BIFTLH: The Search for an Ethically Made Long Puffer Coat
An intentional shopping guide to "Buy It For The Long Haul"
As I got ready to take Odin out for a bathroom break, I pulled on my thrifted Eileen Fisher parka. The temperature was in the upper 30s but the wind was blowing in from the north and making it feel much colder.
I stood on the sidewalk while he stopped to sniff every tree, hydrant, and blade of glass that he could find and as the wind danced around my legs, I was reminded of how often I’ll have to go outside during the winter and how, like over the past 2 winters, I’ll be wishing that I had a really long coat to cover me from my head to my ankles!
I thrifted my current coat in 2018. I paid $50 and I felt like I had hit the puffer coat jackpot! My favorite features have always been the high collar and fleece-lined pockets. The things that have bothered me the most about it are the length (too short), no hood, and the snap closures (I’ve had to resew the snaps on too many times to count over the years).
I haven’t really been content with my current coat for the past few winters and I’ve wanted to replace it. But I keep putting it off, telling myself that my current coat is fine, even though it’s realistically not long enough to keep me warm on its own. So, I’m finally getting serious about replacing it which is how this newsletter came about.
My daughter has already laid claim to my current coat so she will be it’s next owner once my search for an ethically made long puffer coat concludes!
This will be a parka that I plan to have for YEARS. I titled this post Buy It for the Long Haul and abbreviated it BIFTLH. This was inspired by the Buy It for Life (BIFL) subreddit and while I plan to have this parka for a very long time, I can’t confidently say that it will be for life, so I modified it a bit.
I want to share the process behind my purchases, especially when we’re talking about a planned purchase that’s more expensive. I think that being a conscious consumer isn’t all about thrifting everything, or even buying ethically/sustainably produced items.
While these things are definitely good, consuming too much of a good thing is still over-consumption.
Rather, being a conscious consumer is about being intentional with the items that you are purchasing so that you are not over-consuming. It’s about doing your due diligence to make sure an item you’re buying aligns with your values and has the components that you’re looking for. It’s about doing your best to make sure that something you’re ordering online fits so that you don’t have to send it back. It’s about loving the item so that you will be excited to wear it year after year.
Whenever I make a more expensive purchase (which is usually an online purchase), I like to make a checklist so that I can find exactly what I’m looking for. And if I find more than 1 of a type of item that I like, it helps me to decide which one is the best option.
Here is the checklist that I’ve come up with to help me find the perfect long puffer coat:
Ethically and sustainably made
Black or charcoal
Long length - I’m around 5’3”, so around 47” would be perfect
Not “fitted” - I prefer a boxy fit with no “accentuating” of the waist
High collar
Adjustable hood
Insulated pockets
Welt pockets
Not too casual / can be dressed up
Less than $500
So as to not make the newsletter too long, I’m going to share my top 5 contenders more in depth and then do galleries for the honorable mentions.
Top Contenders
1. Patagonia Silent Down Long Parka
✅ Ethically and sustainably made
✅ Available in black. Additional colors are navy and brown.
🆗 It’s long but I couldn’t find an actual length. I did read reviews by customers who were also petite and there was no mention of it being too long.
🆗 It is a little more “fitted” than I would prefer but I tried a size small on with a chunky knit and I didn’t feel constricted.
✅ High collar
✅ Adjustable hood
✅ Insulated pockets
✅ Welt pockets
✅ Not too casual
✅ Less than the maximum budget of $500, but just barely, at $429.
✅ Score: 8/10
This parka ticks most of the boxes. I also appreciate that it has a double zipper. It serves the double function of breathability as well as providing a little additional styling versatility.
The fit predictor recommends a size of small but notes that it would be “slightly snug” in the waist, which would not be ideal.
The nice thing about this brand is that there is a local store that sells Patagonia so I dropped by to try it on in person to see if I liked the fit. I ended up trying on a size small and it was pretty good, even with a chunky knit underneath. One thing that I didn’t really like was how “thin” the material felt. It felt like it would be easy to snag on a tree or a dog’s tooth if I was playing with Odin.
It has customer reviews which is always nice, and a 4.7/5 rating with 82 reviews.
