Men’s puffer jackets are not only warm and water-resistant, but they’re also more stylish than ever. If you’re looking for more options for men’s puffer jackets, you’ll want to check out our top picks here
The Best Men’s Puffer Jackets
The North Face Thermoball Eco Insulated Hoodie 2.0
The North Face Thermoball Eco Insulated Hoodie 2.0 with an attached hood would make a great everyday puffer jacket. It’s warm and light at the same time, thanks to its closely spaced quilting pattern and The North Face’s ThermoBall Eco insulation, which is an eco-friendly polyester fill that mimics the way down works.
If you want to keep warm in style, the Thermoball Eco Insulated Hoodie 2.0 is the perfect choice. It has a slim fit to eliminate unwanted bulk and give you that streamlined look. Because it’s mostly made out of recycled materials, expect your Thermoball Eco Insulated Hoodie 2.0 to have a slightly different color and texture that’ll surely make you stand out from the crowd.
REI Co-Op 650 Down Hoodie 2.0
The REI Co-Op 650 Down Hoodie 2.0 is a suitable option for men who want a puffer jacket that offers a bit of warmth, without costing too much money. While it’s light enough for everyday use, it’s filled with enough 650-fill-power down for cool evening walks.
For this updated version, the shell is made from blue or orange recycled nylon fabric. It’s still treated with a durable water-repellent (DWR) coating to make sure water and moisture will simply roll off the fabric’s surface. It has a nylon taffeta lining in addition to an insulated, non-adjustable hood.
Fjallraven Expedition X-Latt Insulated Jacket M
Another great addition to your winter jacket collection is the Fjallraven Expedition X-Latt Insulated Jacket M. It provides the right technical features—specifically, a lightweight insulation padding and recycled materials with good water-repellent treatment—to be an effective outer or mid-layer.
Like other puffer jackets in our list, the Expedition X-Latt is cut from recycled materials, from the shell to the synthetic fill. The exterior and lining are made from polyamide, while the insulation is made from high-loft, 60g polyester fill. For good measure, the shell is treated with PFC-free and durable water-repellent coating.
Patagonia Nano Puff Jacket
The Patagonia Nano Puff Jacket stays true to the brand’s mission to produce high-quality and sustainable outdoor clothing. The shell is made from recycled shell fabric with PFC-free DWR coating to repel water, without causing harm to your health. It’s filled with 100% post-consumer recycled polyester insulation (PrimaLoft Gold Insulation Eco) with P.U.R.E. technology, which still stays warm when wet.
The high-neck Nano Puff is the perfect outer layer to keep you warm on days the temperature dips too low (around 30 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit). It has elasticated cuffs and drawcord-adjustable hem to seal in warmth. And just in case you forget your gloves, the two zippered pockets with zipper garages on the front will keep your hands warm.
This puffer jacket is convenient to bring when you need to pack light, like when you’re backpacking or hiking. It’s not only lightweight, but it also packs small into its chest pocket.
Helly Hansen Men’s Patrol Puffy Insulated Jacket
Helly Hansen is a trusted Norwegian brand that’s known for their good-quality outdoor, sailing, and skiing clothing and sports equipment. For the design of their Men’s Patrol Puffy Insulated Jacket, they took inspiration from professionals working in the extreme cold environment of the Arctic.
With freezing and harsh environments in mind, they used recycled lining and PrimaLoft Black Eco insulation to make sure you stay warm and comfortable when wearing this parka-style puffer jacket. The PrimaLoft Black Eco isn’t only breathable, fluffy, and light like down, but it also dries fast, insulates the body well, and is suitable for people with allergies.
In addition to the recycled fabric, it comes with a reinforced ripstop fabric with PFC-free, water-repellent finish. This means it won’t easily tear, especially in key areas, such as your elbows and underarms.
The Patrol Puffy Insulated Jacket has a high-neck design to protect your neck from the cold, sun, and wind. It also has a hood with a drawstring for adjustment. On the front, it has dual-entry pockets to keep your hands warm and store your small items.
