Our Favorite Jackets and Coats of 2023

This story is part of the 2023 Gear Patrol Style Awards. To see the full list of winners, click here.

Purpose-built outerwear can come with a hefty price tag. But, it’s a clothing category where the cost is most justified.

Depending on the function, the outermost layer of your outfit may be designed to brave the elements, offer protection or help retain warmth in cooler weather. So garment construction, materials and finishes are paramount.

If your lifestyle requires few different jackets and coats to get you through the year, or if you’re just in need of something new, start with our top picks of 2023.

To learn more about our testing methodology and how we evaluate products, head here.

Huckberry

Best Overall Waxed Canvas Jacket

Flint and Tinder Flannel-lined Waxed Trucker Jacket

• $268.00 at Huckberry

Lightweight but warm, Flint and Tinder’s Waxed Trucker Jacket is a fantastic fall fit, with the option to size up if you’ll be layering it into the dead of winter. With a price tag that’s a bit lower than most of its brethren, it’s a value buy that doesn’t skim on the construction quality. And does it help that Pedro Pascal made it instantly iconic as part of Joel’s apocalypse outfit in HBO’s The Last of Us? Of course.

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The North Face

Best Overall Parka

The North Face McMurdo Parka

• $400.00 at The North Face

Incredibly warm without drowning you in puffiness, The North Face’s McMurdo Parka combines 600-fill recycled down with a waterproof, windproof shell, attached hood with removable faux-fur ruff and about as many pockets as you could reasonably ask for.

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Courtesy

Best Overall Chore Coat

Taylor Stitch Ojai Jacket

• $188.00 at taylorstitch.com

A product of Taylor Stitch’s “Workshop hub” program, where preorders fund the production of an item, the Ojai jacket was a hit before it was even in production. Made with cotton twill sourced from deadstock military fabric, this chore coat can take a beating while looking slick enough to be dressed up as well.

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fw23

Best Upgrade Puffer

Nobis Supra Performance Puffer

• $1,050.00 at nobis.com

Designed for subzero temperatures, the Nobis Supra Performance Puffer marries top of the line warmth and performance with unparalleled slickness and style — for a price.

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Patagonia

Best Overall Rain Jacket

Patagonia Granite Crest Rain Jacket

• $279.00 at Patagonia

Designed with the outdoors in mind, Patagonia’s Granite Crest Rain Jacket comes with features like a helmet-compatible hood for climbing or biking or generally helmeting in the rain, zippable armpit vents, and the ability to stuff down into a pocket. You’d be hard pressed to find an environment it can’t handle.

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J Crew

Best Overall Overcoat

J.Crew Ludlow Topcoat

• $548.00 at J Crew

With a smart brown houndstooth design, J.Crew’s is Ludlow topcoat is made from wool produced by Irish mill, Magee 1866. That means hefty, textured yarns for a topcoat that will last you years and years.

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Levi

Best Overall Denim Jacket

Levi’s Trucker Jacket

• $90.00 at Levi

A staple for over a half-century, Levi’s denim still a standout, despite the emergence of hundreds of thousands of alternatives since. It’s great overtop base layers, just beware the body runs slightly slim if you intend to button it all the way up.

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Patagonia

Best Overall Fleece Jacket

Patagonia Classic Retro-X Fleece Jacket

• $137.00 at Patagonia
  $229.00 (40% off)

For when the temperatures don’t call for something more serious (and uncomfortable), Patagonia’s Classic Retro-X Fleece Jacket keeps out the chill with no-fuss polyester construction that features just enough design elements to keep it from being bland.

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Buck Mason

Best Overall Leather Jacket

Buck Mason Bruiser PCH Jacket

• $598.00 at Buck Mason

Hand-cut from semi-vegetable tanned sheepskin, the Buck Mason Bruiser PCH jacket is soft-but-badass from the first time you lay hands on it. Just watch out for its vintage fit, which means it’s a little shorter than other jackets of its type.

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Buck Mason

Best Overall Flannel Jacket

Buck Mason Blanket Flannel Field Jacket

• $158.00 at Buck Mason

Buck Mason’s Blanket Flannel Field Jacket can pass for a mere flannel shirt at first glance, but in practice it’s much heavier, warmer and more structured than your average chamois shirt. It’s not hard to find yourself wishing all flannels were this way.

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Todd Snyder

Best Upgrade Peacoat

Todd Snyder Italian Wool Cashmere Peacoat

• $898.00 at Todd Snyder

Todd Snyder’s Italian Wool Cashmere Peacoat harkens back to the early 1900s when the peacoat’s ability to keep you warm, dry and looking good was legitimately high tech. With 90 percent wool and 10 percent cashmere, it adds a touch of luxury to this otherwise essential-but-utilitarian element of any man’s wardrobe.

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Uniqlo

Best Affordable Down Jacket

Uniqlo Ultra Light Down Jacket

• $80.00 at Uniqlo

Perfect for trips around town as the fall settles into winter, or keeping stashed in the car for unseasonably cool nights, Uniqlo’s Ultra Light Down Jacket is indispensable to have on hand, even though it lacks some of the fit and finish of (much) more expensive competitors.

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