is coming, and depending on where you live, that means freezing temperatures, snow, rain, and biting wind that always seems to find the gap between your pants and jacket. But just because the winter weather can be unrelentingly savage, that's no reason not to get outside and get on with your day. With the right winter coat, you can keep the chill at bay while you work or play, and you can even look good while you're at it.
The primary job of a winter coat is pretty straightforward: It needs to keep you warm. This is both a comfort and a safety matter, so make sure to consider the insulation capabilities of a winter jacket over all other factors. It's better to not to die of exposure than it is to look good, so you might have to sacrifice style for welfare. Keep in mind that water resistance plays a big role in warmth. A sodden jacket loses most of its insulation capacity, so if you live in or frequently visit areas with lots of precipitation, you need a jacket that is waterproof (or at least highly water resistant) to ensure that you'll remain warm enough.
You also need to be able to complete a given set of tasks without your coat impeding your abilities. You wouldn't go skiing or work on a construction site in a wool pea coat because the material would restrict your motion and also there's the whole looking ridiculous thing. But you also wouldn't wear a super puffy 800-fill down parka while meeting your friends for a drink in the city on a chilly but clear winter evening. That would be overkill and also look a bit silly. So also make sure to consider when and where you'll wear your coat in terms beyond the environmental factors.
The good news is that lots of men's winter coats are warm, water-resistant, and stylish. Once you have assessed a jacket and determined that it meets your needs in terms of safety and performance, you should absolutely shop based on looks. After all, your winter jacket is the garment people see any time you are out and about in those colder months. Read on to see which of our picks is bets for your needs.
Here are the best men's winter coats you can buy:
- Best winter coat overall: Patagonia Topley Jacket
- Best waterproof: Columbia OutDry Ex Gold Down Hooded Jacket
- Best for working: Caterpillar Heavy Insulated Parka
- Best for extreme cold: Mountain Hardware Absolute Zero Parka
- Best versatile parka: Fjällräven Kyl Parka
- Best classic wool coat: Woolrich Classic Peacoat
Updated on 11/12/2018 by Owen Burke: Added the Woolrich Peacoat and Fjällräven Kyl Parka. Updated prices and formatting.
Read on in the slides below to check out our top picks.
The best men's winter coat overall
Why you'll love it: The Patagonia Men's Topley Jacket offers the warmth of a parka in a handsome, stylish jacket that looks right at home above a pair of jeans or dress slacks.
At a glance, the Patagonia Men's Topley Jacket looks like a casual and rather simple jacket. Its design would not have looked out of place in any decade since the 1940s and will likely remain fashionable many decades into the future. Although this jacket may be unassuming in appearance, it's actually quite capable in terms of performance.
The outer shell of this two-layer coat is made from 100% recycled polyester and is waterproof yet breathable. The inner layer is quilted and features 600-fill-power recycled down that provides excellent insulation. Thanks to a zipper secured with a buttoned storm flap, even a harsh, cutting wind will be kept at bay.
But frankly, lots of jackets look rather like this one and can keep you warm and dry, too. What sets this jacket apart from the pack are the details. Its exterior pockets are lined with brushed jersey to keep your fingers warm and cozy. Its removable hood is well insulated, adjustable, and features a laminated visor to keep precipitation off your face (and out of your eyes, most notably). The left chest pocket has a waterproof zipper and a port for headphones. The waist can be cinched shut with an adjustable drawcord that keeps out that biting wind.
Most people who have worn the Topley give it at least a 4.5-star rating, though the latest version of this retro classic is too new to have many reviews. Most professional apparel writers love the jacket, while a writer from WyomingFlyFishing.com loves the way the "urban-friendly" jacket "wraps you in compressible warmth."
Pros: Stylish appearance, dual-layer design offers excellent insulation, clever design features
Cons: Rather expensive
Buy the Patagonia Men's Topley Jacket at Patagonia for $399.00
Shop all men's jackets and coats at Patagonia
The best waterproof winter jacket
Why you'll love it: You could have a friend spray you with a hose and still stay dry in the Columbia OutDry Ex Gold Down Hooded Jacket, plus, you'd stay nice and warm.
