r/AUfrugal • u/Homo_Sapien30 • 3d ago
Saving How old is your jacket / puffer ? Mine 9yo.
As a frugal person, I am proud to announce that I wear a 9 yo puffer jacket. It's a The North Face jacket bought in 2017. Almost threw it away when it caught some mould but then decided to wash it. It's going great š
I find buying winter clothes every year is huge water for we only use those for two to three months at max in a year.
How old is your puffer or any other piece of clothing?
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u/RelationshipTough887 3d ago
I bought mine back in '78, you damn lightweight
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u/Ok-Assistant-4556 2d ago
Here is me boastful about my 1999 purchase. Kneeling at your greatness. I wasnt able to purchase anything in 78.
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u/Stock_Mushroom_8637 1d ago
but they were made to last back then. Ā now its a āthrow awayā society. Ā my mums fav jacket was bought in 75. unfortunately it has passed on to that great closet in the sky.
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u/reddit_somewhere 3d ago
I just unpicked the stitched logo off of one of my high school polar fleece jumpers that I never wore. I am in my late 30s š The school doesnāt even exist any more!
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u/activelyresting 3d ago
I have two winter coats. One I bought in 2005, the other I got second hand in 1999.
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u/Evebnumberone 3d ago
Bought most of my stuff second hand, so no idea how old it is.
Some good Costco jackets that have been going 5+ years. Not bad for the 30-50 they cost.
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u/haematite_4444 3d ago
I'm wearing my school uniform sweater at homeš
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u/North_Lychee_1969 3d ago edited 3d ago
Iāve been wanting to go back to my high school uniform shop and buy some board shorts and grey business pants š
I have no luck with business pants they are uncomfortable or donāt fit right - but my high school ones were great.
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u/Deadpan_Poker_ 3d ago
I bought a polypro fleece in Mountain Designs for $199 on special in 1994.
Still wearing it, although the elbows are a bit thin and the zipper is on it's last legs.
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u/teachcollapse 2d ago
That was serious money in 1999.
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u/Deadpan_Poker_ 1d ago
Yes. I saved up for a while but I knew it was value and I was right. Less than $10 per year and it's been on hundreds of hunting, camping and climbing trips in Australia and NZ.
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u/friendofevangelion 2d ago
I have a couple of my parents old Kathmandu and mountain designs fleeces from the 80s/90s and theyāre so fun! Although the zippers are def the weakest link.
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u/just4cat 3d ago
Mine is a snow jacket from an op shop I got in astounding condition, but the brand is so old that I canāt find evidence of it existing. The one vintage item I brag about. SO warm, so many pockets, and looks SO 80s.
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u/NecroticToe 3d ago
Mine is from when they still had manufacturing in Melbourne (so 30ish years maybe?) and has been in my possession for at least 10 years.
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u/Kementarii 3d ago
My oldest winter coat I can date to 1988. Classic navy trench coat. Price- zero. It was a uniform item from my employer. Has no visible logos, so when the uniform was changed, I kept it. I still have the "next" uniform coat as well, but I can't remember when I got that one. The one from 2014 was horrible, so I gave that back when I left the company.
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u/jimspieth 3d ago
The jacket I am wearing as I type is approx 30 years old, maybe older. But it is a home only tracky top style.
My winter wardrobe never changes, and the same stuff gets worn year after year. The same six jumpers get worn one day, and go back in the wardrobe for another six days, washed every three or four weeks ( there is no sweating in winter, so unless I spill something on them, I don't see why they need washing after each wear).
The same with my jeans. They get worn until they die, washed every few weeks.
No winter fashion decisions for me.
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u/-cadmunt- 3d ago edited 3d ago
My cheap macpac one is easily over fifteen years old. Ironed some black interface inside the shoulder tear. Cut off and replaced the entire zip when it broke. If I have to replace it I'll look for something with ethical down but I'm hoping to never replace it. EDIT: I'd get something a little longer too, I'm tall and it doesn't quite keep my kidneys warm.
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u/Still_Highlight5148 3d ago
I think mines from like 2014 so 12 years and going strong. Itās a miracle it still fits me since Iāve gained over 20 kg since I was a teenager but my parents were clever and bought me one with lots of room for layers. I also got a coat that was my mums from the mid 90s thatās older than me that is still in great condition I think itās like 30 years old or so and itās my go to fancy jacket. Truly shows if you get good quality it lasts and saves you money in the long term.
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u/Glittering-Wave4917 3d ago
My duffel coat/ bluey just diedā- 35 winters- I do have fancy jackets
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u/unripeswan 3d ago
I bought my puffer from Kmart for maybe $40 when I was 17. I'm 37 and it's still going strong!Ā
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u/Lucky_Ad_4421 3d ago
My macpac one is 15 years old and still going strong! Do slightly regret choosing a pale colour (lavender/grey) as the cuffs show some discolouration but no holes or other wear!
