Lands End jacket question (and sale!)

[noodleoo]

I've been thinking about getting DD1 a nicer winter coat this year.  We usually do the 3 in 1 jacket from the Children's Place, but I really dislike the patterns they have this year.  I also hope to get outside in the snow more and we walk her home from school 2 days a week, so it would be good to get her a warmer jacket.  I'm hoping maybe we can get 2 years out of it, and DD2 will get is as a hand me down too, so good investment.

I got an email that Lands End is doing 50% off outerwear today (ETA: Code is FROSTY)!  I've heard they are nice, but what's a good coat for a 5 year old?  They have so many options!  Any recs?  And is 50% off the best sale or should I wait until Black Friday for better deals?

[nicolewi]

I would do it now. I don’t think they usually go better than 50%, although I have seen them at 40% quite a bit. I have found that our Lands’ End coats hold up very well, and can be used for multiple years. We’ve had multiple Expedition parkas and a Squall parka. They are both very nice. I think it’s pretty much just your preference and whether you want the absolute maximum warmth or not. My five-year-old now wears the squall that her sister wore for a couple years already! I do find them to usually run on the larger side, for sure.

I also buy the land and snow pants. Those also seem to run a little large and long, but they work well for us overall.

[noodleoo]

nicolewi , Is the Expedition warmer? I'm not a huge fan of the fur on the hood, but it does look cozy. Do you know if either the Expedition or Squall are car seat safe? Thanks for the tip on the snow pants too. I should probably stock up now before they run out of colors.

ETA: they also have a Squall 3 in 1 jacket which is nice because we could probably use the inner insulated jacked in the car seat.  OMG I can't decide!

[Susie]

I've never bought a kids' jacket from LE (although I had plenty as a kid) so IDK about the particular styles. But I do buy basics from LE with fair regularity and 50% is good. I see 40% fairly often, 50% less often, and 55%+ pretty much never.

[tiki]

I recently bought this one for my 3 year old and am happy with it. I like that it's a longer coat and I think it will be warm enough, especially with a sweater underneath if it's really cold (we're in New England). www.landsend.com/products/girls-winter-fleece-lined-down-alternative-thermoplume-coat/id_349572

ETA: this is definitely not a car seat safe coat, which is typical for our winter coats. We'd put it on at our destination. 

[felicity]

DS has the Squall and it's a great coat. I don't find it to be car seat safe when zipped, but unzipped with the coat open seems okay to me. They have the extendible sleeves which has given us 2-3 years of use. You can pretty much always get 40 off at LE, so 50 is good. The coats do go on sale but I think from what I remember it's not until late or after the season ends.

[nicolewi]

I would say that neither one is really great for the car seat. The Expedition is warmer, based on their ratings, but also a little bulkier. Both are bulky for sitting in a car seat. I tend to use a really light puffer coat in the car (which the kids also wear in fall/spring) and then use the heavier coats for bigger kids/playing in the snow/going to school (LOL not going this year anyway). I'm in Wisconsin so am always looking for the warmest and most waterproof at a good price!

I think I got the Squall b/c I couldn't get the Expedition in my kid's size that year? But really, it's been plenty warm for us and we've had no issues. It is also rated as very warm.

The 3-in-1 I haven't tried, but it could be a good solution for you.

I don't know if sizing has changed, but my 5.5 year old kindergartener is wearing a size 4 Squall. We have a 5/6 and that is still a little big on her. If I were ordering new, though, I'd probably just go for the 5/6 and just let her grow into it. My daughter is about 44" and 40 pounds.

[noodleoo]

nicolewi , Thanks so much! Sizing info is helpful too. DD1 is also 5.5 but she's super tall and was already 46" and 40 lbs back in May.  I was planning to size up for the height. I think I'm going to take her to the mall after school and go try them on. We usually do a thinner coat for the carseat too and she already has a fleece lined rain coat that works for that. I'm leaning toward the Expedition just because I love the raspberry dots print! LOL But the Squall is almost half the price... it will probably be one of those two.

www.landsend.com/products/kids-expedition-down-winter-parka/id_339051?attributes=11657,43307,43326,44257,44371,44967

[Pilsy]

Oct 27, 2020 8:59:08 GMT -5 noodleoo said:

We usually do the 3 in 1 jacket from the Children's Place, but I really dislike the patterns they have this year.  

I was like, "How bad can they be? They're such a deal," and then I looked. Yikes. 

Maybe this is the year I spring for something else, too. lol

[mainelyfoolish]

My kids have had several Squall jackets and parkas and they’ve worked fine for cold weather and snow play. I wouldn’t get the Expedition unless you spend a lot of time outside in extreme cold weather.

