depends. a puffy is good sometimes, like this whole week i wish i had a puffy, its been in the teens. but since washington can get so wet, i wouldnt get a puffy unless its 10 or 15,000 waterproof, theres a chance it could get ruined if its less than that. i know burton makes a 15000 waterproof puffy you could check that out. but overall i'd say an insulated jacket is good