Cotopaxi Fuego Hooded Down Jacket
Available in a variety of vivid color schemes, be prepared to give a splash of color to your monochrome outdoor clothing wardrobe when you get the Cotopaxi Fuego Hooded Down Jacket. Not only is it colorful, but it also meets the requirements in terms of compressibility, fit, warmth, and sustainability.
Cotopaxi updated the fit to create slightly more room in the chest, hips, and waist. As a result, you can move more freely and efficiently.
You can’t adjust the hood, which is one of the drawbacks of this puffer jacket. On the bright side, the hem has a drawcord to prevent it from riding up and seal the warmth whenever needed
The inner lining isn’t the best, but this 3-season puffer jacket does what it’s supposed to do—to keep you warm! The insulation material is an 800-fill down with sewn-through baffles. It also has elasticated cuffs and hem, high neck, and scuba hood that provide additional protection from the cold and wind.
Stoic Men’s Sherpa Ultra Puffer
Stoic jackets aren’t top of the line, but they’re usually durable, well-constructed, and reasonably priced. The Stoic Men’s Sherpa Ultra Puffer are about as good as other mid-range puffer jackets from other brands.
In terms of style, it’s casual, simple, and timeless. It’s available in two color schemes: Egret (a combination of dark and light beige) and Trekking Green. It has a relaxed fit, which makes it easy to wear.
The outer fabric is made from polyester Sherpa, which is valued for its ability to retain heat. The nylon taffeta lining isn’t only sturdy, but it also feels good on the skin because it’s soft and smooth.
The baffles are filled with 350g polyfill insulation that’s ideal for cold climates. Stoic didn’t forget to add an adjustable hem for a more customized fit and extra wind protection. They also equipped this jacket with one internal chest pocket and two hand pockets on the front.
Rhone Tundra Quilted Hooded Jacket
Rhone is known for producing some of the best workout and athletic clothing on the market. The Tundra Quilted Hooded Jacket is one of its most well-received puffer jackets.
This quilted jacket is made mostly from recycled materials, including the shell made from recycled ripstop fabric with water-repellent (DWR) coating. It’s incredibly warm, thanks to its Primaloft recycled insulation. And it has a fitted hood and elasticated sleeve and hem to give that extra warmth during colder days.
But what’s probably the best feature of this puffer jacket is it’s adequately insulated without being bulky and heavy. You can also easily roll it up and tuck it away in your backpack or luggage.
Columbia Men’s Powder Lite Insulated Jacket
The Columbia Men’s Powder Lite Insulated Jacket uses polyester fill to help you retain your body heat in cold temperatures. It usually works well in temperatures ranging between 32 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit (0 to 10 degree Celsius).
While polyester is a good insulation material, it’s not as effective as down. Columbia has two solutions for this:
- Columbia’s Storm-Lite DP II outer fabric is proven durable and water-repellent. It’s so effective that the only way you’d be soaking wet when wearing this jacket is if you stay outside in heavy rain for several hours.
- The Omni-Heat reflective lining uses tiny gold dots to reflect your body heat, which allows the jacket to keep you warm longer, without making the fabric less breathable.
The Powder Lite is lightweight, but it doesn’t pack down easily. Unless you spend a lot of time traveling or doing outdoor recreational activities (e.g., backpacking and hiking), this shouldn’t be a major problem.
Buck Mason Down Expedition Jacket
While it’s quite expensive, Buck Mason has done a good job with their Down Expedition Jacket. This USA-made puffer jacket exceeds expectations. It’s comfortable, durable, and light.
One of the most important things about your puffer jacket is how it’s going to fit your body. The Down Expedition Jacket is looser around the chest and sleeves for better range of motion and easier layering. It has a slimmer waist, so it looks flattering on you.
Buck Mason made sure the insulation material of this puffer jacket—a 650 fill-power duck down—is ethically sourced. That’s why they worked with Allied Feather + Down, a company that helps partner brands to internally verify and responsibly source down.
