Quilted car coat, perfect for travel

February 6, 2017

27  comments

Leslie Anne Tarabella — blog
Christmas market in Montepulciano.

I’ve had four different readers ask about the coat I was wearing in my photos from Italy. It’s often difficult to find a heavier coat around here, because we rarely need them. Even on cold mornings, it usually warms up by lunchtime and we can dash about in lightweight jackets or even heavy sweaters.

 

The scene driving from Florence to Siena.

Because of our college son’s school schedule, January was really our only option for travel. Our younger son is homeschooled, so he’s good to go anytime!

 

Leslie Anne Tarabella — blogI knew Northern Italy would be colder than what I was accustomed to in balmy South Alabama, and on top of that, I wanted a longer car coat style to cover my bohunkus. That extra length really makes a difference when out and about.

 

Leslie Anne Tarabella - blog

Usually not one to worry about details, for some reason, I went crazy when it came to this coat, and researched every one I could find on the internet.

We went out every night when the temperatures dropped even more, but with a heavy coat, we just moved right along with no trouble. This is the Tiber River in Rome.

I was searching before Christmas, so unfortunately, there weren’t many sales going on at that time, but I think if you look now, you can probably find a lower price for most of them.

Leslie Anne Tarabella — blog

 

Here are the final coats I considered:

The LL Bean Winter Warmer Coat. It came in other colors, and I wanted black to go with everything and blend in with the crowds. I decided to keep looking for a quilted, puffy coat that could be rolled up tightly in a duffle bag.

LL Bean Winter Warmer Coat

 

This is the Lauren Ralph Lauren Faux Leather Trim Coat. It was cute, but not long enough.

 

Faux Leather Trim  Coat – Lauren Ralph Lauren, Nordstroms

 

This is really cute and is from Ellen Tracy. To tell you the truth, I can’t remember why I ruled this one out, but alas . . . I moved on.

 

Ellen Tracy Quilted Barn Coat – Amazon.

 

Travelsmith’s Belted Trench is adorable and comes in a longer size as well as other colors. I may still need to snap this up because it’s 75% off now and only $41.99!

 

Travelsmith Belted Trench

But the winner was . . .

The Hooded Quilted Car Coat from Coldwater Creek. Super warm, big pockets with secure zippers so I didn’t even need to carry a purse, removable hood — it had it all. This coat runs BIG, so I ordered a small, and still had plenty of room. It rolled up semi-small to stuff in a carry-on bag and use as a big pillow on the plane, but fluffed right up into shape when I was ready to put it on.

 

Hooded Quilted Car Coat from Coldwater Creek.

*Here’s an update: I forgot to mention I was able to throw this coat in the washing machine when we got home and it ended up looking brand new. No problems at all!

 

The bad news is, this may be sold out in black now, but was available in garnet the last time I checked. I’m guessing they’ll reissue this coat, or a similar version for next year since it was a big seller.

This guy needs a coat.


Even though we had to travel with bulky coats, we were still thrilled it wasn’t steamy hot July! Have you ever traveled in cold weather? Would you rather wait until it’s warmer?

 

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