The puffer jacket. An essential commodity this time of the year in Australia. When winter rolls through town this eloquently quilted garment of clothing gets more action than almost any other item in the wardrobe.
As the insulated genre has blossomed over the last few years thanks to the rapid adoption of outdoor and mountaineering labels such as Katmandu, North Face and Patagonia, several new operators have joined in on the men's puffer jacket arms race, making deciding on where to drop your hard-earned cash even harder.
Urban List's Top Picks
- Best Overall, Kathmandu Men’s Any Time Down Hooded Parka
- Best Colour Range, Superdry Hooded Sports Puffer Jacket
- Best Oversized, North Face 1996 Retro Nuptse Jacket
- Best Luxury, Arcteryx Thorium Jacket
- Best Traditional, R.M.Williams Patterson Creek Jacket
- Best For Layering, COS Quilted Padded Gilet
- Best Value, Uniqlo White Mountaineering Recycled Hybrid Down Jacket
- Best Lightweight, Patagonia Nano Puff® Jacket
Best Overall Kathmandu Men’s Any Time Down Hooded Parka
An Australian staple, a puffer from Kathmandu is an essential staple in the wardrobe come wintertime. The Any Time Down Parka is a contemporary quilted option that's both practical and stylish. The diamond quilted 600-fill power down ensures you'll stay warm, even in blustery winds and the addition of a detachable hood makes it ideal for wearing for all types of occasions.
Best Colour Range Superdry Hooded Sports Puffer Jacket
Known for their top-quality lifestyle wear, international brand Superdry has launched a new range of puffer jackets for winter 2024 in vibrant shades inspired by Japanese graphics. The whole range is super stylish, but the Hooded Sports Puffer Jacket perfectly blends practicality and style, with a lightweight but luxuriously padded design, lined hood and zipped pockets.
Superdry’s puffer jackets are made from sustainable materials where possible, with a future-focused design and range of colours selected to be on-trend for years to come—we love saffron yellow for a boost of colour in the middle of winter. Browse Superdry’s complete collection of men's puffer jackets online.
Best Oversized The North Face 1996 Retro Nuptse Jacket
No shocks here, the North Face range of insulated outerwear rank as some of the best men's puffer jackets and the 1996 Retro Nuptse is no exception. Harnessing a real 90s aesthetic, this heavily quilted goose-down number has an oversized look and comes in a slew of options from the classic TNF black to a bolder lapis blue.
Best Luxury Arcteryx Thorium Jacket
Founded in Canada in 1989, Arcteryx has long meant business in the outdoors. Fast forward to today, and the bone fossil emblem is just about one of the trendiest labels out there, but it's for good reason. The Thorium is the quintessential black puffer jacket and is one of the lightest and warmest you'll ever slip your arms through.
Best Traditional R.M.Williams Patterson Creek Jacket
With just as much craft poured in as some of their boots, the Patterson Creek Jacket from R.M Williams offers a more traditional take on the men's puffer jacket. Suited to looking sharp and retaining the heat, this jacket is crafted in a classic padded shape with a stand collar, zip closure and handy pockets.
Best For Layering COS Quilted Padded Gilet
Just as you'd expect from COS, this padded gilet is simple but still undeniably carries that elevated style we've come to expect from the label. Ideal for layering thanks to its streamlined and collarless design, you can style this one as an outerwear piece or layer it with an overcoat for extra warmth.
Best Value Uniqlo White Mountaineering Recycled Hybrid Down Jacket
A reinterpretation of Uniqlo's essential line, the White Mountaineering Recycled Hybrid Down Jacket delivers just the right amount of utilitarian charm at an affordable price. Made up of recycled materials this jacket is optimised for warmth and comfort, with down and sheet padding to provide heat, minus the extra bulk.
Best Lightweight Patagonia Nano Puff® Jacket
Quality, craft, and sustainability, Patagonia's gear is built to last. This Patagonia Nano Puff® number is in the running for the best men's puffer jacket, thanks to its warm, windproof and water-resistant design. The best part? With an internal stuffsack and weighing in at only 337 grams this jacket makes the ideal companion for those on the go.
Image credit: Katmandu | Instagram
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