I’ve finally bought a puffer coat !!
Many thanks to all those who contributed to this thread, I’m not a great clothes shopper (don’t enjoy it) so all your suggestions have made it so much easier to get familiar with the various brands and options. I’ve only had time to search now and then hence it’s taken a while. As a reminder, I’ve been looking for something in navy, without the currently fashionable brass trimmings (prefer silver), without any ‘stand out’ labelling, and capable of keeping me warm on winter outings without making me look huge (yes I’m fussy).
What I’ve bought may not seem to quite fit the bill … if you’re interested in why I changed my mind on some things then read below, otherwise it’s … 🥁…
Lands’ End Wanderweight Packable Maxi
I bought it in deep sea navy, if I’d only been using it as a liner (see below) I’d have been tempted to get it in red which would look lovely under my navy raincoat.
I liked the idea (from another poster) of a waterproof puffer, as I’d read reviews of some lovely flattering ones which suggested problems after washing them, and imagined it would be easier to wipe off unfortunate splashes etc if they couldn’t sink in. And it would make it more ‘all weather’. It was hard to find ones that are properly waterproof (I learned the standard is a ‘min rating of 5000 ml’ which refers to the amount of water it can take) so I was drawn to the Seasalt Holywell. It’s not fitted, but at this stage I decided the practicalities outweighed the looks, and it is really warm and ticked all the other boxes. However, I’d thought a length a few inches below the knee would be perfect, but when I sat down my knees were exposed and cold. And I’m someone who’ll sit out if they can whatever the weather. It’s their longest puffer so I had to keep looking. I switched to looking at maxi puffers, but couldn’t find a waterproof one (such a long length is bound to mean some muddy splashes). But thanks to this thread the idea of a long, lined, warm parka then appealed, though they’re not quite as cosy feeling as the puffers. After going a little while down this path, and not finding anything really warm, I spotted a character in a TV drama who was wearing a puffer jacket under a normal coat, and it looked just fine ! I already have a maxi length raincoat, reasonably weighty but thinly lined, which is perfect in heavy rain but rarely gets worn otherwise as it’s overkill. It occurred to me I could get a lightweight puffer coat slightly shorter than it, and use the two together on the colder days. So after trying a few (e.g the Mountain Warehouse Florence Extra Long Padded coat which was just a little too thick to fit nicely under it) I found the Lands’ End solution works perfectly, and between them both I have something for all weathers. The puffer on its own is light enough to be fairly flattering, and the fact that it’s packable is an added bonus for those days when I’m not sure if it’s needed. It does mean I have two hoods to deal with but mine work well together and are very cosy when both up ! So I’ve ended up with something that’s not quite what I set out looking for, but works very well for me. On potentially muddy walks I can even wear them both together with wellies … perfect ! Flagging @TopTier who asked me to update this thread when I was successful.