The Norwegians have a saying, "there's no such thing as bad weather, just bad gear." - Part 1: jackets

Cold weather calls for top notch cold weather gear. The Norwegians have a saying, "there's no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes." If you spend enough time outside in inclement weather, the truth of this starts to sink in. If you spend a lot of time outside in the winter, you will, no doubt, come to the conclusion that I reached. Namely, just invest in some good gear! Yes, each piece in likely going to set you back at least $150 - $200 (sometimes more). But when you are warm, dry, comfortable, well rested, happy and ready for more fun, you will know that it was money well spent.

I love my The North Face Triclimate.  I got it a couple years ago on an end of the season clearance sale.

The North Face make two types of 3-in-1 jackets. One has a fleece liner and one had a synthetic puffy liner. They also feature "zip-in" compatibility.  Which means that if you buy one with one type of liner, you can get the other type and swap it out. More layering possibilities, yeah!

Mine is the kind with the synthetic puffy liner, pit zips, powder skirt and storm flap. This thing is a beast and keeps me super warm. Most of the time I just wear the dryvent shell with the pit zips open. When I add a sweatshirt or fleece, I'm  usually good down to the 30's. If it's windy, or really cold I'll add the puffy and hood. This is a jacket made for layering and made for adjusting to whatever you're doing outside.

This jacket, along with a couple base layers and mid layers, was a crucial part of keeping me warm on a -20°F day at Valley Forge.

What's your favorite jacket for winter fun?