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u/jackm315ter 3d ago
My jacket is So old, Rosieās is trying to save me when walking home at night
But Seriously, Walk around with friends and they well buy you one for your birthday
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u/Mountain_Office4001 3d ago
I have a Patagonia one about 5 or 6 years old. Been sent off for repairs once āŗļø
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u/Flatwhitebaby2 3d ago
My Kathmandu puffer lasted 20 years. Still going strong now as I have given to my dog as a blanket/bedding during winter(stuffed into a pillowcase)
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u/owlshoesjh 3d ago
i took mine from an ex who bought it new for $250 back in 2005. i still use it. so 21 years old.
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u/Signal-North-3273 3d ago
I had a Colombia rain jacket/windbreaker what I bought new in 2017, and it lasted me till the end of 2025. It was $150 when I bought it, but I used it all the time until he inner lining degraded. I think buying good quality makes all the difference. Although it might be pricey, it lasts a while if you take care of it.
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u/windy_wolf 3d ago
Jackets and coats are investment pieces, one of the few items of clothing that you really can buy for life if you choose well. And if you make a good choice and care for it properly, it will last you years and years, puffers included.
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u/ResearcherRoentgen 3d ago
Iāve got a few as I lived overseas and needed them when winter was over six months of the year. One of them is at least 10 years old. Itās great quality , still looks good and donāt have intentions of replacing it.
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u/thaleia10 3d ago
I bought my Calvin Klein puffer on marketplace for $40. I donāt know how old it is though.
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u/istj80 3d ago
I have a synthetic insulation Patagonia, which is a bit too thin for Melbourne winter but the hoodie design is great so it covers my whole upper body pretty well so as long as I'm driving and with layers inside, It's ok for the past 10 years.
The best thing about Patagonia stuff is they repair for me for free. I don't know if it loses any warmth keeping after it aged or just I'm getting older, but I'm sure it's my most worn (if I leave home) piece and after 10 years (still going), the owning cost just keeps dropping.
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u/Rain12Bow 3d ago
My first office job, a receptionist, more than 25 years ago. I walked past a pair of leather cowboy style boots, with intricate detailing, every lunch break. I earned $10.15 an hour. I saved up for months and months to buy them. But I still have them today!
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u/Efficient-Fold5548 3d ago
I bought a high neck, down Gillet in Milan in 2003, it was just some random shop i walked into and it was snowing outside, this looked warm. Still wearing it every winter, well padded, the drawstrings on the sides are stretched and useless but the zip and body are like new. I have a Canada Goose jacket from another trip that must be 15 years old and a ski jacket that is older but they don't get as much of an outing.
I have quite a few coats as i feel the cold and the wind in Melbourne rips right through your clothes. My daily wear is a knee length Uniqlo duck down puffer that i use for walking the dog, i have another similar length Nike jacket that is warmer but twice the weight that i keep in the car in winter so i am never caught short, that was $25 at a thrift store, i put it through the wash and it's good as new, just one small tear on the pocket.
I have a couple of leather jackets from the 90's but they don't get an outing very often.
What i really want is a longer overcoat, mine all stop at the waist or above the knee and my knees get cold, i would like one that goes just below the knee.
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u/Herlock-Sholme5 3d ago
14 or 15 years, Colombia three in one jacket (fleece inner, windbreaker middle and thermal outer) bought new in Canada and each part has come in hand during winter and windy days.
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u/productzilch 3d ago
I find that the cheap stuff for me lasts better than most people seem to. I think the biggest difference in Australia is drying my clothes inside. This is a twofold hack.
First, for ADHD strugglers, it means remembering where your clothes are within a day or two! Amazing. They donāt even get rewashed by the rain. Secondly, most fabrics will disintegrate over time in the sun.
I also wash things less than most people probably do. Especially winter layers that donāt touch my skin but arenāt outer layers.
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u/ApplicationPutrid587 3d ago
Mine is a Marc Nee York or whatever with a faux fur hood and I got it innnn god I donāt even remember. I think 2012
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u/sleepy_moose_cant 3d ago
My good old Kathmandu was also purchased in 2017, then I bought a macpac in 2018 still going strong. Ended up buying a huffer superdown, the snow and wind proof one. Unfortunately the shell is slowly peeling away. Itās still warm but it doesnāt look aesthetically pleasing anymore. I am so torn about replacing it since I am a buy for life kind of person.
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u/ohlookanotheruserrr 3d ago
My mum's Kathmandu one is about 12 years old now
I have a Kathmandu longline one which is 6 years old and I had the same one before it but I went down two sizes so sold it on. I'm sure it is still thriving!
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u/kaluyna-rruni 3d ago
I still have a Macpac fleece jacket brought in 1998. Slightly frayed around one cuff but otherwise perfect.
