Yahoo News 10 best men’s winter coats to wrap up warm in from puffer jackets to parkas
Layering up with overshirts, fleeces and hoodies is all well and good, but when winter hits, nothing compares to a proper winter coat.
This type of heavy duty outerwear is built to do one thing and one thing only: keep you nice and warm even when the weather is trying its absolute hardest to do the opposite.
With winter slowly creeping in, now is the time to start thinking about investing in a coat to keep you warm and comfortable. Leave it too late and you’ll be faced with limited options, but act fast and you can grab one of the new-season’s styles before they fly off the shelves for good.
There are lots of styles to choose from, with parkas, puffers and wool overcoats being some of the most popular options. But they’re far from the only types of outerwear that come under the winter-coat umbrella...
Frankly, if you’re not clued up on what’s what in terms of different styles of coat, the whole thing can be a bit confusing. So, to help you reach an informed decision on which winter coat is the right one for you, we’ve been putting some key options to the test from some of the best names in the outerwear game.
How we tested
We like to get hands-on with a product in order to bring you real feedback that you can use to make an informed purchase. All of the coats featured here have been thoroughly examined up close, and worn out and about by our tester in the notoriously cold and wet depths of northeast England.
There are lots of different breeds of winter coat, and we wanted to include a good spread, covering everything from parkas to puffers. Proper winter coats can be expensive too, so as well as incorporating a range of styles, we also tested coats in a range of price brackets – from premium options to budget-friendly bargains – in order to cover all bases.
Regardless of price or style, all of the winter coats we tested had to meet our criteria in order to earn a place on the list. First and foremost, they had to be suitable for use in the UK winter weather. They also had to look good, and be durable enough to stand up to many years of use. Only the coats that ranked the highest on our scale made the cut.
The best winter coats for men in 2022 are:
Best overall – 66°North dyngja puffer: £375, 66north.com
Best for versatility – Haglöfs älv 3-in-1 gtx jacket: £460, Haglofs.com
Best for retro looks – The North Face himalayan down parka: £350, Thenorthface.co.uk
Best parka – Norse Projects stavanger gore-tex infinium down parka: £770, Norseprojects.com
Best smart winter coat – Asket wool coat: £325, Asket.com
Best for timeless looks – Belstaff trialmaster jacket: £495, Belstaff.com
Best mid-weight option – Arc’teryx therme insulated jacket: £520, ââââArcteryx.com
Best premium option – Canada Goose crofton puffer: £875, Canadagoose.com
Best for value – Uniqlo hybrid down parka: £109.90, Uniqlo.com
Best budget winter coat – H&M water-repellent puffer jacket: £49.99, Hm.com
66°North dyngja puffer
Not familiar with 66°North? Well, allow us to bring you up to speed on what is fast becoming one of our favourite outdoor brands. A product of the harsh Icelandic weather, this almost 100-year-old label began life crafting workwear for fishermen facing the toughest conditions on Earth, before branching out into outdoor pursuits like mountaineering, climbing and snowsports. It’s been a household name in its native land for decades, but as stores begin to pop up outside of Iceland (London location coming soon), the rest of the world is beginning to take notice.
The dyngja puffer jacket is one of its key outerwear styles and we think it perfectly encapsulates what the brand is all about. It’s extremely hard-wearing, beautifully made, warm enough to stand up to the coldest of climates, and looks great too… so great in fact that it has caught the attention of Skepta, who was recently spotted wearing a printed version.
We love the robust feel of this boxy, oversized puffer. It has nice chunky zippers, a removable hood and plenty of room for layering up… not that you’ll need to with its 800 fill-power down insulation. It’s made from recycled plastics too, which is a nice touch. One thing to bear in mind though is that sizing is very generous. Our tester usually wears a medium in jackets, but found a small in the dyngja to be just right. With that in mind, we’d recommend sizing down.
