RufusRoo Jacket Review

The kind folks at Skyscanner and Rufus Roo very generously sent me one of their Rufus Roo jackets to try out recently.  The jackets were designed to help air passengers avoid hefty baggage fees (particularly on those budget airlines where they advertise a really low price and then charge you for absolutely everything) by enabling you to pack everything you need into the pockets of your jacket.

Well, I'm not lucky enough to be jetting off anywhere exotic, or even vaguely continental that soon, but as Squeaky gets bigger, she wants to walk more & be pushed less.  That means I need all the free hands I can get to hold on to her (or her reins), and still push the buggy for when she's got tired.  Trying to add a bag, or worse still a change bag, into the mix is just impossible. That's where my Rufus Roo comes in.  It's kind of unusual, you wouldn't really wear it on a night out, but the same can be said for half my wardrobe.  For taking La Squeak out on an adventure though, it's spot on.

I ordered the large size, to make the most of all the pocket space available, but as you can see, I could comfortably have got away with a medium.  The jacket has got 6 pockets, two vertical zips at chest height, two huge long zips at waist height (these go round to the back, giving you space to carry bigger things like a laptop), and two at pocket height (where you'd find pockets on a normal jacket), and is designed to carry up to 10kg in weight, distributed across all the pockets. I haven't put quite that much in it yet, but I'm sure the day will come.

Instead, I popped a couple of nappies, baby wipes, a snack & a drink into my pockets, and headed out into the world.  As I'd got the large size, it fits fine over a coat, but if you bought the medium, or if you're a bigger build, you might find you're a bit chilly.  The jacket is sleeveless, and the material's only thin, so it won't keep the cold out.  For the original intention of the jacket that's fine, airports & planes tend to be warmer than South Wales valleys.

Wearing the Rufus Roo DOES get attention, there's no doubt about it.  It's not for the shy & retiring.  And I wouldn't recommend it for a trip round the supermarket, unless you like being followed round by security guards wondering why you're wearing an outsized jacket with so many pockets.  But for travelling, be it by plane, train or a trip to the beach, it's ideal. It's a really practical & clever piece of design.

The Rufus Roo is available online for £24.95 for a small (child's) size, and £29.95 for medium & large sizes, there's 5 colour options, and a choice of red or black zips on the black jacket.  They're also on sale at Bristol Airport, if you're local.

Disclosure: I was provided with a Rufus Roo jacket free of charge for the purpose of this review.  I was not told what to write, and all opinions are my own.  Links are provided for your convenience only, I am not a member of any affiliate scheme & will not receive reward for their use.