Looking for a warm but not bulky jacket for every day usage in NZ. Prefer "BIFL" but does that align with Cheapies living?
"Buy It for Life" Jacket - Cheapies Edition?
nzsaver on 04/08/2026 - 15:52
Comments
Puma. An interesting BIFL suggestion!
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It's going to depend on what type of jacket you're looking for? To be honest, just for casual around town wear most jackets will last a long time with a little bit of care. I have a Uniqlo down jacket that's more than a decade old that still looks good.
If you want more technical type wear than you can look at outdoor brands like Patagonia, Arcteryx, Columbia, Marmot, Outdoor Research etc. I've been very happy with my Patagonia and Arcteryx gear, but they can be expensive. I'd rather pay more and own a bit less personally, rather than getting lots of cheap stuff I have to replace frequently.
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Thank you. Is it realistic to get some of the technical gear at cheapies prices?
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I'd guess it depends on what your expectation of a cheapies price is. You'll never find some of them super cheap, even second hand. Looking at their regular retail price, you can understand why.
All these brands usually have some kind of last season sale at the change of seasons, however it usually means you have to buy your jacket half a year before you get to use it, i.e. buy your winter clothes at the start of summer and vice versa. Just have to keep an eye out at the outdoor shops that sell them.
I wouldn't put Marmot quality as high as Patagonia/Arcteryx, but they regularly go on sale and they seem to have a bunch of stuff being sold at The Outlet. I was tempted by this Marmot Novus LT jacket in their last sale as it went down to $185, but ultimately decided against it as I didn't need another jacket.
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Depends a bit on what your envisioned usage is.
I have a Macpac Sabre softshell jacket which I’ve loved. (Actually have two - one for tidyish/town use and one for thrashing outside.)
Not waterproof but will bead off a light shower or drizzle for long enough. Warm and very windproof though.The rough-use one has a small hole from barbed wire and has faded a bit, and after 8-10 years the zipper pull was worn to the point it won’t zip up any more, but I should just get the pull replaced. The tidy one still looks as-new after a similar timeframe.
I think they do make a slightly tidier looking softshell aimed at town use too.
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i recently went to Manawa Bay, Puma had some decent warm jackets, they were retails for $150 and priced down to $80, plus B1G1F offer on it.