Best Puffer Jacket (2026): Patagonia, Arc’teryx, REI

Our favorite down puffer jackets will keep you warm in the backcountry and around town. Scott GilbertsonGearFeb 23, 2026 8:00 AMThe Best Puffer Jackets to Survive the ColdOur favorite down puffer jackets will keep you toasty in the backcountry and around town.CommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyFeatured in this articleBest Puffer JacketMammut Broad Peak IN Hooded JacketRead more$249 Amazon (Men's)Best Shoulder Season JacketOutdoor Vitals Vantage Alpine Down JacketRead more$275 Outdoor VitalsBest Value Puffer JacketDecathlon Simond MT100 Hooded PufferRead more$119 DecathlonThe Warmest Puffer JacketFjällräven Expedition Down Lite JacketRead more$600 REI (Men's)It's –25 degrees Fahrenheit outside and the wind is howling. If that sounds unpleasant to you, a down puffer jacket would make it much less so. Cold should never stop you from getting outside. You need the secret to staying warm in the winter: the right clothes.The puffer jacket offers the best warmth-to-weight ratio of any piece of cold-weather clothing you can own. More times than not, a good puffer is the difference between comfort and misery. To save you from that misery, we've spent years testing down parkas of all shapes, sizes, and down fill powers to find the best jackets to keep you toasty warm around town, out on the trail, and in the serious, dangerous cold of high-altitude and high-latitude adventures. And fear not, we've included a few synthetic-fill jackets for those who don't want to use down.Once you've got your puffer jacket, I recommend grabbing some merino wool, one of our favorite base layers, along with a good sleeping bag, and a high-quality backpacking sleeping pad. (You'll be surprised how much a great sleeping pad helps keep you warm at night.)WIRED outdoor experts Martin Cizmar, Chris Haslam, and Adrienne So also contributed to this guide.Updated January 2026: We've added new jackets, including the Mountain Hardware Ghost Whisperer, Aritzia Super Puff, Columbia Amaze Puff, Decathlon Simond MT100, Outdoor Vitals Vantage Alpine jacket, Stellar Ultralight Hoodie, and updated links and prices throughout.Jump ToAccordionItemContainerButtonLargeChevronHonorable MentionsWhat to Look for in a Puffer JacketWhat Is Down Fill Power?Ethical DownBest Puffer JacketPhotograph: Scott GilbertsonSave to wishlistSave to wishlistMammutBroad Peak IN Hooded Jacket$249 Amazon (Men's)$249 $187 (25% off) Amazon (Women's)Mammut's 700-fill-power down Waymarker IN hoodie stuffs down remarkably small (into its own pocket), weighs little for the warmth it provides, and makes a good all-around puffer. In fact, I think this is one of the best all-around puffer jackets you can buy. It's stylish enough to work well around town, but also great on the trail. The fill weight is 4.5 ounces, which I think is the perfect amount of down for two very common scenarios: when you're out being active on a winter day with temps in the 20- to 30-degree range, where you don't need anything when you're moving, but the minute you stop you need something. That's where a light but warm down jacket like this really shines. The other scenario is cool evenings and mornings during shoulder season trips, when you want warmth but don't want to fill your pack.The 100 percent recycled, wind- and water-repellent Pertex outer shell is quite light, certainly compressible. It doesn't feel quite as durable as some others on this list, but I haven't had any issues after many months of testing. My one gripe here is that there's no drawcord at the waist, which means you can't seal it up as well as some others at this price. The hand pockets are also on the high side, which nicely accommodates a harness, and works well hiking with a pack, but might not be the best if that's not your use case.SpecsDown fill power700Fill weight4.5 oz.Weight13.5 oz.Best Shoulder Season JacketPhotograph: Scott GilbertsonPhotograph: Scott GilbertsonPhotograph: Scott GilbertsonPhotograph: Scott GilbertsonChevronChevronSave to wishlistSave to wishlistOutdoor VitalsVantage Alpine Down Jacket$275 Outdoor VitalsOutdoor Vital's Vantage Alpine down jacket is a nearly perfect puffer for shoulder season backpacking trips, where you need more warmth than an ultralight puffy, but don't need the bulk and weight of a full –40-degree jacket. The Vantage is designed to provide maximum thermal efficiency for as little weight as possible (16 ounces for men's large), and it succeeds. Prior to using this jacket, I would have been skeptical that you could make a truly warm jacket like this and keep it under a pound, but Outdoor Vitals has done it.There are two components that make this jacket so good. The first is the ExpeDry down, which attaches gold particles to the down to break down hydrogen bonds in water and prevent droplets from forming. This speeds evaporation and keeps the down dry in high humidity (you know, when you're sweating). As down collects humidity durin