I’m originally a Cali girl, born and raised in Orange County until the age of 27 when I moved to the east coast…not just the east coast, but Upstate NY. Yes, from one extreme to the other and especially in March! Sunny skies to 4 feet of snow was more than a culture shock, it was down right depressing.

I bought 6 winter coats, yes 6! Not one of them was actually a true winter coat and I froze for the longest time until I figured out that a California winter coat is pretty much a Fall coat for the east coast. Luckily, I learned the next year and bought a real winter coat. I thought I was getting a bargain by buying one at Target. Unfortunately, after a few washes and getting pounded by snow, the coat literally fell apart. Snow and water stained it and it just looked terrible. So, here I am, heading into my 5th winter and in New Jersey by the shore…it’s not only a matter of cold, but also of wind!

Luck would have it that I was asked to participate in a Coat Challenge with Mom Spark Media. I received 4 coats just in time for a few of the coldest mornings I have seen in a long time. We have early morning football games and like I said, the shore gives a good wind chill and I really need to bundle up. I found a few that really did the trick while others weren’t quite as comfy. Here are my quick video reviews of the Pros and Cons of each coat.

So, there it is…the best and worst of the coats. My fav is definitely more than just another coat. From the hardware to the hood to the material used to make the coat, it’s top notch. Here I am wearing it that cold and dreary morning.

As you can see above in the photo of all the coats, they range quite a bit from the lowest of $98.00 to the high end of $199.00. In all honesty, I wouldn’t pay any more than $50 for the Gap coat. It just isn’t up to par considering it has no hood and is so short. It won’t help at all when you are trying to get in and out of your car and your jacket moves and UGH a big ole cold gust gets you. The higher end Nautica coat, while over $200 with tax and all it is a big investment but, if you live in a place where the winters are as harsh as ours are on the east coast then the money is well spent. Like I said in the video, it’s not like you are going to out grow this coat.

The LL Bean coat, in Army green is an OK coat. I didn’t feel freezing in it, but it also just didn’t fit quite right and I am curvy so it’s not as if I am too skinny or something like that. It was just a strange fit. Even with the cinch belt, which I would totally lose eventually because it’s not well attached {looped through}, I didn’t feel it was right for me.

The biggest thing that made the Lands End coat #2 and not my #1 pick was the filling coming out of the back and making a mess. I have a black car, so maybe I noticed it even more than the usual user. I know it was hard to see in the video, but trust me that there were teeny white flicks of stuff coming out at the seams of the quilting.

The Nautica coat, my fav and final “Officially Posh Parent Approved” pick is a pure joy to have found. Even minus the fleece cuffs it’s still awesome. In the video I mentioned the inside cinching toggles left the elastic ends exposed and therefore cause a little zipper malfunction. That actually is something that I can deal with. I just know that there are smart design people out there who can easily “fix” that and I hope they do– and add the fleece pretty please

Disclosure: The Quality Coat Review was a blind review. In order to give my unbiased opinions, I am unaware of the company that sponsored the effort. While the opinions are my own, I am being compensated through Mom Spark Media for my time.