The Best Puffer Vests for Men on the Move

The archetypal outfit for a standard fare finance worker comprises of crisp performance khakis, a similarly stretchy dress shirt and a fleece vest, ideally from Patagonia (but with the bank’s logo brazenly sewn onto the other side). It took over, was steadfastly copied and then quickly memeified. As such, many moved on, while ruining fleece vests for the rest of us.

Little did they know, though, that fleece vests are actually the worst type of vest (and not just because they were co-opted by cubicle workers). Vests are versatile — a good option when the weather is stuck between seasons — but fleece ones don’t offer much protection from the elements or the wind. At best, fleece vests are a nice mid-level layer designed to provide insulation with little excess weight.

The best vests, however, are puffer vests, whether they’re ultra-wide and super-warm or sleek and slim. Here’s why.

What Is a Puffer Vest?

The first puffer jackets appeared on the market all the way back in 1936 after Eddie Bauer nearly froze to death on a fishing trip. He applied design concepts popularized through sleeping bags to outerwear, creating a quilted jacket that was capable of insulating the wearer with their own body heat. His design, the Skyliner, prioritized function over form. It wasn’t until Norma Kamali (with her aptly titled Sleeping Bag Coat) and Moncler (with the Alpine Coat) that the general public caught on.

Now, puffers are a core part of most wardrobes, whether they work in finance or fly fish. And the puffer vest is a natural evolution, albeit one without sleeves. They’re equally adept at keeping you warm, though, just on a breezy spring day, not in the dead of winter.

Why Wear a Puffer Vest

Puffer vests are an obvious upgrade over form-fitting fleece ones in terms of sheer width, but they’re also warmer. With this width, though, many of them can take on more of your EDC without looking droopy or lumpy — simply put, you can actually use the pockets. Plus, while fleece vests can feel a little flat, puffers promise outward energy, enhancing your silhouette. They’re the little extra on top of a hoodie and joggers, or a crewneck with wide-leg nylon pants.

How to Pick the Right One

In order to find the right puffer vest for your personal style, you need to consider two things: width and construction. A wider puffer skews more streetwear, while a form-fitting one with a suede yoke works well with cowboy boots and wide-cut jeans. In the end, pick the puffer that suits you.

Follow our fit guide to find the right width:

• Slim: wraps snugly around the torso and is tight at the armholes
• Standard: straight-fitting, like your favorite jacket
• Wide: not oversized inside but noticeably puffy outside
• Ultra-Wide: a statement piece

How to Style a Puffer Vest

As implied above, don’t mix and match widths, meaning you shouldn’t pair a tight top piece with wide pants (or vice versa). If you go wide on top, which most puffer vests are, stay straight-fitting or wide beneath the belt line, too: try wide-leg trousers, flared sweatpants, or giant chinos.

Lululemon

Best Overall Puffer Vest

Lululemon Wunder Puff Vest

• $62.00 at Lululemon

• Fit: Standard
• Material: Water-repellent polyester
• Fill: 600 fill-power goose down

The puffer vest is a decidedly athleisure look, and there’s no brand better at athleisure than Lululemon. Its Wunder Puff Vest is just the right width, and it’s easy to match, too, since it comes in two neutral tones.

The North Face

Best Upgrade Puffer Vest

The North Face 1996 Retro Nuptse Vest

• $220.00 at The North Face

• Fit: Slim
• Material: Water-repellent recycled nylon ripstop
• Fill: 700 fill-power goose down

This is simply the 1996 Retro Nuptse Jacket but without sleeves. It’s still slightly cropped, kind of tight and available in a ton of colors.

Uniqlo

Best Affordable Puffer Vest

Uniqlo Ultra Light Down Vest

• $60.00 at Uniqlo

• Fit: Standard
• Material: Water-repellent nylon taffeta
• Fill: 750 fill-power goose down

Get the puffer vest look for less — literally. Uniqlo’s option is both ultra lightweight and affordable. That’s a winning combo.

