Teddy, Sherpa, and fleece – oh my! When I first wrote this post a little over a year ago, it was hard distinguishing between these three types of jackets. And today, the lines are blurring even more! Yet, these soft and furry jackets are still soaring in popularity. Therefore, this post is now again one of my most read posts thanks to Pinterest!
If you are on that platform, I would love for you to follow my Pinterest page here!
My current research into the wonderfully warm Sherpa jackets finds that most are just now labelled as faux fur or faux shearling jackets. You can find budget-friendly ones and higher end ones. If you want a real lamb’s wool jacket, be prepared though. The few I’ve found are price well over $1000.
To my surprise, many fleece jackets are called high pile fleece and have the appearance of a Sherpa jacket. I did find a few Teddy jackets still around, but that name doesn’t tend to be as popular.
Of course, these current descriptions you see online are not always very helpful when it comes to picking out the right jacket. However, I will still go over the original definitions of each type of jacket below with some shopping tips.
Similar Plaid Jackets Here, Here & Here
Sherpa vs. Teddy vs. Fleece
So what are the differences between these types of jackets? The main one is the tightness of the weave of the materials. The tighter the weave of the material is the warmer the jacket should be.
Teddy Jackets
A teddy jacket typically has looser fibers or a looser weave giving it that teddy bear furry look. Therefore, it may not provide as much warmth as the Sherpa and fleece jackets.
I still have and wear the Teddy jacket pictured below, but I don’t wear it on really windy cold days. In fact, I remember the wind blowing really hard the day we took this photo. I was freezing, because it blew right through this jacket!
Similar Teddy Jacket Here / Teddy Coat
I have seen some full sized coats described as Teddy coats, and they may be warmer than my jacket above. You may have to do some trial and error trying different styles on to see how truly warm a coat is. If you live in a warmer climate, a Teddy coat may be all you need.
If you want something really warm though, you may want to save time and pass over any coat labelled as a Teddy coat, especially if buying online.
Sherpa Jackets
Sherpa often makes up the furry lining in a faux shearling jacket. As of recent years, this soft material is out front and center more than ever. A Sherpa jacket often has a loose weave with a fleece lining. It falls somewhere in between the teddy and fleece jackets for warmth.
Sherpa style jackets tend to be the most popular nowadays of the three styles. I’m finding they do provide a lot of warmth too. I recently did a try-on session with this budget-friendly Sherpa pullover, and it was super warm. It can be worn with or without a top underneath. And it comes in several great color choices and prints!
Fleece Jackets
The typical fleece jacket has the tightest weave making it the warmest of the three jackets.
As I said earlier, I saw many fleece jackets described as high pile fleece. Upon further investigation, I found this is simply another name for the ever trendy Sherpa jacket which is a combination of fleece and Sherpa materials. Haha. Are we confused yet?
I guess the biggest lesson of today is Sherpa jackets tend to rule the market right now when it comes to getting something warm along with a soft cozy feel.
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For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.
Ephesians 2:8