A cheap down jacket that’s actually warm: Uniqlo Ultra-Light Down Jacket review
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Every now and then, when I’m online shopping, a product will come along that seems too good to be true. When I first saw the $80 price tag on this 750-fill-power down jacket from Uniqlo, I did a double take. Surely there was a catch, I thought.
So, I did what any sensible gear reviewer would do in this situation: I grabbed one of these affordable down beauties to see for myself what all the fuss was about (Backpacker Magazine has positively reviewed the garment and recently included it on a gift guide). Over the course of three months, I took it out on early-morning and late-night dog walks around my hometown of Boulder. I schlepped it all the way to Texas for a family reunion, and I packed it into my carry-on for a holiday rendezvous with my mom in Lake Tahoe.
Is this the warmest down jacket I’ve ever tested? Of course not. But is it surprisingly comfortable, lightweight and affordable to boot? It most certainly is. Below, I’ll get into how I tested this nifty little Uniqlo puffy and what use cases I think it works best for.
Uniqlo Men’s Ultra-Light Down Jacket
Ideal for city excursions and mellow outdoor adventures, Uniqlo’s Ultra-Light Down Jacket is supremely soft, cozy and lightweight.
Uniqlo Women’s Ultra-Light Down Jacket
Sporting 750-fill-power down and an ultra-fine polyester fabric, this is a solid, affordable pick for layering up on shoulder season.
What I liked about it
From its ultra-light weight (7.5 ounces) to its superb packability, I loved how easy it was to travel with this jacket — both on planes and around the city. It also boasted an extremely soft fabric feel right out of the box.
Super-soft fabric
The first thing I noticed when I put on Uniqlo’s Ultra-Light Down Jacket was how incredibly soft its fabric is — something I wasn’t expecting at all with a budget puffer. The brand claims it weaves the garment’s polyester lining out of “ultra-fine yarns” to give it this superior comfort. The jacket is also designed with an anti-static lining to avoid unnecessary cling.
Affordable price point
In my opinion, the top feature of this jacket is its awesome price point. At just $80, it’s one of the most affordable down puffies on the market today, and because a major international brand is behind it, there’s a customer service team available to help if you receive a damaged item purchased online. Best of all? The jacket frequently goes on sale for well below its $80 price tag.
Decent pockets
Another feature I loved about this super-light down puffy was its zippered pockets, which were great for storing my keys and phone on quick errands and dog walks in brisk weather. Not only does the jacket have two front pockets but it offers two elastic interior pouches for additional storage. Plus, it comes with a separate stuff sack to squish it down extra small for airline travel or when you’re shoving it into a backpack.
Unfortunately, the pockets aren’t lined with fleece, but the garment’s ultra-soft fabric helped keep my hands comfy when I needed it.
Packable and lightweight
At just 7.5 ounces for a women’s medium (yes, I brought out my kitchen scale and weighed it), this is truly an ultra-light down jacket. The downside? It’s not going to insulate as well as a heftier winter puffy. That being said, the jacket performed well with only a lightweight T-shirt underneath when temperatures stayed above 45 degrees. It also comes with a stuff sack, which is great for tossing into a carry-on for extra warmth on a short airplane trip.
What I didn’t like about it
No piece of gear is perfect, especially when you’re pinching pennies, and there are a few things you should definitely consider before purchasing Uniqlo’s Ultra-Light Down Jacket.
Not a true winter jacket
This is the biggest caveat when it comes to deciding whether or not Uniqlo’s down jacket is right for you: It won’t keep you warm in sub-freezing temperatures. In fact, I can’t truly recommend this jacket for anyone who plans to wear it out in temperatures under 40 degrees.
During my three-month testing window, I was keen to wear the puffy out in a wide range of temps and weather conditions, from frigid 25-degree strolls around town to day hikes with temperatures in the mid-forties, and it seems to perform best between 40 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit, even if you choose to wear a wool base layer underneath it. On sunny winter days in Colorado’s Front Range foothills and mild January days around Houston, it was pretty great.
Could be more weatherproof
Partially because it’s an ultra-light jacket and partially because its horizontal baffles aren’t filled to the brim with feathers, this puffy doesn’t insulate very well if it’s windy outside, especially around the seams separating each section of down filling. This is a factor that could be mitigated by layering it under a windproof shell if you plan to wear it out skiing, for example.
I was also surprised and a little impressed to see that Uniqlo’s website mentioned that its Ultra-Light Down Jacket is coated with a water-repellent finish to shed light precipitation. While I wasn’t able to hike in the rain while testing the puffy, I did run it back and forth under my bathroom faucet several times to see how it held up. The result? It shed moisture for a minute or so before eventually soaking through, which isn’t as impressive as, say, Arc’teryx’s Cerium Hoodie but is decent for a cheap down jacket.
Runs small
As with most things on the Uniqlo website, this jacket runs small. If you’re used to American or European sizes, I suggest ordering a size up from your usual selection. I always wear a size small in women’s outerwear, and I was a perfect medium in this down puffy.
How it compares
If you’re simply seeking an affordable down jacket to wear around town or on short day hikes, you can’t do much better than the price point of Uniqlo’s Ultra-Light Down Jacket ($80).
However, if you need a high-performing winter coat for outdoor adventures (like skiing and backpacking) that’s still budget-friendly, check out REI Co-Op’s 650 Down Jacket instead, which is made with bluesign-approved materials and often goes on sale for under $100. Another excellent budget down jacket that held up to our rigorous testing rubric here at CNN Underscored was Decathlon’s Forclaz MT100 Hooded Down Puffer. The Forclaz also earns bonus points for sporting a cozy hood to protect your noggin.
Prefer to spend a bit more on a trusted, eco-friendly outdoor brand? I also love Patagonia’s Down Sweater Hoodie, which is incredibly warm, lightweight and quite durable. Of course, if you’re just here for the fun colors and want something that’ll look as good on the streets as it does in the backcountry, you should check out Cotopaxi’s Fuego Hooded Down Jacket, which is superbly packable and warm.
Bottom line
If you live in an area with milder winter weather (think 40 degrees and above) or you’re looking for a wallet-friendly down jacket for travel and city strolls, you can’t do much better than the $80 price tag of Uniqlo’s Ultra-Light Down Jacket. While it certainly isn’t the warmest down jacket we’ve ever tested, it impresses with its super-soft fabric, zippered pockets and featherlight, 7.5-ounce weight.
Note: The prices above reflect the retailers' listed price at the time of publication.
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