[noodleoo]

Oct 27, 2020 11:19:44 GMT -5 Pilsy said:

Oct 27, 2020 8:59:08 GMT -5 noodleoo said:

We usually do the 3 in 1 jacket from the Children's Place, but I really dislike the patterns they have this year.  

I was like, "How bad can they be? They're such a deal," and then I looked. Yikes. 

Maybe this is the year I spring for something else, too. lol

Right?!?  I'm can't imagine what they were thinking.  They are hideous!

[nicolewi]

If you can try on in person, that will be SO helpful!

[redheadbaker]

I'm so glad you posted this. DS seems to have sprouted a foot overnight, and needs new pants, new winter coat, and everything!

[runblondie26]

The 3-in-1 Squall jackets are great. We live in New England, so lots of skiing and outdoor snow activities, and the coats are very warm. I buy them for my kids every other year. They have the extendable sleeves, so we can get at least 2 years out of them, even with them growing quickly.

[undecidedowl]

Oct 27, 2020 12:15:34 GMT -5 noodleoo said:

Oct 27, 2020 11:19:44 GMT -5 Pilsy said:

I was like, "How bad can they be? They're such a deal," and then I looked. Yikes. 

Maybe this is the year I spring for something else, too. lol

Right?!?  I'm can't imagine what they were thinking.  They are hideous!

I just looked and maybe I'm crazy but they look great for what my DS1 would pick. What's wrong with them? I thought they looked pretty similar to other popular ski/snow jackets.

My main concern is that they won't be warm enough. We switched to Columbia when the kids started skiing but I don't like any of the 3 in 1 patterns this year. My kids prefer fun designs over classic or solid ones.

[noodleoo]

Oct 31, 2020 13:04:16 GMT -5 undecidedowl said:

Oct 27, 2020 12:15:34 GMT -5 noodleoo said:

Right?!?  I'm can't imagine what they were thinking.  They are hideous!

I just looked and maybe I'm crazy but they look great for what my DS1 would pick. What's wrong with them? I thought they looked pretty similar to other popular ski/snow jackets.

My main concern is that they won't be warm enough. We switched to Columbia when the kids started skiing but I don't like any of the 3 in 1 patterns this year. My kids prefer fun designs over classic or solid ones.

The boys jackets are way better than the girls, which is even more annoying! I would be very happy with a solid color blocked jacket. The girls have these crazy ugly patterns over the entire jacket and snow pants.

[undecidedowl]

Oct 31, 2020 13:49:07 GMT -5 noodleoo said:

Oct 31, 2020 13:04:16 GMT -5 undecidedowl said:

I just looked and maybe I'm crazy but they look great for what my DS1 would pick. What's wrong with them? I thought they looked pretty similar to other popular ski/snow jackets.

My main concern is that they won't be warm enough. We switched to Columbia when the kids started skiing but I don't like any of the 3 in 1 patterns this year. My kids prefer fun designs over classic or solid ones.

The boys jackets are way better than the girls, which is even more annoying! I would be very happy with a solid color blocked jacket. The girls have these crazy ugly patterns over the entire jacket and snow pants.

Ahhh, yea I only have boys so I hadn't seen those!

[noodleoo]

Oct 31, 2020 14:00:09 GMT -5 undecidedowl said:

Oct 31, 2020 13:49:07 GMT -5 noodleoo said:

The boys jackets are way better than the girls, which is even more annoying! I would be very happy with a solid color blocked jacket. The girls have these crazy ugly patterns over the entire jacket and snow pants.

Ahhh, yea I only have boys so I hadn't seen those!

Thats a good point I had t thought of. Maybe I’ll just buy her the boys version. I hadn’t even looked at them until you posted. She’d be happy with blue. I’ll have to check the stores and see if the sizing is the same. It’s so annoying how everything is split by girls/boys. I need to buy more stuff at Primary.

[tiki]

Oct 31, 2020 14:18:38 GMT -5 spearmintleaf said:

Oct 27, 2020 9:27:54 GMT -5 tiki said:

I recently bought this one for my 3 year old and am happy with it. I like that it's a longer coat and I think it will be warm enough, especially with a sweater underneath if it's really cold (we're in New England). www.landsend.com/products/girls-winter-fleece-lined-down-alternative-thermoplume-coat/id_349572

ETA: this is definitely not a car seat safe coat, which is typical for our winter coats. We'd put it on at our destination. 

Do you think your kid could play on the playground in a coat this length?

It's currently longer than it's supposed to be on DD and she still seems able to run & stoop to scoop things comfortably.  It is harder for her to see her feet when she's standing straight up, but she can still bend at the waist to do whatever she needs to do.