Of course, this jacket will keep you warm in cold conditions. This isn’t only because of its traceable duck down, but also because its shell is cut from recycled nylon fabric with water-repellent coating. By preventing water from penetrating the jacket’s face, its duck down filling retains its insulative properties.
Relwen Windzip Jacket
The Relwen Windzip Jacket will not work well for people who need a waterproof jacket to keep them warm in freezing temperatures. This is a more suitable option for people who are looking for a grab-and-go, jack-of-all-trades jacket for cold weather.
It’s available in four colors (Bright Navy, Light Steel, Midnight, and Pine), so there’s a good option for everyone. The water-resistant exterior fabric is a blend of nylon (94%) and spandex (6%) to give it just the right amount of stretch. It’s filled with 60-gram, recycled polyester insulation that’s held in place by a 1-inch horizontal quilting.
Topo Designs Mid Puffer Jacket
Topo Designs is a Denver, Colorado-based company that has a long history of producing outdoor backpacks, bags, and garments. Their design goal is functionality and simplicity—all while taking advantage of modern technology.
Their Mid Puffer Jacket is the perfect representation of the company’s design philosophy. It provides a great combination of function and style. The striking feature of this puffer jacket is its crisp and minimal design, which is available in two colors: olive green and orange.
Unlike others on this list, it’s non-quilted. This helps reduce the bulk, without compromising the insulation maerial’s ability to keep your body warm. The outer fabric is made of 100% recycled nylon shell, while the lining is made of polyester. It has a hood with a DWR coating that you can easily tuck away when you don’t need to use it.
What is a Puffer Jacket?
A puffer jacket is known by different names: down jacket, padded jacket, quilted jacket, or simply puffer. It’s a type of insulated coat that’s filled with down filler or synthetic filler, which is held in place by horizontal or vertical stitching.
Aside from its “puffy” appearance, another distinguishing feature of a puffer jacket is its padded, high-neck design for extra warmth and wind protection. Most puffers don’t also have a hood. If they do, it’s usually re-attachable.
Temperature Ratings
Like other types of insulated jackets, puffer jackets will have different temperature ratings. That’s why before buying a puffer jacket, you need to determine the temperatures you’ll usually be encountering and your comfort level in cold conditions.
For example, the Patagonia Nano Puff Jacket has no official temperature rating. However, most consumers agree that it’s the perfect puffer when the outside temperature is between 40- and 60-degrees Fahrenheit.
The amount of down versus the number of feathers (down-to-feather ratio) inside a puffer jacket plays an important role as well. Puffer jackets usually have three down-to-feather ratios:
- 90% down and 10% feather
- 80% down and 20% feather
- 70% down and 30% feather
As you would expect, a higher down ratio will provide a greater level of warmth. Depending on when or where you plan to wear it, your puffer jacket should contain at least 80% down to 20% feather or synthetic filler.
Ability to Repel Water
The majority of puffer jackets aren’t completely waterproof. They’re usually either water-repellent or water-resistant.
Water-resistant puffer jackets don’t usually have a coating that repels water. In most cases, they’re made from a tightly woven fabric. The higher the thread count and the more tightly woven a fabric is, the more force water needs to penetrate the fabric.
Those that are labeled as water-repellent are usually treated with a layer of Durable Water Repellent (DWR), a type of polymer finish that manufacturers use to rain-proof garments. In that way, water will simply roll off the fabric. This substance is usually effective in keeping you dry in light rain for a brief period.
Tip: Read the fabric care label found on the inside seam of a puffer jacket to know if it’s made from water-resistant, water-repellent, or waterproof materials.
Proper Fit for a Men’s Puffer Jacket
A puffer jacket should be snug, but it should also leave enough room to add layers underneath. Major activewear and outdoor sports gear brands, such as The North Face, usually make winter jackets that fit true to size. But if you’re going for a roomier fit, pick a puffer jacket one size up.
Also, make sure the sleeves are long enough that the cuffs hit right at the base of your hands. Before shopping online, measure along the top of your shoulder (shoulder seam) to your wrist to know if the puffer jacket you want has the correct sleeve length for your arms.
