The 15 Best Men’s Packable Jackets for Hiking, Skiing, Running, and Beyond

Best Overall

Eddie Bauer Men's CirrusLite Down Jacket

$129 at Amazon $78 at kohls.com View on Eddiebauer.com

This Eddie Bauer jacket earned top scores during our testing, and for good reason. It’s the kind of jacket that’s perfect for cool summer nights, whether at home or on your travels. While it’s fairly thick, it’s not as bulky as a winter puffer, making it ideal for camping and hiking when you need an extra midweight layer.

Filled with real down that’s responsibly sourced and made with recycled nylon and polyester, this jacket packs down super small into a backpack and quickly de-wrinkles upon pulling it out. After six months of testing, we think it's perfect for shoulder season when the days are warmer, but it gets cold at night. We also found it fashionable and unlikely to go out of style in the coming years. While this trusty Eddie Bauer jacket doesn’t come with an extra bag to stuff it into and can’t be folded into its own pocket, it’s extremely comfortable, made with real down feathers, and has a classic style. 

The Details: S to XXL regular and tall | 650-fill premium down, recycled nylon and polyester | 9.6 ounces

Best Down Jacket

L.L.Bean Ultralight 850 Down Hooded Jacket

$269 at L.L.Bean

The big issue with down is that it isn’t built for wet weather – it often clumps and loses its insulating advantage. Freeport, Maine’s L.L.Bean changes all that by filling this jacket with specially treated down that stays dry over 10 times longer than untreated down. The down is also 850 fill, meaning it’s more densely packed than many other down jackets so it’ll keep you more insulated and warm. Throughout our six-month tests, we didn't expect this to keep us as warm as it did, and were pleasantly surprised. Plus, it still looks good as new.

We found this jacket to be of excellent quality overall and very soft to the touch. We loved the pull cord in the hood, too, and found it very packable — being able to fold it into the left pocket to form a 9 x 12-inch pouch is a highly useful feature for travelers.

The Details: S to XXXL, regular and tall | 850-fill water-repellent down, recycled nylon | 15.68 ounces

Best for Hiking

Mountain Hardwear Kor Stasis Jacket

View on Amazon $250 at Dick's $188 at Zappos

This layer is the anti-jacket jacket. It’s extremely durable and comfortable — and feels as if you aren’t wearing a jacket at all. The chest pocket for storing a phone and other small belongings is convenient and the cuffs around the wrist are a nice touch as well.

We used this jacket for a cooler-temperature hike or even for running as it allows for full mobility. It’s great for traveling since it packs down super small and only took up a fraction of a pocket in our backpack. After wearing the coat almost daily for six months, it is still in good condition and likely to last for seasons to come.

The Details: S to XL | Fabric: 100 percent nylon; Insulation: 60 percent recycled polyester, 40 percent polyester | 12.5 ounces

Best for Running

lululemon Warp Light Packable Jacket

$148 at Lululemon

Built for taking your workouts outside, the Canadian yoga brand has made an excellent packable running jacket. We found it to be super versatile and remarkably insulated, despite being so thin. After using the coat for running up to two times per week for six months, we're happy to report that it does not retain odor. The pockets are convenient and we loved having a slot in the back during our runs. The jacket packs down well and its material features four-way stretch and sweat-wicking and anti-odor capabilities, making it perfect for sweaty activities.

In terms of style, we felt comfortable wearing this jacket everywhere from around town to the trail, and even on the Maid of the Mist boat ride in Niagara Falls — it’s water-repellent and there’s a hood to keep out drizzles. This jacket could also easily work as a base layer for when it’s colder outside. 

The Details: XS to XXL | Fabric: 91 percent recycled polyester, 9 percent elastane; Mesh: 89 percent nylon, 11 percent elastane; Back mesh: 53 percent recycled polyester; 43 percent elastomultiester, 4 percent elastane

Best for Snow Sports

Rab Alpine Down Jacket

$295 at REI $295 at backcountry.com View on Rab.equipment

For colder-weather adventurers, this Rab jacket is wonderful. It’s made of warm, water-resistant down as well as high-quality polyamide including nylon. We loved the brimmed hood, which kept us as comfortable as if we were wearing a hat. It’s very easy to pack down and comes with an extra sack to stuff into.

While expensive, in terms of quality, insulation, and comfort, we feel that it’s certainly worth the price. After wearing the coat daily for six months, it shows no signs of wear and tear and has proven to be a durable winter coat.