2. Ecoalf Binaia Coat
✅ Ethically and sustainably made.
✅ Black. Additional colors are brown and green.
🆗 It’s long but I couldn’t find an actual length.
I contacted the company through it’s Instagram account to inquire about the coat’s length and promptly got a response, albeit vague, about a size guide and the model’s height and size that she’s wearing (I had seen the model’s info but there is no size guide that I could find).
When I replied and specifically asked for the actual length of the size small so that I could be sure it would work and not have to return it, I received no reply. The contact option on their website also doesn’t work and there are also no customer reviews to see if someone petite has had success with it.
✅ Boxy fit
✅ High collar
✅ Adjustable hood
❌ Insulated pockets - no mention
✅ Welt pockets
✅ Not too casual
✅ Price is below maximum budget at $360.
✅ Score: 8/10
I really love the look of this jacket and it’s killing me that they didn’t sufficiently respond to my question about the length. It’s 2024 - it shouldn’t be that hard for a brand to list the actual garment measurements on their websites when they upload the item description. Even with the model’s measurements and the size she’s wearing, I’m still left to guess if this is going to work for me or not.
The customer service experience just makes it really hard for me to spend my money on this coat. And without customer reviews, I just don’t know if I can take a gamble on a coat coming from overseas (Spain).
3. Passenger Tasman Recycled 2.0 Long Insulated Jacket
✅ Ethically and sustainably made.
✅ Black. Additional color is green.
✅ Long - in the specifications, the length of a size small is listed as 118cm (46.5”).
✅ Boxy fit
✅ High collar
✅ Adjustable hood
✅ Insulated pockets
✅ Welt pockets
🆗 Not too casual
✅ Price is below max. budget at $235.
✅ Score: 9/10
This coat has a sherpa-lined hood and inside top body which looks so cozy! It also has insulated pockets and zips up the sides for extra ventilation. I also like the colored lining. It feels like a little extra attention to detail.
It does have a more casual vibe than the other contenders, but I think that it comes down to the sherpa lining being visible in the hood. I also thing that horizontal seam lines look dressier than diagonal ones.
It has a 4.8/5 customer rating with 137 reviews and 96% would recommend this coat.
4. Frank and Oak The Highland Long Puffer Coat in Black
✅ Ethically and sustainably made
✅ Black. Additional colors are light greige and dark grey.
🆗 It’s long but I couldn’t find an actual length. There were no reviews that I could refer to.
✅ Boxy fit
❌ It doesn’t have a high collar - it has a shawl collar. From the images, the neck looks very exposed when the hood is down and I like for my neck to be covered at all times when I’m outside during the winter.
❌ Adjustable hood
✅ Insulated pockets
✅ Welt pockets
✅ Not too casual
✅ Price is right at the maximum budget at $499 (on sale for $299 at the time of writing which is a great discount!)
✅ Score: 7/10
I love that this parka is from a Canadian brand! I think if the jacket had an actual collar, it would be my top pick (at the Black Friday pricing!).
5. Late Contender - TenTree Cloud Shell Long Puffer
✅ Black. The other core color is vintage white. There are also 6 “special editions” colors.
✅ Long, but not too long - I couldn’t find the actual length of the coat in the specifications but customers can share their height and weight in the reviews, which I found extremely helpful! In the questions section, a customer asked about the length and the reply noted all of the lengths for each size of the coat. The size small has a length of 43.5” so I don’t think it’ll cover me to my ankles but it should meet my winter boots!
✅ Boxy fit
✅ High collar
✅ Adjustable hood
✅ Insulated pockets - not listed but mentioned in customer reviews
✅ Welt pockets
✅ Not too casual
✅ Price is below maximum budget at $328 regularly (on sale for $262 at the time of writing)
✅ Score: 10/10
Right before I found this coat, it looked like the Passenger Tasman was going to be the winner. I was looking for more fit reviews for the Tasman coat when I came across the TenTree one. I have ordered some clothes from this brand for my husband in the past so I knew that it was a good brand. The coat had the style elements that I really liked about the Ecoalf coat and when I measured it against my criteria, it got a perfect score!