I own a Columbia Sportswear OutDry Ex Gold Down Hooded Jacket and I wear it dozens of times in the winter. When I'm doing any winter camping or hiking, I use it for the duration of the trip, day and night — balled up, the jacket makes a decent pillow for sleeping. By day, it keeps me warm and, as you likely surmised, 100% dry. When you see Columbia's proprietary OutDry tag on one of its garments, you can count on it to be totally waterproof.
I've worn my Ex Gold Down jacket in heavy snow and in driving rain and on some very cold days, and frankly, when paired with a couple layers of innerwear, the jacket kept me too warm once my heart rate was up. But that's a lot better than too cold. The jacket features multiple slender horizontal baffles that keep the 700-fill-power down in place and evenly distributed, and all seams are coated with an external tape, keeping out cold air and wetness.
Another thing you will love about this jacket is its remarkable compressibility. This thing can keep you warm in freezing temperatures, but then pack down small enough to tuck away into your pack or even into a glove compartment or a drawer. Or, like I do, you can roll the jacket up, fold it into its hood, and use it as a pillow. When you're exhausted after hiking all day, it will offer more than enough comfort.
The Columbia OutDry Ex Gold Down Hooded Jacket scores mainly five-star reviews online, with one customer saying he "highly recommend[s] it for anyone who goes backpacking in varying weather conditions." Another owner says it is "the best rain barrier I have owned."
A writer with Trailspace Outdoor Gear Reviews reported staying dry after a five-mile hike in the rain, and noted that the "nylon interior material is soft against the skin and comfortable." A gear tester with GearJunkie.com praised the coat for being waterproof and warm.
Pros: Exceptional waterproofing, compresses well for packing, lightweight
Cons: Limited breathability can cause sweating issues
Buy the Columbia OutDry Ex Gold Down Hooded Jacket at Columbia for $250.00
Shop all men's jackets and coats at Columbia
The best winter jacket for working outside
Why you'll love it: The Caterpillar Heavy Insulated Parka will help to keep you warm and safe as you get the job done despite the winter weather.
When there's work to be done, you can't let a little thing like blizzard conditions stop you from doing your job. With the Caterpillar Heavy Insulated Parka, winter weather is no obstacle for the hard working man. The exterior of the parka is water resistant and will keep you dry in snow and in moderate rain. The coat features ample insulation for temperatures well below freezing, and thanks to a drawstring waist and hood and adjustable cuffs, the cold air won't be able to seep in anywhere.
But lots of parkas can keep you warm. That's kind of their job, in fact, isn't it? This coat has a leg up on the competition when it comes to use by workers for two primary reasons. The first is the highly reflective strips emblazoned across the chest and back of the parka, which ensure its wearer is highly visible even in low light conditions. The second is the abundance of pockets. The parka has two interior pockets and multiple exterior pockets, perfect for stashing smaller tools and hardware, a pen and pad for notes, a phone or radio, and so forth.
There's one more thing that everyone will love whether you want this coat for work or for warmth while you walk the dog: It costs well under one hundred dollars.
With more than 1,300 reviews in, the Caterpillar Heavy Insulated Parka has a 4.5-star average rating on Amazon. One owner says the "only complaint is that it is almost too warm," while another says it keeps him "toasty warm without being too bulky, has so many pockets I haven’t even found them all yet."
In a winter coat write up, one reviewer with TestFacts.com called the Caterpillar Heavy Insulated Parka the "best winter jacket for men as it boasts a number of features that make it beneficial for the winter season."
Pros: Warmth maintained by secure closures at wrists, hem, and neck, reflective patches, multiple pockets
Cons: Not fully waterproof, sizes run too large
Buy the Caterpillar Heavy Insulated Parka on Amazon from $71.88 (prices vary by size)
Shop all Caterpillar Workwear men's jackets on Amazon
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