As a frugal parent, it took me a while to realize that low-cost items are not always budget-friendly ones. I've learned that spending money on high quality products--products that last for years or are sturdy enough to be passed down from one of my boys to the other-- are a sound investment. In my experience, Lands' End makes many such products.
Their items have staying power. Whether I consider the shoes I bought an embarrassingly long time ago or the backpack they gave me to review back in the fall of 08 (my favorite backpack ever), Lands' End products last.
So I was pleased when they sent me a jacket for my 11-year-old to review, the Boys' Sport Squall Parka. He loves the soft blue fleece lining covering the top inside half of the orange jacket, including the hood. (Illinois colors--woot!) "I think this is going to be my favorite winter jacket," he proclaimed.
My son doesn't care about other details, but I do. The jacket is machine washable (a must). It's rated for temps down to -10 degrees F, which should keep him toasty at the bus stop and sledding with his friends. Along those lines, the Sport Squall has a windproof outer layer and special thin insulation, so the warm jacket doesn't mean a bulky one (his school locker is neither wide nor deep). It retails for $69.50.
I like the bright color which will make him easy to spot on the sledding hill and I love the reflective lining will make him visible to cars should he be out in the dark. (Lands' End uses reflective material on parts of their backpacks, too.)
We haven't put this particular jacket to the test of cold winter days, snowball fights and the like, but the construction seems durable and in my experience Lands' End lasts. (Oh, yeah, along with my old shoes, I should have mentioned my old--we're talking ancient- Lands' End winter coat. It's the workhorse of a jacket I use for shoveling snow and playing in the white stuff with my boys. I remember wearing it when I was pregnant...ten years ago.)
Looking for a Lands' End coat this winter? See below to learn how to save and get warm fuzzies along with a warm new jacket.
Lands’ End has joined forces with the National Coalition for the Homeless for the Big Warm-up. The Big Warm-up provides an opportunity for people across the nation to donate a gently used coat that will then go on to warm one of more than 3.5 million homeless women, men and children in the United States right now – each facing a cold winter.
Through November 30, Lands’ End is hosting Big Warm-up coat donation sites at its 252 Lands’ End Shops at Sears and 13 Lands’ End Inlets®. Donated coats will be distributed via the National Coalition for the Homeless in communities nearby. AND… Lands’ End is giving 20 percent off the purchase of a new coat for each one donated.
This item was sent to me at no cost for review purposes. Please see our disclosure statement.
Kim also blogs at Hormone-colored Days and writes about selling her house at Roost.com.
Giving It Away For Free
