10 Best Puffer Jackets in Australia for Men & Women in 2023

We’ve put the best puffer jackets all in one place so you can stay toasty warm this winter.

 

Keeping warm during the Aussie winter is all about layering. Moving here from England I thought I could leave all my warm gear behind, boy was I wrong. Very wrong. Despite being known for blue skies and beaches, the Australian winter can get really cold.

But unlike England, it doesn’t stay cold all day, even in the Snowy Mountains. You might start off covered head to toe and wrapped up to the nines, but come lunchtime you’ll want to lose a few layers, which means a lightweight puffer jacket should be a staple of your winter wardrobe.

Lighweight Puffer Jackets for Life!

It doesn’t matter if it’s a walk to the local shop for your morning coffee, a day hiking in the Blueys, or full day shredding in the Snowies, adding a lightweight puffer jacket to your repertoire will keep you warm when you need, but pack away easily when things heat up. This is why we’ve focussed our selection on the best lightweight, packable puffer jackets out there – leave that oversized puffer and the puffer coat behind – we’re going lightweight baby!

Whether you’re after the best men’s puffer jacket or the best women’s puffer jacket, a hooded puffer jacket or one without, these are the best puffer jackets for keeping warm during the Aussie winter.

Read more: 11 Best Rain Pants in Australia in 2023

1. Arc’teryx Cerium LT Insulated Hoodie

Price: $550
Weight: Men’s puffer 305g / Women’s puffer 280g

The Arc’teryx Cerium LT Insulated Hoodie will keep you warm during cold mornings at the crag, while checking the dawn surf and when you’re out for post shred beers. This premium puffer jacket has a down-filled hood to keep your noggin warm and a wind-resistant shell. While it won’t keep you dry during a downpour, the Durable Water Repellent (DWR) finish will repel some moisture. 

Weighing in at just 350g and with a pack size similar to a Nalgene bottle, this is the perfect puffer jacket for lightweight Explorers to keep warm this winter.

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2. The North Face ThermoBall Eco Insulated Jacket

Price: $300
Weight: Men’s puffer 430g / Women’s puffer 370g

If you’re looking for a puffer jacket that’s eco-conscious and chock-full of recyclables, then The North Face Thermoball Eco Insulated Jacket is for you.

The North Face is using ThermoBall technology, which means this puffer jacket is filled with synthetic fibre-clusters that have been designed to mimic the way down traps heat within air pockets. But more importantly, these synthetic fibres are made from 100% Post-Consumer Recycled Polyester. 

Not only is the puffer jacket filled with recycled content, everything from the lining to the DWR finish is made from 100% recycled materials. Equivalent to 600 fill goose down, the synthetic insulation should keep warming your bones even if it gets wet, which gives it a pretty significant advantage over down.

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3. Marmot Highlander Womens Insulated Jacket

Price: $299
Weight: Women’s puffer 377g

Marmot’s Women’s Highlander Jacket is comprised of 700-fill-power-down insulation. It’s outer shell is made from Pertex Quantum® fabric which is designed to protect from wind and improve the efficiency of insulation.

Elastic binding at the cuffs helps block wind while zippered hand pockets shield your hands from the cold. Stash essentials in the interior chest pocket.

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4. Patagonia Down Sweater

Price: $399
Weight: Men’s puffer 369g / Hooded 420g
Women’s puffer 292g / Hooded 343g

Patagonia’s always a favourite for their environmentally and socially conscious gear that still performs at the top of its game. The Patagonia Down Sweater is no different with a shell made of NetPlus, which means it’s constructed entirely of recycled fishing nets that would otherwise risk polluting the ocean. It also has a PFC-free DWR finish to resist water.

The incredibly warm-for-its-weight 800 fill-power down conforms to the Responsible Down Standard in tight, well-stuffed baffles that trap your body’s warm, even as you move around. You can stuff the Down Sweater into its jacket pocket where a carabiner loop allows you to hang it.

The jacket also comes in a hooded and vest version and each one comes with repair patches so you can keep on using it for years to come.

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5. Mont Zero Ultralight Down Jacket

Price: $389.95
Weight: Men’s puffer 234g / Women’s puffer 210g

Boasting the lightest weight of our selection at just over 200 grams AND the highest down fill rating, the Mont Zero Ultralight Down Jacket packs a serious double whammy. Filled with premium 1000+ down and featuring an anti-gravity nylon shell, this puffer jacket is the ultimate choice for the ultralight connoisseur.

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6. Kathmandu Heli R Down Jacket

Price: $219.98
Weight: Men’s puffer 300g / Women’s puffer 240g

Kathmandu have updated their iconic Heli down jackets this season to limit their impact on the environment. 

They have used recycled materials throughout — the shell, lining, zip tape, plastic components, and labels. They’re also exploring recycling and resale options — all a part of our journey to achieve product circularity.

