Thursday 14 April 2011

How cold will it really be?

As my departure date gets closer, and the weather forecast is starting to overlap with my time in NY, I'm not positive I have a jacket suitable for the cold. I know it's not going to be blizzard-like, and it really shouldn't snow, but the days look like they'll have maximums in the mid-50s to mid-60s. Using my handy-dandy conversion chart, that tells me it'll be around 13°-18°, which is nippy but not awful. But then one place's 15° is almost pleasant, and another's is downright awful. Wind and wet air/drizzle in particular can make it a damn sight yuckier than the thermostat suggests.

Browsing through Amazon for jackets (I'll probably need one pretty much as soon as I arrive), I'm not sure whether I need to go the whole hog, or will something less full on be sufficient? Or will what I already have work fine? (Click on the image to go to the jacket's webpage)

A knee-length down parka would certainly keep me toasty warm, but I'd probably get very little wear from it here.

Jessie G Parka, $80 or BGSD Parka, $100

Alternatively, I could get a hip-length down jacket, which will also keep me pretty warm, and I can potentially use to go skiing and the like.
Colombia jacket, $85 in grey

Or I can stick with my soft shell jacket, with a skivvy and cardi underneath.

Lerida WindTEC Soft Shell Jacket

One of the advantages of a warmer jacket is that I can wear lighter clothes underneath, which means I won't have to strip off multiple layers every time I go inside. On the other hand, I'm sitting here in my gently heated house (18C/65F) with a polar fleece jacket over my soft shell.

Help me! I'm racked with indecision. I need to place my order Monday night (in four days time), so you're timely feedback would be much appreciated!

1 comment:

  1. Thanks to my BW friends, I have decided to stop panicking. Fifteen degrees is not arctic temperatures!

    Instead, I'll get a high-necked, long-sleeved warm top I can wear under my soft shell, and be perfectly toasty, but un-marshmallow-like.

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