Winter jacket- what would you recommend?

A

alohype

Veteran
What winter jacket would you recommend, what are you wearing when shooting outside?
Have to withstand below zero temperatures (preferably to like -10) and not be to bulky so your movements can be free.
Thanks for advices!!
 
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If you want the best, then take a look at snowboard jackets. The real ones made by snowboard brands. They're made to be easy to move in, warm, breathable, and weather proof. Of course, you'll have to sort through a bunch of bright colors and wild patterns to find the ones that come in simple black or other neutral colors, but if you want something that can move with you and keep you warm that's about it in my opinion. Most of the jackets that aren't made for snowboarding will lack breathability, which is the ability for the material to shed moisture from the inside while still repelling water from the outside. This means that they will keep you dry in the rain and snow and also keep you dry after you work up a sweat carrying all your gear to set up the shot. The other nice thing about the snowboard gear is that it will typically have features like zippered vents discretely in the armpits so you can cool off without having to take off the jacket.
I've spent quite a few winters filming in the snow and I couldn't imagine surviving it in anything else.
The other thing I'd recommend is getting a high tech first layer. Nothing worse than getting sweaty in cold weather in a cotton shirt. The high tech underwear doesn't just keep you warm, it wicks the moisture from sweat away from you to keep you dry.
 
I swear by my Mountain Hardwear products. Very very light, packable, and last multiple seasons. Comparable products to Patagonia for much less of the cost.

Video review is a few years old but current style of their Ghost Whisperer Jacket are available.
 
+1 for any gear the snowboarders actually use. What works for them is exactly what works for us in this instance.
 
You can't go wrong with a carhartt jacket. They are EXTREMELY durable. You can be in -10 easily with long underwear, t-shirt and most of their jackets. I used to have a black one of these until it got stolen - http://www.carhartt.com/products/carhartt-coats-jackets/Sandstone-Active-Jac-Quilted-Flannel-Lined-J130?selectedAttribute=7000000000000000005_7000000000000000078

Just make sure it is the original US version of carhartt and not their WIP (work in progress) line of garbage (exorbitant pricing for hipsters buying the same logo, different clothes altogether), often found in Europe/Australia.

The snowboarding jackets are a great suggestion too. I can't help with any particular models.

If you get any more active/extreme, here are a couple of layering articles that might help: http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/a/11061/Introduction-to-Layered-Clothing-Systems and http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/a/11070/How-to-Layer-Clothing-for-Each-Season
 
I like the Carhart-style stuff too over ski jackets and such. Tough cordura type fabric. Colombia was having a sale the other day and I got one of these: http://www.columbia.com/mens-loma-v...sual&dwvar_1619741_variationColor=213#start=0

So far I like it, and the hood is really nice to have as it keeps you a lot warmer. Definitely needs another layer underneath for -10 weather, but I'd rather layer during winter than have a big bulky coat for every season.
 
I am a Canada Goose fan. Shoot in Nunavut, Yukon, Northern Quebec etc. often and I wear a Canada Goose parka. When it is -57c in a place like Cambridge Bay you need a good jacket and lots of other warm clothing. Shooting outdoors in my home town Montreal in the winter is also no picnic in the winter. So my advice is layers, good quality PROVEN clothing. Long underwear is a must and layers you can peel off quickly when you jump in a vehicle or go indoors. I wear longjohns, regular pants or jeans and snowboard/ski pants. Great boots are a must, and I wear "Original Swat" winter boots with zipper sides and lace fronts like the cops wear when I am shooting in the city and Sorel boots when I am up north where it is dryer and colder. Good mittens and gloves are crucial for shooting as are heat packs to thaw those focus and white balance fingers. And I guess I should mention that if it is really cold out there, then your batteries are gonna drain super quickly so bring lots of fully charged extras. Any cables that are not good quality or more plastic than poly or rubber will likely crack or break. I had a varizoom controller on a camera up in Alert bay. Camera was out for fifteen minutes maybe a bit more and I bumped the cable when I was setting up...it cracked in pieces like a piece of dry pasta.
Hope this is of some help to someone.
http://www.canada-goose.com/ca/en/home-page?gclid=CNHMsuOf9MgCFZKBaQodSrEDgw
 
I found military supply brands to be often cheaper than snowboard brands, while using similar "hight tech" approaches.
I like Carhartt jackets, and they do fine in dry, cold weather.
But when it rains, the don't offer the protection and comfort of
modern materials.
I'd look for brands like Snugpak, Carinthia, TAD.
 
Is noise produced by the material in the shell a factor? A natural material like cotton or wool would tend to produce less noise.
 
J Michael said:
Is noise produced by the material in the shell a factor? A natural material like cotton or wool would tend to produce less noise.
Click to expand...

Is the noise of your chattering teeth as you shiver in a wet cotton jacket a bigger factor?
In all seriousness, it will depend on the material and its finish. Even if some of the materials do make a little noise when rubbed together, in all my years of shooting on snow I've never heard it on the camera even when using the built in on camera mics. These days if you're using an on camera mic (settle down audio guys, we know, we know) you're most likely going to have a somewhat directional mic or even a very directional shotgun.
 
A duck down jacket that is washable is the number 1 choice of film crew in cold climates the world over. That said, I had a Carhartt for years and these days use a Belstaff motorcycle jacket.
 
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