BauBax Ultimate Travel Jacket Review

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I wrote back in July 2015 about the “ultimate travel jacket” from BauBax.

I was on the fence about getting one, but Jay got it for my birthday, which was in late August.

And um, I just got it this month. So yes, flash forward 10 months and the jacket has finally arrived.

Just in time for summer when you don’t need a jacket lol.

I threw it in my bag and took it with me to Japan to start exploring its features.

But first things first…

About the BauBax ultimate travel jacket

When the box finally arrived, I didn’t know what to expect.

After so much hype, and so many delays, I hoped it would be worth the wait. Ordering something blindly off the internet (and having to choose a size!) is always a bit of a leap of faith.

baubax travel jacket review

There you are, you little devil

I ordered a men’s size small, based on their recommendations.

Upon unboxing, the first thing I noticed was how high-quality the fabric felt. It’s very soft, and is lined with soft cotton.

It has lots of pockets and zippers, something I thought would make the jacket look lumpy or bulky, but they did a great job of keeping it smooth.

Extra gloves and a water bottle

Extra gloves and a water bottle

As a consolation of sorts, they threw in a pair of pocket gloves and a portable water bottle that folds up and attaches with its built-in clip.

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Portable water bottle

I tried the jacket on, and it fit surprisingly well. Then I poked around the features, which include a telescopic pen/stylus, a neck pillow, hand warmers, and lots of pockets (including one lined with koozie material [neoprene] for stowing drinks!).

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So many features

I love the neck pillow, which is detachable and lined with velvety soft fabric, and the sunglasses pocket. The hand warmers became a favorite upon wearing.

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Many styles

It comes in 4 styles, and several colors, for guys and gals. I choose the blue sweatshirt, cuz that’s how I roll.

Wearing it around

The first few days in Japan were sunny and warm – no jacket needed.

But it got chilly in the evenings, and I threw on the only jacket I’d packed. It fit perfectly. And the pockets and features, instead of being distracting, are so well-integrated that it was fun to discover each one as I went along.

I used the neck pillow on the bullet train from Tokyo to Osaka. So easy to inflate. It was great for filling in the space created when you’re leaning against the wall, trying to grab a quick snooze.

Here are some pics of me trouncing around Osaka in my BauBax jacket.

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Hands in the hand-warming pockets

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BauBax travel jacket out in the wilderness of Osaka

It looks much like a regular hoodie. You’d never know there was so much designed into it.

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From behind

From behind, you can’t tell there’s a whole neck pillow embedded into the hood. But yup, it’s in there.

The hood is also fully lined, and has a fold-out eye mask.

Side view

Side view

Detail of the hand warmers

Detail of the hand warmers

Blowing up in Osaka

Blowing up in Osaka

Then I blew up the neck pillow, which was hiding in the hood the whole time.

Perfect for a quick

Perfect for a quick PTFO sesh

It deflates in about 2 seconds. All you have to do is press on the valve and all the air squeezes out.

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The eye mask is great for blocking light

If you want to go full PTFO mode, you can inflate the neck pillow and pull out the eye mask, which also folds into the hood.

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Retracted

Just push it back in when you’re done.

Out and Out in Osaka

Out and Out in Osaka

I even wore it out in the evenings. Peeps gave me compliments! I loved Tokyo and Osaka, but I’ll save that for a separate post. 🙂

Down sides?

Currently, the sweatshirt version I got for $109 costs $149 via Indiegogo. That’s a tidy sum for what’s essentially a hoodie!

I will say that it’s extremely high-quality. The design is solid. And the features, if you’ll use them, can be handy.

You can stow a ton of stuff into the pockets, including your phone, tablet, iPod, passport, etc. It’s good to have those things in front of you on the inside pockets if you need them when traveling in notorious pickpocket havens. They typically won’t come after you from the front. So that’s an added safety measure.

The neck pillow is made of plastic, and you can definitely feel it against you. But, it’s detachable. So I’d recommend only having it in when you think you’ll need it (plane or train rides). And leave it out when you’re wearing it around town.

The only other thing is the pen/stylus, which dangles down from the zipper. It’s kind of long and swings as you walk. But it didn’t bother me. Again, you can always simply remove it.