This brand also has the best review section of all the brands listed. There are 152 reviews and a rating of 5.0 stars. Customers can share their height and weight when leaving a review which really helps with deciding on the right size. There is also a questions section with 32 questions, all with answers! One question is answered with the actual lengths for each of the sizes.
I ended up ordering it within a half hour of finding it. It was on sale and I decided to do express shipping. I would normally choose the free shipping option but this coat is coming from Canada and I know that Canada Post is on strike currently so I was worried that the free shipping might be affected. I assume the express shipping will be via courier. I also paid for insurance and for 2 additional trees to be planted. The total cost of everything was just shy of $300.
I’m really excited about this coat. You know when something feels “meant to be”? I feel like this about this coat. I started this search a few weeks ago and have been combing through puffer coats to find the perfect one, and then, in the 11th hour, it appears!
Honorable Mentions
In my search, I came across a decent number of coats that were ethically made. Even though these jackets didn’t make it into my top contenders, I wanted to share them with you as a resource in the event you’re ever on the lookout for an ethically made long quilted parka because while quilted parkas are pretty easy to come by, ones that are ethically produced are less so.
I am including the reason why they didn’t make it into my top contenders.
From left to right:
Cotopaxi Solazo Down Parka - no black color option
Stio Colter WINDSTOPPER® Down Parka - looks too fitted
Eileen Fisher Eggshell Recycled Nylon Long Coat - the newer version of what I already have but wanted to include it for milder climates
From left to right:
Fjall Raven Expedition Long Down Parka W - above budget at $600
ARKET Upcycled Down Long Coat - doesn’t ship to the US, sadly
Finesterre Elara Coat - prefer welt pockets over patch pockets
Secondhand Options
Looking for a secondhand option is usually my default when I want to buy something new. However, I had been keeping an eye out in the secondhand market for a while to see if I could find a quilted coat that I liked, but I didn’t have any luck.
While I couldn’t find a secondhand option, I wanted to highlight a few of the sites that I like to look on for preloved outerwear:
Patagonia Worn Wear
The North Face Renewed
The Real Real (you need an account to search on this one)
eBay
I’m sure there are a lot more secondhand options out there. If you have one that you like that I haven’t mentioned, please share it in the comments as a resource for the community :)
Sewing Patterns
If I were an industrious person, which I am not, I could have tried sewing a long parka and have it be exactly what I wanted! And while this sounds like a dream, I know that I would just keep putting it off, suffering through the cold while at the same time thinking “I really need to make that coat”, until the wind turned warm and the snow had all melted.
But if you are an industrious person who is capable of actually making your own coat, here are a few patterns that I think look really good:
Viki Sews Nurit Coat
This coat lacks a hood but it has a super high collar! And I love that there are different patterns for different heights. Based on the picture, I would go for the next height up to give the coat a few extra inches of length.
Papercut Emmi Jacket
This pattern is extremely adjustable with 3 lengths, 3 types of pockets, 3 collar options and a hood option.
The Assembly Line Hoodie Parka
The sample parka is shown in a cotton panama fabric but I imagine that you could also use this pattern to make a puffer jacket. I really like the shape of it and would probably add a few inches to the length.
You Make Patterns Puffer Coat
Love how you can make this for the whole family! Such a cute mommy and me project. Special thanks to Jacqueline (@jacqueline.delilah) for sharing this pattern with me.
Grasser Patterns Shop Quilted Coat
This is a very chic looking quilted coat. Thanks again to Jacqueline for sharing!
What a ride! I think that’s the longest it’s ever taken me to write a post, having started it a few weeks ago and then slowly adding my findings.
But I really enjoyed laying out my purchasing process for you. Do you do something similar? Or is this process something that you’d like to apply to your future processes?
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this newsletter, I’d really appreciate it if you could share it with at least 1 person ❤️
I hope you have a great day!
I love your choice! They were all pretty great, so it's good you had such an extensive checklist. I also feel that for clothes you need to protect you from the weather, it's good to go with a brand from a country that knows its stuff! I don't feel that any of my puffers are perfect, but they are all good in different ways, so although my heaviest one doesn't have a hood, I'll stick with the ones I have. I love the idea of BIFTLH and will immediately adopt it.
This was so helpful! I really enjoyed reading it! I hope you love your new coat.