Huckberry

Best Packable Puffer Vest

Marine Layer Packable Puffer Vest

• $59.00 at Huckberry
  $148.00 (60% off)

• Fit: Slim
• Material: Polyester, nylon
• Fill: Vegan down

Take this puffer from Marine Layer anywhere, courtesy of its packable design. Its vegan fill easily compresses and can be comfortably stowed in any suitcase — even a carry-on.

Courtesy

Best Weatherproof Puffer Vest

Rains Boxy Puffer Vest

• $325.00 at rains.com

• Fit: Wide
• Material: Water-repellent polyester
• Fill: Thermore Ecodown

Protect yourself from the elements with rain gear brand Rains’ Boxy Puffer Vest. As the name implies, this thing’s wide, but not unnecessarily so. It has a high collar and broad shoulders but extra fabric in those places helps keep both your neck and your layer underneath dry.

Huckberry

Best Upgrade Puffer Vest

Crescent Down Works Down Puffer Vest

• $214.00 at Huckberry
  $390.00 (45% off)

• Fit: Wide
• Material: Cotton, nylon
• Fill: 700 fill-power goose down

Made in Seattle, Crescent Downs Works’s puffer vest references earlier outdoors gear, which is why they went with a traditional 60-40 cotton-nylon blend for the shell and standard 700 fill-power goose down for its insulation. The collar isn’t particularly tall and the hips pockets are relatively shallow, but this is quintessential American outerwear.

Patagonia

Best No-Puff Puffer Vest

Patagonia Nano Puff Vest

• $189.00 at Patagonia

• Fit: Slim
• Material: Water-resistant recycled polyester
• Fill: PrimaLoft Gold Insulation Eco

An extension of the “Midtown Uniform,” Patagonia’s Nano Puff Vest barely looks puffed at all, but that’s the point. The brand created a compact down system that proves just as insulating, which you’ll stay equally warm but with less volume.

L.L.Bean

Best Heritage Puffer Vest

L.L. Bean Bean’s Trail Model Vest ’82

• $119.00 at L.L.Bean

• Fit: Wide
• Material: Recycled polyester
• Fill: DownTek water-repellent polyester down

This hidden gem is buried in L.L. Bean’s expansive catalog. It references a trail model vest from 1982 and was reissued in 2022 to celebrate the style’s 40th birthday. It’s nostalgic without being kitschy (or overly ’80s-looking).

Courtesy

Nobis Vale Quilted Vest

• $550.00 at nobis.com

• Fit: Wide
• Material: DWR-coated poly-wool blend
• Fill: Canadian White Duck Down

Nobis’s puffer vest is one of the few I’ve found that isn’t made from just polyester, nylon or cotton. The brand opts for wool instead, albeit a poly-wool blend. It’s been DWR-coated in order to resist water, while the goose down promises warmth (even when slightly damp).

Warehouse

Best Retro Puffer Vest

Rocky Mountain Featherbed x Warehouse Nylon Down Vest

• $12.00 at standardandstrange.com
  $575.00 (98% off)

• Fit: Wide
• Material: Nylon, horsehide
• Fill: 700 fill-power down

The horsehide yoke on Rocky Mountain Featherbed and Warehouse’s collaborative down vest gives the whole thing a Western edge. It helps that the brand was born in Wyoming, too, but you don’t have to wear this with boots and broken-in jeans. It’s fine with sweatpants and sneakers, too.

Huckberry

Best Western Puffer Vest

RRL Milburn Suede-Yoke Quilted Puffer Vest

• $517.00 at Huckberry
  $690.00 (25% off)

• Fit: Wide
• Material: Nylon, lambskin
• Fill: Polyester quilting

RRL is where Ralph Lauren keeps his odes to old American Western attire, like faded jeans, ranch jackets and cowboy boots. The Milburn vest comes with a suede yoke and a nylon body, with black snap buttons.

OFFHOURS

Best Long Puffer Vest

Offhours Boa Overvest

• $395.00 at offhours.co

• Fit: Ultra-Wide
• Material: Recycled nylon
• Fill: Polyester quilting

The most adventurous option on this list is arguably the most comfortable, too — meet the Offhours Boa Overvest, a hooded vest that hangs down to your knees. It offers better coverage, and, thus, acts as a better insulator, but it’s still just a vest, even if it’s as long as your topcoat.

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