Monty: A good brushing goes a long way for most shearling jackets, which tend to have a sueded outer surface.
If your sheepskin coat has a nappa finish, it’ll have more of the feeling of a finished, smooth leather. A nappa finish is kind of like a sealant, if you will, over the suede, which gives it another little added layer of protection in wetter weather. With a nappa finish you can just use a soft cloth, get it a bit damp with slightly warm water, and wipe the coat down.
There’s a famous leather cleaner in Kansas City, but I recommend avoiding chemical dry-cleaning whenever possible. I’d rather people try to take care of their coats themselves with a little clean water, brushing, and doing their own light upkeep at the end of the season. And if you get a little salt or a splash of mud, you want to certainly wipe that off at the end of the day, as you would your boots. View more sheepskin care tips.
Some have detachable hoods, some of which you can zip on. If you’re in a really snowy locale or you don’t want to wear a hat, a hood’s a really good thing. If you wear eyeglasses, a hood can help keep the snow off.