Athleta Puffer Review

Or, what I wore to look like Santa....  :; 

This is my last purchase of the year and I thought I would review it on the off chance that anyone is in the market. Earlier this year Angie mentioned that the Athleta puffers were looking good. When this one went on sale for half price and I also had some rewards $$, I decided to pounce -- and get it at approximately 1/3 original price. 

It's the Downtown puffer. And I really like it! For me, the colour was one of the main draws.  (A white coat is really practical for me because I walk in a dark suburb in the night throughout the winter.)

Features that add to its appeal: 

  • Removable hood. 
  • DWR coating (which works -- I was out in the rain all afternoon and did not get wet.) 
  • Pockets lined in flannel. 
  • Deep side slash pockets. 
  • Inner pocket for phone. 
  • Two way zipper; zipper does not catch. 
  • Zippers on the sides to open it further for movement. 
  • Cuffs. 
  • Knee length (good walking length). 
  • Washable.

It is only 550 fill down, so lighter weight than some, but it feels quite warm without being heavy and some reviewers in Minnesota said they thought it would work for their winters. 

It's a bit fitted through the waist, so not entirely in line with the trend for looser, sack like puffers -- but the side slits make for ease of movement. I suppose I could have sized up for a looser fit but it would have been too big in the shoulders and too long in the arms, so I went with my usual size.  

It comes (or came) in white, a lovely dark green, black and a bright tomato red. Might be sold out now, but might also show up in stores via returns. 

Happy holidays, all! 

PS...while I did get a comment or two about looking like Santa while wearing this, what I got most often was compliments on my pants -- thus proving our earlier point about red standing out more against a contrasting colour than it does in an all-red outfit! ;)

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17 Comments

  • LJP replied 3 weeks ago

    That's a beautiful coat, Suz, and looks really good on you . It sounds like it has all of the right features and hopefully lasts for years.   

  • Suz replied 3 weeks ago

    Thanks, Lisa. My grey Lole coat lasted for....well, it's probably still serving somebody else pretty well, after serving me for 12 years straight! It was a bit heavy for this climate, though, and I was done with it after heavy use for all that time. Also, it was made during the time when the zippers on puffers always caught -- and it suffered from that flaw. So it was frustrating to put on and take off at times. 

    I still have two packable puffers and a serious parka as well. I do wear the big parka here -- but typically only for about 2 weeks per year. (It got 11 wears last year, vs. about 60 wears for my blue packable (in one year alone!). But the packable Aritzias are losing their feathers now and are not long for this world. I love having that option (the packable pouch) and will replace when I can, but their current packable offerings don't work for me.) 

  • Jenni NZ replied 3 weeks ago

    Looks great on you Suz. In pic 4 where it is done up, I can tell that your body shape is straighter than my pear shape I feel. To wear something like this I would need to unzip the bottom zip quite a lot I suspect. Now I am not in the market since I don’t order from North America but suspect other pear shaped Fabbers might find that a problem? Because it would be colder unzipped?
    It’s also a lot more of a creamy colour than the brighter white of the Find, on my screen anyway. I sent back some sandals last year that were supposed to be white but were cream when they turned up.
    I love the cream on you, it’s just yet another issue with online ordering.

  • Elle replied 3 weeks ago

    Looks great on you!
     And thanks so much for the detailed and very helpful review 

  • Angie replied 3 weeks ago

    KILLER

    LOVE! It's a great down coat for the PNW. hoods are imperative! 

    Meant to be yours :) 

  • Irina replied 3 weeks ago

    Looks very nice on you, Suz! I don’t see white/ cream puffers too often and it’s a shame, they look great. A few years ago I was obsessed with finding a bright white short puffer. It was really hard to find!

  • Jaime replied 3 weeks ago

    Gorgeous on you and an excellent point about wearing white at night. 

  • Suz replied 3 weeks ago

    Thanks, all. It's really good quality at the sale price. I see they have some left in Canada in black, white, and green, but the price is a lot higher than I paid. I got one of those flash sales. I'll bet it goes down again on Boxing Day...

    Jenni, it is true optic white, like on the model. The reason it looks cream in my photos is the light is yellow -- indoor lights and a lot of them, which tend to have a yellow cast and change the colours on everything. I try to adjust in the photo editor but there is only so much you can do. 

    This coat would work for a pear shaped person to a degree. The side zips and the bottom zip would help. A person who was maybe 3 sizes biegger on bottom than top would struggle, but I think if you have a one or even two size difference, you could wear it. I always unzip the bottom of my coat when I'm walking or in the car -- it's normal to wear them that way. 

    I'm no longer a true pear but I was when younger. 

  • Lisa replied 3 weeks ago

    That's a lovely coat in a really pretty color of white/cream and what a score to get it on sale too! Yay!

    The length is nice for colder weather and yay for having a hood (I don't understand winter weight coats without a hood. When it's cold there's usually wind or rain or snow along with it).

    And those red pants create a really nice contrast with the coat too.

  • Runcarla replied 3 weeks ago

    I think a white coat is a brilliant way to thumb your nose at midwinter and be safe, visible, and stylish to boot!

    We’re getting snow!  And, it’s cold enough to make ice lanterns!  Haven’t made them in 10 years!  

  • Suz replied 3 weeks ago

    Oh, Carla -- that's gorgeous!! So pretty! 

    We are not making those here right now. Last time we could have was 2 years ago. We did have a white Christmas then. 

  • slim cat replied 3 weeks ago

    Lovely coat in yummy marshmallow color ;-) ! Looks adorable with red pants - YLF!

  • Janet replied 3 weeks ago

    That’s a great looking coat, Suz! And bonus score on the sale, plus how practical it is for your climate.

    It’s not dissimilar to my new puffer I got last year to replace my old and beat-up long black puffer (which I held onto for a year and have now added to the donation bag because I never reached for it anymore). I like the white for you too. I seem to be too much of a stain magnet for a longer white coat (I’ll do short jackets though!), but the light green I chose is my version — it gets lots of comments. It’s also my perfect weight coat — warm enough for almost all my needs but also lightweight enough that it doesn’t feel overwhelming or bulky. Plus the side zips at the bottom are really useful for ease of movement! I hemmed and hawed about investing so much $$ on it, but I’m glad I did.

  • Val replied 3 weeks ago

    Note from a fellow walker: That’s such an interesting point about white being good for visibility. Of course it is in those dark rainy PNW nights! But in areas with persistent snow cover throughout the winter, wearing white would make you more of a camouflaged Arctic fox than a visible pedestrian.

  • Suz replied 3 weeks ago

    Val, you are SOOOO right! When I lived back east where we got a lot of snow, I would have hesitated before buying a white coat. Not only because of the visibility problem, but because where I lived, we had a constant freeze/thaw cycle with a lot of slush that passing cars would splash onto pedestrians. A white coat would be unwearable because it would always be in the wash!  I think the green and the red versions of this coat would be the ones to go for in that climate! 

    Janet, I actually thought of your coat when I was considering this one. I remembered the fit and the side vents and also how nice it looked on you. Yours is clearly more high end than this one (more analogous to my Quartz puffer, which was also pricey even on sale) but the idea is similar, for sure! 

    Thanks, slim cat and Lisa! 

  • Stella replied 3 weeks ago

    I am really enjoying the Halfdays packable puffer. Tons of colors. Lightweight but surprisingly warm. They started as a ski brand, so made for colder temps. For when you’re ready to look for a packable replacement!

  • Cookie replied 3 weeks ago

    This is really “you”! I have the same freeze-thaw-mud-grime situation so big nope for white coats here, but looks great on you.

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