How to choose your winter coat to stay warm

Gusts of wind, freezing rain, snowstorm: here is a weather cocktail that does not prevent skiers or hikers from indulging in their favourite sport. But you still have to be well equipped! Because you would do the same during an outdoor expedition, just follow the guide to choosing the right winter coat, which can also be worn for everyday life. How to find the right winter coat?

How to choose the right winter coat?

1 – Insulation for your winter coat: down or synthetic?

When the time comes to choose your winter coat, the first criterion to consider is its insulation. Whether it’s a women’s coat or a men’s coat, you have two options: down insulation or synthetic insulation. These two materials have their own peculiarities. Close up on the advantages and disadvantages of each one!

Down insulation

If down coats are chosen by more people, it is in particular because of their breathability and their efficiency. They are also big favourites of outdoor enthusiasts for their ability to pack down into a piece of luggage.

Ideal for the Quebec climate, they protect against arid and cold temperatures. Often cited as the best thermal insulator in the world, down is natural. It is by reproducing the body of a duck or a goose, which have down under their feathers, that we have come to create sufficiently warm winter coats.

A down jacket is good, but a quality down jacket is even better. To find out if a down winter coat will protect you from the cold, you need to assess its fill factor. The higher this factor, the more the down has the ability to expand, making it lighter and warmer. FOSFO down jackets are insulated with 600 down with an 80/20 quality (80% down and 20% feather), which offers a heat index of -25 degrees celsius.

All FOSFO down coats for men and women have received RDS (Responsible Down Standard) certification, which attests to good practices on geese and ducks throughout the manufacturing process.

Synthetic insulation

Those who choose a synthetic winter coat are those looking for excellent resistance to humidity, especially during the exercise of a winter sport. As it dries faster than its sidekick, it is easier to maintain. Others may turn to this type of insulation since it is a hypoallergenic option.

For those who prefer this type of insulation, our line Audvik offers coats entirely made with synthetic fibres. It’s the case of our winter jacket OSLO for men, designed with Exkin Air synthetic insulation and of the Amsterdam winter jacket for men made with PrimaLoft insulation, which both have the advantage of reproducing the many characteristics of down.

2 – Waterproofness and warmth index for his winter coat

Between November and April, we go through a range of weather conditions, which can oscillate between slush, ice and rain (sometimes, in a single morning!). However, for a winter coat to be warm, it must imperatively resist these bad weather conditions. Without a waterproof winter coat, it becomes extremely difficult to warm up and to have fun! Here are some tips to help you choose the right winter coat.

As the outer shell of the coat acts as the first protection, it must have all the waterproof properties. Thus, the rain and snow will tend to bead on the coat rather than being absorbed… into your bones!

Good news: all our FOSFO women winter coats and our men winter coats are water-resistant up to 5000MM, which helps keep you dry and warm. These down jackets offer a -25 degree heat rating.

Anyone into downhill skiing, snowboarding, and hiking should look for a higher waterproof rating. Our FOSO pull-over jacket for men is designed for the mountain since it is short, waterproof and comfortable. Water-resistant, our sleeveless FOSFO vest for women is, perfect for spring skiing.

To make our winter coats, for both women and men, we use a 10,000 MP Gore-Tex-like membrane for our Audvik line. Eco-friendly, our coats are all designed with recycled fabrics and starting in 2022, synthetic insulation Primaloft.

Anyone who needs a light coat that can protect against the rain, while offering good breathability, turns to Audvik anoraks. Our Audvik anorak for women and our Audvik anorak for men was designed for both city walks and nature hikes.

3 – Your winter coat style

Even if the style of the coat is sometimes the first criterion that we look for, it should be at the bottom of the list. However, a quality winter coat that will protect against the cold and snow, does not have to be tasteless or colourless!

Length of the winter jacket

There is a wide spectrum of coat lengths, which can meet specific needs.

Our women’s short FOSFO jacket is suitable for three great occasions, either for a walk in town, a hike in the forest or a descent in alpine skiing. It is no coincidence that this is one of our most popular styles. Insulated with RDS-certified down, it was designed with recycled fabric from abandoned fishing nets in the ocean. It offers a 5000 MM waterproof rating and a heat rating of -25 degrees.

How would you like to be protected from the cold from head to toe? Our FOSFO maxi has been designed for the ones who are always cold. It’s a very (very) long cut and protects against the cold and bad weather when out in town.

Our long FOSFO winter jacket is a nice hybrid between the short and the maxi, which retains the same characteristics of waterproofness and breathability as its acolytes. Nothing stops it: it was designed for skating, tube sliding, hiking in nature or waiting at the bus stop. As it is also made of down, it slips easily into a suitcase.

Our pull-over FOSFO jacket has more than one trick up its sleeve! Rain or shine, its all-purpose cut lets you jump on the ice rink, the snowy slopes and the less accessible trails. Thanks to its great impermeability and its heat index of -25 degrees, it is the perfect winter coat for living winter to the fullest.

Coat details

It is often said that perfection is in the details. For this reason, each style of FOSFO coat has particularities that distinguish it.

If some of our coats have a zipper with a double slider for freedom of movement, others slip on like a pull-over to be ready to wear. They also have interior pockets, an antistatic lining and interior microfleece cuffs.

We have designed coats that can be declined in a variety of colours. All of our women’s and men’s coats are available in energizing notes, like raisin, orange, light blue and yellow, and in neutrals, like black, taupe and midnight blue.

As you may have seen, there are as many types of women’s winter coats and men’s winter coats as there are winter activities. Before the temperature plummets, now it’s up to you to choose the right quality winter coat that will keep your body heat for hours on end. When there is snow, there is fun!