Would I need *wool* jackets in Portland, Oregon...?

Would I need wool jackets in Portland, Oregon...?

ironkurtin

Since the consensus is that I will need leather. I have some wool trenches from NYC that I love that can be waterproofed. Yay or nay?

12 years ago

Dressing

9 replies

Latest reply was from ironkurtin

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

I only have one wool coat that's basically reserved for the opera. You have to remember the rain up here is mostly drizzly. Different beast than the NYC rains. I think they'd work.
Portland has a more continental climate than Seattle.

12 years ago

Ariadne

Veteran

I wear wool a lot in rainy Vancouver. Wool + tall boots + umbrella = 85% of winter days.

12 years ago

K. Period.

Veteran

That's right. We're continental. (Sorry, Anna, this just came to mind and made me laugh. Thanks. I needed that.)

ETA: responded to the wool question on your updated leather thread.

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12 years ago

AviaMariah

Veteran

I think you'll get quite a bit of use out of it. Like others said, you rarely have downpours in Portland/Seattle. More of a mist or drizzle. When I lived in Seattle I froze all the time due to the wet cold (I grew up in a colder but dry climate). You'll see why fleece is so popular in these areas!!

12 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

Do you mean wool coats, Dana? Good grief. I have several - different weights - and wear them much more than my trench coats! And I'm always planning for more wool coats. They get lots of wear in my lifestyle.

What do you mean by Continental, Anna? A Western European climate?

12 years ago

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

Since Portland does not have a large body of water like Puget Sound or the ocean to regulate it, it's a smidge more like this

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_climate

I lived there for five years a long time ago. Summers are a bit warmer than Seattle. In the winter sometimes storms can funnel down the Columbia Gorge. They occasionally get ice storms.

12 years ago

SandyG

Veteran

I grew up in the Portland area. It's really beautiful but there are micro-climates and temperatures can vary. I lived close to the Columbia river gorge and the wind would howl. A wool pea jacket wouldn't keep me warm when walking as the wind would cut right through it. Leather works for dry days but I'm unsure about wet days. The northwest tech parkas made for rain & cold are workhorses.

But friends in other areas of Portland might live in shielded 'banana belt' regions and not get the brunt of wind and rain. Be prepared for a little bit of everything if you walk a lot

12 years ago

Anonymous

Simplify it. Just think NYC. We need a bit of everything.

12 years ago

ironkurtin

Veteran

Yeah but it's humid in NYC. I am looking forward to no humid. In fact, I went to school in the Bay Area and fantasize about no humid and not even having to wear shorts in summer if I don't want to.

12 years ago

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