We Tried All of the Puffer Coats at Quince
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Welcome to Coat Week on the Strategist, where we’re asking everyone — from New Yorkers to people living in the coldest parts of the U.S. — about their favorite coats and trying out every puffer we can. For more, head over to ourCoat Week hub.
The whole deal withQuinceis that its products are supposed to be surprisingly good for the price, which is significantly cheaper than the prices of similar products (or nearly identical-looking products) at retailers with physical stores and more traditional sales models. When it works, as we have seen with acouchand acashmere sweater-vest, it really works. But there’s always a chance it won’t. With this in mind, as part ofCoat Weekat the Strategist, we decided to test as many Quince puffer coats as we could get our hands on, including lightweight packable down jackets andSuper PuffandBarbour dupes. Here’s everything we tried and what we thought.
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Michael Zhao:This was my favorite coat from the bunch — not least because it comes in a lovely chocolate-brown color. Even if the700 fill power downis supplemented with 10 percent feather content, there’s enough in there for it to feel quite lofty. This may change over time, but it felt pretty similar to my vintageNorth Face Nuptsefrom the 1990s. It also has a decent fit, with sleeves that easily cover my wrists and a hem that reaches the top of my jean pockets. The draft collar behind the zipper is not quite as protective or puffy as the North Face’s, but it’s adequate. I don’t know if the Quince coat will last for several decades the way a North Face down puffer can, when it’s taken care of. But at $180, you get a lot of puff for the price.
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Liza Corsillo:The women’s version of this coat was also my favorite, by far, of the half-dozen coats I tried. Even after reading fellow Strategist writer Katherine Gillespie’s endorsement in ourguide to the best women’s parkas, I was not expecting to like it as much as I do, mostly because it looks like a pretty basic puffer in the product photos online. But thanks to the very dialed-in color, it looks special; every time I’ve worn it, I’ve gotten compliments and questions about where it’s from. As Gillespie notes, it’s a near-identical dupe for theAritzia Super Puffwith about the same level of bounciness and fluff and a boxy shape that manages to look cool, not ill-fitting. It’s very puffy, but it doesn’t weigh a lot and I don’t feel swallowed up or like I’m going to knock stuff over when I go into a store. I was nervous that it would be too cropped, but the hem hits me around mid-hip, just enough to keep my waist and butt warm. I am five-foot-seven and got it in a size medium, which is my regular size. It has a vintage L.L.Bean camping-coat feel, which is exactly what I want in a puffer — sporty yet refined.
The details are well considered, too. It has a removable hood, a nice matte finish and matte snap covers that perfectly match the rest of the coat, and stretchy inner sleeves with slits for your thumbs that act like built-in fingerless gloves (those were really helpful during a Citi Bike ride on a very windy day). The zipper has a long ribbon pull tab so it’s really easy to zip even if you’re wearing gloves. Of all the Quince coats I tried, it seems the most high quality, and I think its looks more expensive than it is.
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Liza:This coat is just the long version of the women’s Responsible Down Puffer Jacket, above. That said, it’s not as good looking as the shorter version, mostly because of the inherent dorkiness of sleeping-bag-esque puffer coats. It is very warm, however, and makes me look like a sleek caterpillar standing upright rather than a sad, cold girl in a boring coat. I got it in the Faded Cargo color — a really nice gray-green and an interesting alternative to black or navy. It looks great over jeans and other casual outfits but would probably also look decent over something dressier. One difference between the shorter version and this long one is that the long one has a two-way zipper, which I love on any coat but which really helps in this case both for leg movement and airflow (there are also snaps on the side to help with this). The hood is removable, but I think the coat looks too much like one long, continuous tube without it.
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Michael:This is the hoodless version of the men’s Responsible Down Puffer Jacket, but the hood isn’t all that’s missing. At first I thought I was losing it, but after laying them atop each other and aligning them at the shoulders, I realized that the hoodless puffer is over an inch shorter than the hooded one. This makes it fit more like a cropped blouson — you can clearly see both my jean pockets in the photo above, which were covered by the hooded jacket. Unless you’re going for a cropped look, I’d recommend sizing up — or just get the hooded version, since it’s only $10 more.
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Liza:As someone who runs hot, in a city that didn’t get very cold last winter, I was not in the market for a down parka. But I was impressed by this coat, especially for under $200, so I am considering keeping it to wear over thinner shirts like some kind of rich person who layers a sheepskin jacket over a tank top. I got this coat in the same Faded Cargo color as the long down puffer, and I think I like it even better in the sturdier wind- and water-repellent material. It has afaux-fur-lined hood that, while jaunty, kind of looks like a squirrel tail. But you can thankfully remove the fur if you want.
