Which coat to wear

I can’t wear wool but I can wear cashmere (I must have been a princess in a previous life!) with a thermal underneath.

I wonder if you could buy a pre-loved cashmere jumper from Vinted or similar and try it out? If you can’t even wear cashmere, then resell it, if you can wear it, you’ve got a new jumper!

Would a cashmere cardigan be light to carry and easy to add as an extra layer when needed? It wouldn’t be next to your skin. My SS endured winters in a number of very cold countries and swore by silk base layers.

Such good advice madeleine45. I made many mistakes on my first winter trip to Finland which covered time in Helsinki and in the country/seaside. Never having been to a cold country before I didnt take on board that indoors would be very very warm and outdoors so very very cold. And windy. Which made it even colder.

My worst mistake was a heavy roll neck wool jumper which was a pain to get on and off and left me with my hair on end and flushed...well bright red. And I didnt take a pretty top for the evening. I am never likely to go again but would be better prepared.

So layers of cashmere, a removable fleece lining in a breathable waterproof coat, thin gloves and hat are spot on. OP such a shame you can't wear wool. Even cashmere which is so light? Over the top of a light thermal? What about silk thermals? Useful to take extra layers in your handbag. And a quick change in a loo.

Seasalt are good for waterproof warm coats. And I like their warm snoods or handybands which keep your neck warm and easy to take off. I also like MS thermal leggings which are fleecy.
I wouldnt go for a heavy coat. Light layers for me ...if theres a next time. Or even here on cold days.

Thank you - excellent ideas. Another issue is not being able to wear wool. So I have a man made jumper, which isn't that warm, with a vest under and a gilet. With a warmer coat I could just wear the jumper and vest. Hence trying to work out whether to have the lighter coat and gilet or the warmer coat and less layers under.

What about a packable coat that squishes down? And thermals beneath your normal clothes for colder days.

I have travelled and lived in lots of different places, so the first thing I think is worth buying is a cashmere jumper. (It doesnt have to be new, (I have bought several over many years, always wash them carefully by hand and they last for years) The great thing about them is that they are very warm but extremely light. So I have old ones that I put in a plastic bag and shove in my rucksac and they are easy to carry , then if it turns cold or windy, you have the option to put it on, without it being heavy. Then , again I would go for a breathable but waterproof coat, and there are ones where you have a fleece that can be worn inside zipped to the coat or taken off. With those two things you will have a good variety to cover most weather conditions. Then I have very light insulate gloves, which I put in the pockets of the coats or jackets and an insulate style hat. That way outside it is easy to do simple adjustments by taking hat and gloves off, and having the very light jumper that you can put on and off easily. I used to be up Sweden and Greenland etc, and so tended to think a bit more about what I was doing in advance, so you might be in a department store or cafe where it is very warm. if you are then only going across the street I would just use the hat and gloves for that short walk, but anything more I would go into the ladies and put my jumper on. Dont forget about suncream and sunglasses too, if you are anywhere like that or have a hat with a brim , it is easy to forget you can get sunburn or rather windburn from winds over snow etc. Keep a little note in a book each night, to say whether you found what you had taken was good or not so good, and then if you go on another trip you will see what suited you best. Hope that is some help