You Can’t Drive a Fortuner Without a Puffer

Besides potholes, perhaps the most common sight on South African roads is a Fortuner driven by someone wearing a Puffer jacket.

Our data shows that Fortuner drivers are (mainly) married Gauteng okes between the ages of 40 and 49 years old. Prime puffer age. They are paying, on average, R 1 366pm to insure their Fortuner. But, by using Hippo, could be paying as little as R421pm. A difference of R921pm - the financial equivalent of the lower forearm bit of a Patagonia puffer’s sleeve.

Hippo offers 11 competitive quotes side by side to get you the best deal to save bucks. With the money you save as an existing Fortuner owner you can buy more puffers. If you’ve just bought a Fortuner you simply have to use this money to get that puffer and complete the look.

Exactly when the Puffer became the official uniform of Fortuner-driving Excel-addled execs-in-training is unclear, but you can see them almost anywhere, including Bootleggers and Vidas, huddled around one guy’s laptop. Whether they’re looking at sales forecasts, crypto analysis data or just watching a webcam from the Kruger Park is unclear.

Tasha’s is also favourite for middle management “break out” lunches and, as evening falls, they can be seen at various padel courts, park runs and pubs.

Another go-to for the more pro-creative puffer wearer is The Spur – a hot-spot for spotting the parents of future puffer wearers. You can see them idly picking at onion rings while looking at their phones - possibly watching YouTube clips about survival while the kids play on the indoor jungle gym.

Puffer lovers can also be seen at the 19th holes of golf courses regaling the bar about that time they once met Corne Krige while kayaking.

WHY?

It’s not really a mystery why the Puffer is so perfectly suited to the Fortuner driver and vice versa. The Fortuner is a capable 4WD (or 2x4 in some versions) that is based on the rugged, legendary Hilux chassis. Yet, its upper body is half Landcruiser and half one of those SUVs that’s designed more for Umhlanga Rocks than actual ones. In short, it gives off an air of ruggedness but still looks good at a PTA meeting. Just like a puffer.

WHEN?

The puffer (or down) jacket’s roots can, perhaps unsurprisingly, be traced back to Australia, when some bloke in 1922 made one out of balloon material and an eiderdown before going on a walkabout (the Aussie word for mountaineering and hiking). As a result, every Fortuner Puffer wearer has a love of the bush in them. They would rather be lying on a tent’s bedsheet in Mpumalanga than looking at a Microsoft spreadsheet in Bryanston. The wild is in them, and it calls at inappropriate times, not only on long weekends.

You’ve got a Fortuner, now let Hippo guide you towards your ideal puffer with the money you’ll save.

Here are some of the options you have to get your look aligned with your Fortuner lifestyle.

WHAT DOES MY FORTUNER PUFFER SAY ABOUT ME?

K-WAY MEN’S CREEK DOWN JACKET

The go-to, in-house brand from Cape Union Mart is a statement of intent. The statement? I want to get away from my life by sleeping on the ground in a ravine for the weekend or rocking it at a supervised Sons n’ Dads sleepover on school property.

“I’m new to emojis but I dig them, thanks to my first biological son, Sebastian🤡🚲⛺🍉”

PICK ‘N PAY CLOTHING MEN’S LIGHTWEIGHT PUFFER JACKET

Photo Credit: "Men's puffer jacket" by Rydale Country Clothing is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

You’re a diesel Fortuner driver. You’re budget conscious. You want a puffer. You get one from Pick ‘n Pay clothing. Sorted.

“My company made me take a Myers-Brigg Test and I think I did OK”

THE NORTH FACE MEN'S JACKET

The North Face, that seemingly insurmountable peak of privilege, makes a puffer that’s ideal for surviving the Himalayas or a Zoom disciplinary hearing.

“I went to Bishops”

FIRST ASCENT TOUCH DOWN JACKET

Ribbed for your comfort, this is all business - and an all-in statement of, “I’d rather be hiking instead of answering this email about sales margins”.

“I’ve won Most Consistent LinkedIn Like Button Pusher for 3 years running”

SALOMON OUTLINE PRIMALOFT

More gas braais than Bear Grylls, this Salomon puffer makes you look like you’ve encountered your fair share of complicated merger structures. And hyenas.

“Spreadsheets cower before me”

JONSSON WORKWEAR PACKABLE JACKET

South Africa’s version of Carharrt, Jonsson workwear has carved out a reputation for being functional, affordable and durable. Very, very Fortuner vibes from this corporate body armour. Like Batman, you can stuff this costume away in a cave (your Fortuner’s cubby hole).

“Everyone knows I’m the wildest oke on golf tour”

PATAGONIA MEN’S MICRO PUFF

Credit: " Patagonia Nano-Puff Jacket (51011161655)" by ajay_suresh is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Patagonia is about sustainability, saving the oceans and the planet, but also for okes who leave their Fortuner idling while they nip into Vida for another Americano.

“Look here, I use the program daily, but the fact that they called it Slack doesn’t sit well with me. It doesn’t sit well with me at all.”

With the money you save with Hippo, even if you don’t prefer a puffer, you can use your hard-earned bucks to buy whichever item of clothing you like. Perhaps a few snoods to keep dust out of your mouth while walking into a meeting on a construction site or mountain biking in Mpumalanga. You could splash out on one of those brimmed hats with a drawstring at the bottom, to make you look like a CNN reporter or a tour guide. From water bottles to survival wear like sensible shoes, the options are almost endless when you save with Hippo.

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Disclaimer

Hippo Comparative Services (Pty) Ltd is an authorised financial service provider. Terms and Conditions online. *Based on independent research by Kaufman Levin & Associates 2023. *Based on Hippo data in March 2024.