Overview

The LLBean Primaloft Packaway Hooded jacket is one of the best value lightweight synthetic insulated jackets we’ve tested. It retails for $179 and is commonly on sale for $149, which is half the price of other similar jackets. The insulation used in this jacket is not as durable and does not manage moisture as well as continuous filament insulations. The jacket’s fabrics are not state-of-the-art. Its fit and features are not perfect. Overall, however, it performed well in our tests and is a good value.

Though we haven’t tested it, our research suggests the custom-made $175 Enlightened Equipment Torrid offers higher performance than the Primaloft Packaway.

Features & Specifications

• 12.3 oz (239 g) in men’s medium
• 1.8 oz/yd (60 g/m) Primaloft Gold insulation is not as durable as continuous filament insulations
• Two handwarmer pockets and one chest pocket
• Handwarmer pocket converts to a zippered stuff sack

Description of Field Testing

We tested this jacket for several hiking and climbing day trips, and several weeks of use around town. Compared to jackets we exhaustively tested on several expeditions, we have a lower confidence in some of our conclusions. Nonetheless, we think you’ll find this to be the most accurate available review of the LLBean Primaloft Packaway jacket.

Performance Assessment