Like the Responsible Down Puffers I tried, it has inner sleeves that can be worn like fingerless gloves; it also has a two-way zipper with a long ribbon pull tab. It has a total of six outside pockets and one inside pocket — a huge plus for me because I don’t like layering a purse over a big coat, and I enjoy being able to put my hands in the fleecy upper-chest pockets while keeping my keys/phone/wallet in the lower patch pockets. The patch pockets function as two pockets in one, with a top pocket that opens via a flap and a sneaky back pocket that opens with a zipper. The whole coat closes up tight with hidden snaps, so you don’t see any closures on the outside. It’s all in all very warm and substantial feeling without making me feel lost inside the coat or overwhelmed by its bulk. And the inside lining is very cozy and soft.
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Michael:This down hooded parka is a good value at $200. Once again, it uses a 90 percent down-, 10 percent feather-blend fill, but you get quite a bit of it and I couldn’t feel any pokey bits through the soft polyester inner lining. It has plenty of exterior pockets for cargo and hand warming, and the removablefaux-fur collar adds a bit of coziness that some people might appreciate even if it’s not for me. While I wasn’t able to compare it to the$400 North Face McMurdoit’s so clearly based on, I measured its center back length at 30 inches, which is 1.75 inches shorter than the North Face’s stated measurement. This may not sound like much, but on my six-foot-two frame, it is the difference between a coat that covers my upper thighs completely while walking and one that doesn’t. The sleeves are also quite short for a parka. Bending an elbow even slightly fully exposes my wrist. Although I didn’t have a Canada Goose coat on hand, I was able to compare it to the similarly pricedNobis Yatesy, which you canread about here.
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Michael:Quince implies that this hybrid hoodie is directly comparable to thePatagonia Nano Puffat a quarter of the price. But after comparing it side by side to my 10-year-old Nano Puff hoodie, I have some doubts. The stitch density throughout the Quince coat is noticeably lower than the Patagonia’s. For example, the Nano Puff’s interior pocket zipper is reinforced at both ends with a full-width bar tack, but the Quince’s zipper is sewn in with just three stitches across the top and bottom. The Quince jacket is also less wind-resistant due to its stretch-fleece side panels.
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Michael:This lightweight puffer is another miss for me. The fabric feels slick and a bit crinkly, closer to the material used in sleeping-bag stuff sacks than that of a higher-end down jacket. The down within the baffles is not as lofty as it should be, perhaps because it’s been supplemented with 10 percent goose feathers. While I don’t have aPatagonia down sweaterto compare it to, my 13-year-old Mountain Hardwear jacket, which was purchased at a similar price, is still much loftier than the Quince despite having been washed many times throughout its long life. At this price, the feather-freeUniqlo Ultra Lightis a better buy at only $10 more.
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Liza:Both of these coats were an immediate no for me. The No. 1 reason for this reaction is that they both have a shiny, almost oily texture to them that makes them look cheap. I got them both in black and while the sheen might not be as pronounced in other colors, I haven’t been able to see those other colors to compare. The fit was also not great on either coat; even as apotential underlayer for another coat, they were not very nice looking or comfortable once zipped because they are quite formfitting. I got both in my regular size — medium — but would perhaps size up if I was ordering them again as I prefer something a little boxier and oversize.
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Michael:Quince’s price-comparison table suggests that its $90 featherless quilted jacket offers 63 percent savings when compared to the $240Barbour Liddesdale. This is technically true, insofar as the Quince is $150 cheaper than the Barbour. However, the Quince lacks the Barbour’s high-end finish and material quality. Whereas the Barbour feels silky and supple, the Quince feels slick and stiff. It may break in over time, but the lack of reinforced seams and occasional exposed cut edges doesn’t inspire confidence in its longevity. If you’re looking for a jacket in this style for under $100, I’d go with a used Barbour from eBay instead.
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Liza:I liked the look of this coat online and was really drawn to the orange-y brown color. But that color wasn’t available when I ordered, so I ended up getting it in black. This style of preppy quilted car coat is everywhere right now, fromLands’ EndandJ.CrewtoRalph Lauren. So it’s hard to say exactly which version inspired the Quince one. But I recently tested a similar coat from theTuckernuck x Barbour collaborationthat is as good a comparison as any and quite a bit more expensive at $440. My biggest complaint about this coat and the Tuckernuck one is that the proportions are off. I love an oversize jacket, but the patch pockets on both are huge in a way that makes them look kind of silly. However, the quality of this Quince coat feels similar to the one from Tuckernuck — it’s not especially lofty or warm, but it’s a good fall layer that’s water repellent with details like corduroy piping and gold buttons that aren’t my style but add a little interest. The fit was a little loose in my regular size medium, so perhaps sizing down would make me like it better.
More From The Strategist
- How 7 People Who Live in the Coldest Parts of the Country Stay Warm
- The 9 Very Best Women’s Parkas
- The Best (Actually Stylish) Maternity Coats, According to Experts
- What Are the Nicest-Looking Coats Under $300 (That Are Actually Warm)?
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