The Details: XXS to XXL | Fabric: recycled 30D nylon Pertex Quantum, 50g/m² with DWR; Lining: recycled 20D nylon, 38g/m²; Insulation: recycled 700 fill-power down Nikwax hydrophobic (water-resistant) finish; Composition: 100 percent recycled polyamide outer with 100 percent recycled polyamide lining | 16.5 ounces

Best for Transitional Weather

Decathlon Forclaz Men's MT100 Hooded Down Puffer Jacket

View on Decathlon.com

For years, outdoor gear was expensive, making it inaccessible to the vast majority of us who are curious about the outdoors but aren’t looking to spend our entire paychecks on gear. Then came Decathlon. The French retailer has proven that you don’t have to be flush to own high-quality gear. Case in point, this down puffer jacket. 

Made from warm, responsibly sourced 800-fill down and a water-repellent polyamide shell, it’s built for temperatures between 23 and 41 degrees Fahrenheit, making it ideal as an extra layer for your travels. The jacket stuffs into its left-hand pocket, which seems to magically expand to fit the rest of the material, and the jacket feels very durable overall. Even after six months of wearing the coat for daily activities including yard work and walking the dog, plus washing in a standard washer and dryer, it still looks new. It’s comfortable, too, and we definitely see it being a go-to for our next camping trip or hike.

The Details: S to XXXL | 800-fill down and polyamide | 10.2 ounces

Best for Layering

Patagonia Nano Puff Jacket

$239 at REI $239 at Dick's View on Patagonia.com

Patagonia needs no introduction. The height of sustainability and corporate responsibility, the brand is a reliable choice for travel gear, and this synthetic puffer jacket is no exception. Remarkably thin, we found that the Nano Puff kept us warm in windy, cooler temperatures. The absence of bulk makes it stand out as a base layer for activities like skiing and mountaineering, and while you could reasonably wear it for a run, it isn’t very breathable. 

The quilted pattern isn’t just a classic look, it’s also meant to prevent rips from spreading, and this jacket has a great system of pockets, including a zippered chest pocket that duals as a packable sack. Also since it’s synthetic instead of down, you don’t have to worry about getting it wet, and you can keep it packed down for longer without risking damage. Still, after six months of use its puffiness remains nice and plush, and it has kept us warm on milder days.

For those who want a hood, Patagonia also sells the Nano Puff Hoody version for a bit more.

The Details: XS to 3XL | Recycled polyester | 11.9 ounces

Most Breathable

Cotopaxi Capa Hybrid Insulated Hooded Jacket

View on Amazon $135 at REI View on Cotopaxi.com

This synthetic jacket is stylish and functional. Bright colors combinations like wine/blue violet and mezcal/sunset are irresistible — but there’s even more to love about this packable jacket than style alone. The mix of a nylon shell and polyester/spandex sleeves make it super comfy and it fits snuggly on the arms. It’s also very breathable due to side meshing, and the sleeves feature convenient thumbholes.

This jacket is insulated with a recycled synthetic polyester material, PrimaLoft Gold P.U.R.E. (Produced Using Reduced Emissions), which is stretchy and temperature-regulating. And we love that it packs into the chest pocket, though we did find it simpler to toss it in a tote bag for easy grabbing. It also is still in great condition after multiple wash cycles.

The Details: S to XXL | Shell and lining: 40 grams recycled 20D ripstop nylon with PFC-free DWR; Side panels and sleeves: 200 grams 97 percent recycled polyester, 3 percent spandex; Insulation: 40 grams PrimaLoft Gold P.U.R.E. (recycled synthetic polyester) | 24 ounces

Best Waterproof

Rab Phantom Waterproof Pull-on Jacket

View on Amazon View on Rab.equipment

The technology that British clothing brand Rab has put into this jacket is astonishing. While reducing water to droplets that slide right off, it’s paper-thin and at just 3 ounces, it feels like you’re wearing little more than a (comfortable) plastic bag. Since it’s so thin, it’s terrific for running and we found packing it to be a breeze — it rolls into a sack no bigger than a soda can. You can also roll the hood down when you don’t need it thanks to a nifty stash loop that we can’t believe is not more common. Speaking of the hood, it’s very well-designed with a wired brim to keep the rain off your face.