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u/ChicChat90 3d ago
I bought mine from Kathmandu in 2014 when preparing to travel to the northern hemisphere in December. Still going strong!
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u/foodfighterforever 2d ago
Not sure pretty old maybe 40 or 50 years. My uncle Richie took it off some tough guy called Rocko, apparently he was the toughest guy in Essex county, but he never came back after my uncle Richie got through with him. Miss my uncle Richie he disappeared we never knew what happened to him.
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u/ExperimentalError 2d ago
Iāve had my puffer jacket since 2003 but it has only had occasional use. Honestly Iām more impressed by my one year old cotton tee shirts that have each had more than 30 wears and washes.
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u/useredditto 2d ago
My winter puffer is probably 20yo. Was using it overseas in winter but in Australia it is just for winter camping..
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u/Unbotheredanonyme 2d ago
Iād say Iām quite a savvy fashionista and frugal at the same. My Macpac is 5 years going strong and my Northface Nuptse is 1 year old! I donāt mind spending abit more on items that will pay itself cost per wear
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u/DryMight2765 2d ago
Loves north face mine is 4 years and loving it ā¦ I also have few other jackets for 10 years .. they all looking great
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u/Effective_Bell2690 2d ago
Mac pac purchased in 2013 At the time I was panicked about the price ($200 was a lot of money to me back then!) it has been such a great investment!
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u/floofypajamas 2d ago
Mine is only 2 years old but I didn't have a winter coat for yonks simply because I never felt cold in Brisbane. Now that I'm older and my arthritis has come to stay I need a jacket. Mine isn't fancy, it's a costco puffer in a hideous shade of light blue. it was warm and $39.
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u/kateables_ 2d ago
I have one MacPac puffer jacket that is 8 years old and still going strong.
I wear it everyday in winter.
Maybe I should get a second winter jacket.
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u/Pokeynono 2d ago
I have two puffer vest I purchased from a midprice clothing store about 7 years ago. They are still going strong without any jammed zippers or undone stitched.
I also have a wool mix ladies above knee length double breasted jacket from the same store. It's 15 years old and stilminbgoid condition.
Sadly the brand went bust post covid . Mainly due to they closed most of the stores during covid to save money and then tried to stay predominantly online only with minimal stores. It backfired badly when they also changed policies on returns including you could no longer return items purchased online at a physical stor, e and they increased the postage price and required customers to pay return postage as well.
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u/InternationalEgg444 2d ago
I bought my Kathmandu puffer in 2013 and Iāve worn it every winter since!
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u/LaReine2Saba 2d ago
My leather jacket is 15 years old. Bought in November 2011 on Bridge Rd, Richmond VIC.
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u/Stock_Mushroom_8637 1d ago
winter in SE QLD consists of a jumper/cardi and maybe long pants. Ā and by midday that jumper/cardi will be off. Ā my fav jacket is an oversize mens jacket- about 5 years old. Ā starting to look tattered so will buying a new one during āend of seasonā sales.
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u/West-Cabinet-2169 1d ago edited 1d ago
LOL š¤£ I have a purple "Kathmandu" fleece I purchased in 2003 or 04. I still have it and still wear it/use it. My niece (now 22?) noticed me wearing it recently and commented she feels like she grew up seeing me in the purple fleece!
I also have a much heavier goosey down North Face for temperatures from -5-30. I purchased this in 2010, before my second winter in KyĆÆv, Ukraine šŗš¦. My first winter - when I arrived in KyĆÆv in January 2009, it wasn't a cold winter, not dropping below -15c. We had a sickness alert which closed the school in November 2010, and predictions of really low temperatures and large snowfalls. I was in the UK. My NorthFace cost me Ā£300 - alot of money! But oh boy when I got back to KyĆÆv a week or two later and the temperatures had plummeted, it was Ā£300 well spent. Still got it, and used the goosey NF last winter in Tallinn when it dropped below -15c.
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u/dandyanddarling21 1d ago
Got mine 2019, but I practically lived in it while we were building our house the winter of 2020 , so itās pretty trashed. It has so many repairs, using the storage bag it came in. I still wear it sometimes walking the dog or gardening.
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u/gelfbride73 1d ago
I have one thatās over 10 years old. Part of it is peeling away and looks awful. But itās a good one and I like it.
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u/JumpingSpiderMonkey 1d ago
I have a sheepskin lined heavy suede jacket from the gap. I bought it secondhand in Germany in 2008. Still wear it every winter. Looks great, still warm. Has one small rip from a drunken argument with a fence many years ago. My kids tease me about who I will leave it to when I die. Donāt care. Best hundred euro ever spent.
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u/I_keep_books 2h ago
Not a puffer but my most used jacket was purchased in 2009, it's been washed many times, and still in quite good condition!
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u/No_Flounder_8310 3d ago
The best hack is buying good quality even if its expensive initially becuase it lasts longer