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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.
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