The jacket is filled with traceable 600 fill power duck down that will keep you warm and comfy and the Heli R is 25% lighter than its predecessor and more compressible.

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7. Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer 2 Hoody

Price: $325
Weight: Men’s puffer 249g / Women’s puffer 220g

Mountain Hardwear’s Ghost Whisperer 2 Hoody is a ‘sustainable reimagining’ 0f the brand’s original ultralight down hoody.

This puffer jacket makes use of recycled fabrics around the face and along the trims as well as 800 fill RDS certified down.

Cleverly, the first baffle on the cuff of both sleeves is actually filled with a synthetic insulation, rather than down, so you can wash your hands or play in the snow (hehe) without worrying about moisture wetting out the sleeves. Someone on their team is a real thinker!

With two zippered hand pockets, a drawcord at the hem and elastic bindings around the hood and cuffs, Mountain Hardwear is doing everything in its power to keep the heat locked in.

This puffer jacket comes in five different colours (six for women!) and packs itself right into the hand pocket. Plus the internal carabiner makes it easy to clip onto your pack.

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8. RAB Altus Jacket

Price: $270
Weight: Men’s puffer 438g / Women’s puffer 383g

RAB is another outdoor brand that’s shifted away from traditional down to a trademarked synthetic insulation instead. The Altus Jacket is filled with 195g of Cirrus insulation powered by 3M Featherless, which has a similar weight to warmth ratio as 600 loft down.

However unlike down, get one of these puffer jackets wet and they’ll still keep you toasty (and they’ll dry a heck of a lot quicker).

The RAB Altus Jacket also boasts easy care for this puffer jacket – just chuck it in the washing machine with your other washing and Bob’s your uncle!

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9. Columbia Labyrinth Loop Omni-Heat Infinity Insulated Jacket

Price: $209.99

Labyrinth Loop Omni-Heat Infinity Insulated Jacket – that’s a lot of words to take in, but so is the trademarked Omni-Tech that Columbia has managed to sew into this puffer jacket.

The puffer jacket combines both Omni-Heat recycled synthetic down insulation, with Omni-Heat Infinity advanced thermal reflective lining.

Essentially this is a pattern of reflective gold dots that lines the inside of the puffer jacket, reflecting back and locking in your own body warmth within the jacket, without compromising on breathability.

On the outside, the fabric is water-resistant, there’s a drop tail at the back, and two zippered hand pockets in the front.

This puffer jacket comes in a couple of colourways and patterns for both men and women.

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10. Lé Bent Pramecou Wool Insulated Hooded Jacket

Price: $379.99

Lé Bent is an Australian brand best known for their Signature Merino and Bamboo blend snow socks and layers, so they know a thing or two about keeping out the cold!

This year they’ve taken that super soft fabric from their base layers and plied it into a brand new technical midlayer.

The Pramecou Wool Insulated Hooded Jacket is packed with 80g wool insulation and recycled poly – ever seen a cold sheep? Neither have I!

This layer sets itself apart thanks to the so-called, ‘FlowState™ Sleeve System’ that incorporates a flexible panel of their Signature Blend around the shoulders, back and arms to enable maximum movement and enhanced breathability. In other words – helping you forget your layer and enter the elusive flow state, no matter what you’re doing.

For more athletic pursuits, the Pramecou also comes in a Hybrid Jacket for even more mobility and flow. 

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Best Puffer Jacket FAQs

How do I wash my puffer jacket?

Not sure how to wash your new puffer jacket? Read our how to guide!

Which puffer jacket is the warmest?

Puffer jackets create warmth through a combination of fill power, fill weight, and construction to trap the heat in (and keep the cold out). Premium puffer jackets use down with a fill power reaching the 800 mark or higher. Fill power measures the quality and loft of the down used and is different to the fill weight. Generally the warmest jackets will have a combination of high quality down with a high fill power, and a high fill weight. They will also have features such as alternating baffles, or more complex stitching, zippers and cuffs to trap your body’s warmth.

On this list of lightweight jackets the Mont Zero Ultralight Down Jacket and the Mountain Hardwear Ghost Whisperer 2 Hoody have 800 fill power down. They’ll be the warmest for their weight, but as they are also trying to save grams, not necessarily the warmest jackets overall.

What is the difference between fill power and fill weight?

Fill power measures the quality and loft of the down used in the puffer jacket. The higher the score, the better the quality and the warmer the jacket will be for its weight.

Fill weight measures the actual amount of down in the jacket. A higher weight does not necessarily mean a warmer puffer jacket, as the fill power between two jackets may be different, but it does mean a heavier puffer jacket.

It’s best to compare both the fill power and fill weight when buying a puffer jacket to make sure it’s a warmth and weight that works for you.

Synthetic and wool insulation use different measures of warmth, so it’s important to read reviews and talk to store staff when making a purchase.

Each puffer jacket on this list is a lightweight puffer jacket.

Feature photo by Roger Stuart