Note that this jacket has virtually no insulation, nor any pockets, and that it’s on the pricier side. But we see it as an ideal shell for the active person who wants to keep dry on all their outdoor adventures.

The Details: S to XL | 40 grams 7D Pertex® Shield 2.5 liters | 3 ounces

Best Splurge

Mountain Hardware Ghost Whisperer 2 Hoody

$210 at Amazon $180 at backcountry.com View on Mountainhardwear.com

We were very impressed with this jacket in all aspects, including packability (it stuffs into its pocket), warmth, weight, mobility, and comfort. The higher 800 down fill means that it can trap more air, thus ensuring greater insulation. Plus, it’s insanely stylish, perfect for everything from walking around town to hanging out at base camp. 

The Details: S to XXL | Recycled and non-recycled nylon, 800-fill RDS®-certified down | 8.8 ounces

Most Versatile

Vuori Venture Track Jacket

$118 at Nordstrom View on Vuoriclothing.com

If you don’t like the feel of a puffer, check out Vuori’s soft and comfy Venture Track Jacket. This jacket manages to pack up to roughly the size of a mango without looking wrinkled when it’s unfurled. Wear it around town or to the bar, then scrunch it up and put it in the central console of your car, a bag, or even a pocket of a pair of cargo shorts. It’s also great for cooler weather workouts, and if it gets sweaty you can simply throw it in the wash (on cold) with like colors.

Note that this jacket isn’t built for temperatures cooler than 50 degrees, and the cuffs don’t have much stretch, so we couldn’t push them up to stay on our forearm or above the elbow on their own. However, this works as a great layering piece to wear above or below other pieces in your travel wardrobe.

The Details: S to XXL | 88 percent polyester, 12 percent elastane

Best Wind Protection

L.L.Bean PrimaLoft Packaway Jacket

$179 at L.L.Bean

This synthetic jacket deploys two state of the art technologies to make one fine product. One is Aerogel, a polymer and solvent mixture designed by NASA that’s one of the lightest solid materials ever created. The other is PrimaLoft Gold, an extremely light synthetic insulation. Along with a shell of recycled ripstop polyester, this jacket is extremely lightweight while keeping you warm and protected from the wind and rain. After regularly wearing the jacket for six months, it still looks brand new with no signs of wear and tear.

The Details: S to XXXL | Aerogel, PrimaLoft Gold (polyester fibers); Shell and lining: recycled ripstop polyester | 13.44 ounces

Best for Everyday

Outdoor Research SuperStrand LT jacket

View on Amazon View on Outdoorresearch.com

Outdoor Research’s SuperStrand LT is a top of the line packable jacket you can count on. We loved how light and warm it was, and it felt durable enough to last for years. We felt great wearing it around town over a thin sweater, though it’s easily warm enough to wear on its own. Since it’s insulated with down, it’s not waterproof, so be careful not to get it wet. If you do, a little drizzle will be okay. Note that this jacket does not come with a hood, so you’ll need to wear a hat in the cold.

The Details: S to XXXL | 700- to 800-fill down, ripstop nylon | 10 ounces

Best Value

Uniqlo Ultra Light Down Parka

View on Uniqlo.com

Japanese retailer Uniqlo has made down accessible for many of us by keeping its packable parka affordable, and very warm. It packs down into a small bag that conveniently attaches to the inside of the jacket when you’re not using it, and we loved how warm it kept us on a cool night outside watching Friday Night Football. The jacket is one of the lightest we tested and wasn’t at all cumbersome to wear. After six months of testing, we found this to be the perfect option for leaving in your car or day pack for spontaneous needs.

An issue we encountered was that a couple of down feathers escaped while we were wearing it, and we also didn’t feel like the material was quite as durable as others we tried. 

The Details: XXS to 3XL | 750-fill down, nylon and polyester | 8 ounces

Most Durable

Carhartt Storm Defender Packable Jacket

$100 at Amazon View on Academy.com View on Carhartt.com

If you’re in the market for a durable packable jacket, consider this one from American workwear brand Carhartt. This jacket is tough and exceptionally waterproof, even under heavy rain. It’s much lighter than you’d expect for something so durable and it packs up into its left pocket. 

One thing we really loved is that it comes with velcro cuff straps and a big hood that kept water from dripping onto our face. It also kept us dry in rain and snow throughout our six months of tests. The price is right as well.

The Details: S to 4XL; Tall: L to 2XL | Nylon | 15.7 ounces