Best Ultralight Puffy Jacket 2023 – Packable & Lightweight
October 11, 2023 – Hikers and backpackers shopping for an ultralight puffy jacket are in luck! This round-up of synthetic insulation is the lightest on the internet, averaging just 10.2 oz per garment, and conservatively 30% less than competing buyer’s guides. In general, synthetic puffy jackets are heavier and bulkier than their down-insulated equivalents, which is why focusing on the packable lightweight and ultralight end of the spectrum is extra important. Choose the wrong jacket and it will eat up all of the space in your backpack.
Our selection is grounded in warmth-to-weight ratio, and confirmed by a mixture of statistical comparison, meta analysis, and backcountry testing. Among synthetic insulators, we define an ultralight puffy jacket as weighing less then 10 ounces, whereas a lightweight puffy jacket weighs 10-12 ounces. Our preferred models have 40-60gsm of insulation, and 10-20d shell fabric. And every single one is warm, lightweight, weather-resistant, breathable, compressible, packable, quick-drying, and warm-when-wet.
Don’t miss our guide to lightweight down jackets, which have an even higher warmth-to-weight ratio, but are slightly more expensive. For truly frigid conditions, we recommend a lightweight down parka.
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