I’ve never owned a fur coat.. that’s all that people used to have.. so If you took a fur coat and somehow tested it against a modern day coat , designed for sub zero temps. .. how does it stack up? Is the fur warmer or is the modern warmer?

My guess would be that a fur coat is warmer, heavier, and more expensive. Synthetic materials are lighter, cheaper, and more accessible for manufacturers. To answer your question, yes fur it's warmer.

My fur hat is the only hat I own that gets too warm.

Fur is MUCH warmer. A fur coat with a thin layer of nonwoven insulation between the fur and the lining outperforms most "performance-oriented" warm jackets. I'd say as warm as an expensive, high-quality goose down coat during the first month of wearing, but totally more windproof, moreover many good modern "down" jackets are made of synthetics in reality and don't last long (my last Land's End goose down coat collapsed after washing and the "down" turned into something that looked like lumps of wet kleenex). The closest I've seen, warmth-wise, is good workwear for drilling/oil company engineers (not regular workers, but for those who have to stand in the cold and watch others work).

I have an otter/wolverine fur coat that's so warm that I don't even need to wear gloves most of the time if it's above -20F. I can't say it's much heavier than a good warm synthetic winter coat, because of how well they thin the leather in commercial tanneries.

Many furs are inexpensive and definitely last much longer than synthetics. Sheepskin and nutria coats are popular here this season (which is good, because just like fake fur coats, they are a "gateway drug" to wild furs). Lots of nice sheared beaver coats, too, e.g. here (no idea if the link works from the outside): https://www.spbmeh.ru/catalog/bobyer/

and yes, fur hats are TOO warm most of the time.

Your link did work. Those are beautiful coats, you don't even need to speak Russian to see that.

Krig, we make a lot of fur hats, mitts, and 1 coat. All of our customers say they are the warmest thing they've ever worn. I've worn a fur hat for decades, mitts for years working outside before I retired. There is nothing that I've tried that can even compare to it. Many people are afraid to wear fur. Either they are worried about what someone will say, or they are worried because they look so nice they don't want to ruin them. I just consider it the price to stay warm. Like a gun, a good pair of fur mitts and a hat is a tool to be used. If you get cold where you live or play, fur will keep you warmer than anything else I've tried.

These coats are actually pretty mass-market and relatively inexpensive, not even the "middle-class" segment of the market.

Here are a couple more links, both are big, country-wide chains.

https://elenafurs.ru/meha?page=1 (you can explore 30+ pages of fur coats).

this link is interesting because they are intentionally mixing fake fur and real fur in the online catalog unless you specify which kind of fur you want, and these fake fur coats are, imho, ridiculously expensive for a product that is all plastic and itchy and only lasts a couple of seasons, which I believe is also intentional because after wearing such a coat and seeing it deteriorate after a season or two, they will be more likely to invest into real fur instead of buying a replacement. Like I said, it's a gateway product aimed at younger women (teens-20's) who grew up around the peak of the animal rights craze. I see a lot of university students wearing these fake coats that very realistically mimic mink, sheared beaver, dyed bluefrost fox, bobcat bellies, etc. I think it's a good marketing strategy because it raises the acceptance of real furs. Most older women (and I don't mean old) wear furs, so on cold days, it's fur coats and hats everywhere.

https://snowqueen.ru/catalog/shuby/


sable furs are a distinct segment of the market, but the demand also seems to be on the rise despite the price. Last week alone two women independently asked me for advice on buying a set of sable skins for a medium-sized coat, and neither is what I'd call rich
https://sobol.ru/katalog/sobol/
https://renfur.ru/sobol/


I just thought some of you could be curious about what it's like where furs are more widely accepted than in the US/Canada

I've made fur hats now for many years, and even the first hats I made that were just trimmed in fur were warmer than bought
"winter tested" materials !!

I have made full trooper hats out of most available fur and every one who bought one has written or called me back and offered how warm they are compared to professional out door gear made they have bought !

There just is no comparison to fur for warmth !

Plus they are great conversation starters and are absolutely beautiful to wear !

so the RCMP has tried several times to change their fur hat too the faux and has been rejected everytime by the force because guys in the extreme north said it wasnt warm enough

Fascinating stuff, thanks for sharing!