Buy now £375.00, 66north.com
Haglöfs älv 3-in-1 gtx jacket
Why settle for one jacket when you could have three? This Swiss (*Swedish) army knife of a winter coat from outdoor specialist Haglöfs is actually several pieces of outerwear in one. It has a gore-tex shell and an insulated inner liner that can be worn separately or zipped together to make a beast of a coat capable of tackling the worst of the weather.
The coat’s modular design makes it highly versatile, and perfect for day-to-day use in the winter months and beyond. Performance and quality wise, it’s everything you’d expect from one of the most respected names in the premium outdoor apparel field, featuring a two-layer gore-tex outer, and 600 fill-power insulation to keep you warm. The styling is great too – outdoorsy, but not to the point where it’ll look odd when teamed up with casual, everyday garments.
Buy now £460.00, Haglofs.com
The North Face himalayan down parka
We’ve featured The North Face’s infamous Nuptse puffer jacket in this guide for the past couple of years running, and while it’s still an excellent option, we thought this one deserves some attention too. It still features the same oversized baffles, retro styling and cosy characteristics as its cropped counterpart, but with a longer body, insulated hood and horizontal pockets.
This is a great looking piece of outerwear that’s extremely warm even with just a T-shirt underneath. That said, there’s plenty of room for a layer or two on the coldest of days, thanks to the boxy, slightly oversized shape. Fit wise, your usual size should do the trick.
Buy now £350.00, Thenorthface.co.uk
Norse Projects stavanger gore-tex infinium down parka
Danish brand Norse Projects is one of our favourites when it comes to high quality, contemporary essentials, and outerwear is one of the things it does best. This substantial parka is a real bruiser of a winter coat that’s more than capable of standing up to whatever the elements throw its way. Wind protection comes courtesy of a durable gore-tex infinium outer, while warmth is provided by the down insulation within.
We like the simple styling of this parka, which does away with a fur or faux-fur trim in favour of a simple fabric flap. This gives the hood a neat, clean appearance while still providing extra protection when the weather is at its worst. There are pockets aplenty too: two large ones to the front, two zip ones to the chest, and a few scattered around within. A drawcord at the waist offers some adjustment, and a subtle, tonal, branded patch to the left breast finishes things off nicely.
Buy now £770.00, Norseprojects.com
Asket wool coat
Asket’s collection isn’t big, but the garments in it have all been carefully thought about, and included only if they’re deemed to be true “essentials”. The focus is on quality, not quantity, the idea being that by buying well-made, versatile pieces as opposed to cheap, trend-led garments, you can reduce consumption, and ultimately do more with less. This means the collection is full of simple, understated classics like overshirts, Oxfords, tees, jeans, and, of course, a goes-with-everything wool overcoat.
We’ve never had a bad piece of clothing from Asket, and that streak wasn’t broken when we first got our hands on this. The fabric is soft to the touch, the fit is excellent (helped by the fact that you can select your ideal length), and the quality is just what we’ve come to expect from the Swedish brand. It’s the sort of coat you can throw on with anything and everything, using it to enhance your smart-casual looks, and dress up laid-back weekend outfits.
Buy now £325.00, Asket.com
Belstaff trialmaster jacket
When we hear “motorcycle jacket", our minds tend to conjure images of The Ramones and Marlon Brando, but there’s another type of bike-based outerwear that’s equally deserving of some attention. This quintessentially British take on the motorcycle jacket is a piece of design history, crafted from waxed cotton as opposed to leather, and worn by everyone from Steve McQueen to 007 over the years. It’s a classic coat that’s inspired countless imitations since its launch in 1948, but the Belstaff trialmaster is the original and best.
The jacket is heavy, made from thick cotton fabric, with a waxed finish for increased durability and rain protection. It has a belted waist that gives the torso a flattering outline, and features a number of snap-closures below pockets to the front. It’s uninsulated, but we think it’s perfect for British winter weather when worn over knitwear, and it’s certainly one of the more stylish jackets we tested, particularly when it comes to crafting smart-casual looks. If you’re looking for a grown-up winter coat that you may well be passing down to your children in years to come, this is one of the best there is.
