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Vegan Warm Jacket

• January 2015
• Hi Steph Vegan Dogs

Hello and Greetings! I hope all is well!
I have been racking my brain, tried a few things and since i haven’t come to a conclusion, thought – hm, maybe i should reach out to Steph Davis!

I am vegan and am looking for a WARM jacket to wear. Not for climbing or hiking, but one that i can wear while commuting. I live in the Northeast, and i am constantly freezing. I unfortunately returned my Columbia Insulated jacket in exchange for the North Face roller ball (long) jacket and it just does not compare. I thought being northface and DOUBLE the price it would be warmer – boy was i wrong.

Anyway – do you have any suggestions for a super warm vegan jacket that is good for casual wear? I was let down by the northface coat – so hoping you have some advice…

Thanks and hope you enjoy your day!

PS – My fiance and i have a Rez dog – we found her last year in Bluff, Utah area (on the Sand Island Recreaction site) emaciated – she was a skeleton… she is now living with my brother here in New Jersey and is fat and happy (we have to actually let her lose about 5 lbs but more walks should do the trick 🙂 ) Rez dogs truly are the best – i am doing my best at spreading the word… so THANK YOU for doing the same 😀 if you are ever bored, check out her story and how we found her here! 🙂

Thanks again! 🙂
Jessica

Hi Jessica,
Thanks for writing and for the link to Blackhat Humane Society: I did not know about them, and I have a friend who is desperately seeking a heeler mix to adopt right now (check out Goldie on their site!). I also am a lover of Rez dogs (Fletch and Cajun both came from the Navajo reservation) and a staunch believer in adopting in any form. Shady is so adorable! 🙂 I’m glad you found each other!

I too am pretty much always frozen except for when I’m moving. Recently I was in Arizona and people were walking around in t-shirts while I had on a neck gaiter, hat and several layers of clothing. Being cold is no fun, so I bundle. A big warm jacket is certainly helpful, but I’ve come to realize that there are a few tricks that help me even more than that with my core temperature, both for normal life and technical environments. Layering is always the way, and makes it so you aren’t trapped in a certain temperature range.

My current and best tactics for being warm are to insulate neck, legs, core (and hands and feet of course!–thick nice mittens or gloves, good socks and warm, fleece lined boots are key!). I love any garment with a lining, especially a thick, fleece-y lining. And above all else, warm legs and warm neck are a game changer for me.

For both urban and climbing/hiking/skydiving/base jumping, I have the same key pieces for cold weather, and it’s all about fleeciness and linings.

prAna Diva vest, lined with thick fleece. I wear this over a turtleneck, and it also zips high on the neck.

prAna Jasmena beanie. This is a pretty full-on hat, and it has the crucial thick, soft fleece lining.

prAna Viola Infinity scarf. I have a LOT of scarves and neck gaiters. For non-sports use, I love these thick-knit infinity scarves because they are the stylish (and even more substantial) version of a neck gaiter.

For technical use, a simple fleece neck gaiter is the technical version of the infinity scarf: you can even wear it like a hat in a pinch. This one is my favorite because it has extra length in the front. I keep one in my skydiving bag (and pretty much wear it in every month always except July and August) and have an identical one for all other use.

Now on to legs. I learned through alpinism that if you have warm legs, you will have a warm body. Your legs actually have more surface area than the rest of your body. We always tend to reach for a jacket when we feel cold, but focusing on warm legs will make you feel even warmer!
prAna Lined Boyfriend jean. These are amazing–the denim is not heavy and the flannel is also light, so they don’t feel bulky or too thick to wear. I hike and climb in these and wear them for normal life too. But they are just one piece of the equation…..

Last, and very much not least, is my current life obsession: fleece-y leg warmers!!! I recommend everyone get these right now and never take them off until May!!! I have worn these leg warmers almost every day with a temperature below 60 degrees for the last 2 years! My boyfriend kept “borrowing” my backup pair, causing me to be figuratively free soloing–what if I lost one legwarmer, or BOTH, and my backup pair was not immediately available???!?!?!–so I bought him a pair of his own for Christmas, and he is now a full convert. You can wear these under your lined jeans, but the real reason I am so obsessed with them is that they solve my temperature issues at the crag. When I’m climbing, I like to wear capris or shorts, but when I’m belaying and resting I get cold. In the past I’ve carried a big pair of lined jeans to the crag, and pulled them up over my legs and harness while belaying. Definitely warm, but a lot to carry in the pack–I’ll still bring them if it’s ridiculously cold (plus the legwarmers). But for the most part, now I just bring my legwarmers and put them on for belaying (or if it’s really chilly, while climbing) and take them off to climb. When you are camping in cold weather, you will grow to appreciate these more than anything–I even sleep in them if it’s really cold. You can also swap them to arm warmers if the occasion seems right. These have seriously changed my life 🙂

It sounds like you really liked your original Columbia jacket, and maybe you should get one again? But I hope you’ll try out these other ideas too, for ultimate toastiness!
Steph