I found the usefulness of the built-in features far outweighed any cons. And again, the jacket is really soft and very comfy for wearing out.

Other things to note

I was afraid it would pill, shrink, or get wonky somehow after washing and drying. I washed it at home in Dallas, and am happy to report it held up fantastically (and smells a lot better after a week abroad!).

The hand warmers grew on me big time. They add a lot to the feeling of snugness, but they’re not reinforced. So if you tear them, you’ll have to sew them up again.

Also, you do more than you realize with your hands, so this is a high-friction part of the jacket. I can see these wearing out much faster than the rest of the jacket.

It’s not a huge issue, and certainly not a deal-breaker, but it’s worth noting in case you like them as much as I do.

This guy’s video is extremely thorough; it goes over all the features. We have overlapping opinions about many of the features, even though he got the bomber-style jacket.

Bottom line

I love my BauBax travel jacket!

It’s still early yet, but this might be one of my favorite jackets I’ve ever had. I’ll definitely take it on more trips when the weather is crisp again.

It’s light, comfy, packed with features, and well-designed. The $149 price tag is a bit steep, but the quality warrants it.

It’s a huge step up from a basic wardrobe item. And it really is something that can enhance your travels and make you more comfortable in several ways: warmth from the hand warmers and jacket lining, rest from the neck pillow and eye mask, protection from the front inside zippered pockets, and convenience for having all of this so handy.

I wanted to be more critical after the 10-month wait, but I gotta say, I really love it.

This would make an excellent gift. Or be a nice splurge for yourself if you’re into the design and features.

What do you think of the BauBax “ultimate travel jacket?” Let me know if I missed any key points, or if there’s something you wanna know about it!

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About Harlan

Just a dude living in Memphis, traveling, and working toward financial independence.

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  1. As a hoodie it’s a bit expensive, but I guess as a hoodie/coat/bag it’s a fair price- and I really hate having to carry a bag, especially on vacation. There’s something great about being hands-free that makes travel a so much better experience.

  2. But the sizing is inconsistent across sizes, different types and different genders. Many groups on Facebook complaining the irregularities

  3. Thanks to your posting back in July and other bloggers I decided to jump on-board and ordered the bomber and blazer. I was waiting and hoping they would have arrived 4 months ago but only received them a month ago. I haven’t had a chance to use the blazer yet but with my new job I think it’ll come in very hand. The bomber I did have a chance to use it for a business day trip where a light jacket was needed. The bomber is constructed very well and has lots of the same features as the hoodie with generous pockets and hiding places. I even dropped my phone out of the pocket as I wasn’t familiar with the pockets, it just slide right out. I worked out the kinks quickly. I’m very excited about having these new options in my jacket arsenal! Hopefully I can get some use out of them next autumn and winter.

  4. Had to pay an extra 79 euros to custom to get my bomber!
    Try to contact BAUBAX but no reply after ONE WEEK…
    Support staff currently experiencing high email volume ??? WHY I wonder?
    Don’t you thing that with $11,360,667 USD you could get more staff to reply?
    More to follow here on the : WORST travel jacket I got ever.

  5. I bought the Bomber jacket on KS and thought it would’ve been an awesome jacket.

    Received it in time to take with me on a vacation across Denmark, Germany, Switzerland and a brief bit in Italy and Iceland.

    I regret to report that I haven’t worn it since I got back to Canada. Here’s why:

    1) The fingerless gloves do not come out of the sleeves at all, so the air circulation up/down the sleeves is non-existent. As a result, my arms sweated a lot while I was on the aircraft and indoors. Even with the jacket fully unzipped my arms were drenched, and with the lack of airflow, made my wrists super warm and thoroughly uncomfortable. Trying to pull the jacket off while I was on the flight almost turned into a panic attack when even my wife beside me couldn’t help pull off the jacket.

    2) The eye shade is a good idea in theory, but not much to keep it in the hood while you’re trying to use the hood and protect your head against the rain/drizzle.

    3) The pen fell off the zipper pull somewhere around Zurich, never to be found again. Bummer too as that was a good pen/stylus.

    4) Using a lot of the pockets leads to the jacket poking you in the chest while the jacket is done up.

    All in all, I love the concept, but a few of the flaws were enough to kill any enjoyment of the garment.

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