Buy now £495.00, Belstaff.com
Arc’teryx therme insulated jacket
It’s no secret that Canadian brand Arc’teryx makes some of the best outdoor gear on the market. What fewer people know is that it also produces a number of garments designed for urban life, featuring lots of the same performance tech found in the label’s mountaineering and snowsports outerwear, but with casual, easy-to-wear looks.
The therme jacket is one such piece of outerwear, boasting a high-tech gore-tex outer that’s brilliant at deflecting the wind and rain, and stuffed with synthetic coreloft insulation, which packs down small, doesn’t stop working when wet, and delivers a lot of warmth for its low weight.
We love the modern styling of this jacket, with its concealed pockets, asymmetric placket and internally gusseted cuffs. It’s warm without being overly bulky, and there’s enough room to fit a hoodie, fleece or jumper underneath. Your usual size should do the trick.
Buy now £520.00, Arcteryx.com
Canada Goose crofton puffer
Let us preface this review by acknowledging that this is not a cheap coat. At a shade under £900, it falls firmly into the premium category. Still, if money’s no object and you want a fashion-forward piece of down outerwear from one of the biggest names in the game, this could be a good option for you. Plus, now that Canada Goose has announced it will be stopping the use of fur in all of its products, there’s one less reason not to buy one.
The crofton is the brand’s signature retro puffer, featuring a boxy but flattering cut, oversized baffles, and a shiny face fabric. The material is thin but surprisingly durable, and feels smooth and comfortable next to the skin (not that we wore it without a shirt underneath, that would be weird). What we’re trying to say, is that this is a seriously warm coat and it’s unlikely you’ll need to don anything more than a T-shirt when wearing it.
Features wise, there’s plenty going on. There are shoulder straps sewn into the lining, which allow you to wear the jacket like a backpack when it’s not needed, and the whole thing stuffs down into its own inner zip pocket for easy transport. The hood is the real star of the show though. It’s a funnel design that covers the neck when worn down and keeps the wind out when up. It adds to the overall cosiness of the coat, and it looks great too. The branded tape to the inside of the zipper is a nice touch too, saving the fabric from getting caught when zipping and unzipping.
Buy now £875.00, Canadagoose.com
Uniqlo hybrid down parka
Uniqlo is always a reliable first port of call when it comes to finding simple, stylish garments that won’t break the bank. This goes double for outerwear, which is evidenced perfectly by this minimalist winter coat that features down insulation, a water-repellent finish, and good looks for only a touch over £100.
The coat is available in four versatile colours that’ll easily blend in with your existing wardrobe, and the styling is nice and understated so that it’ll pair well with anything and everything. There are two flap pockets to the front as well as a smaller zip pocket to the chest for valuables. This pocket has the benefit of being accessible from the inside of the coat too, which is a cool little design quirk we’ve never come across before.
Buy now £109.90, Uniqlo.com
H&M water-repellent puffer jacket
You don’t need to spend a fortune to get a warm coat that’ll see you through a few winters. This synthetic puffer from H&M is more than sufficient for the British winter temperatures, and it looks pretty good too. The fit is boxy and a little oversized, with a nice big collar that can be zipped right up to keep the heat in, and it’s just the right size to fit a layer or two underneath.
The best part? It’s available for just under £50, and the understated design means it won’t date quickly. Chances are you’ll still be reaching for it when the temperature drops several years from now.
Buy now £49.99, Hm.com
The verdict: Men’s winter coats
There are so many different styles to consider when choosing a winter coat, but we think a classic puffer is an excellent choice, and 66°North’s dyngja jacket is one of the best. It’s super durable, built to last, and goes with just about anything. For something a little cheaper, Uniqlo’s hybrid down parka is hard to fault for the price.
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