Each time I slip on a rain jacket, I give thanks that we now not should wrap ourselves in thick, smelly sealskin to remain dry. The perfect rain jackets at this time are extra comfy and watertight than ever, due to advances in weatherproof textiles and attire design. However relying on the local weather and your stage of exercise, sorting by way of totally different kinds, applied sciences, and waterproof scores may be complicated.
Yearly, I take a look at a dozen or so rain jackets by way of the soggy Pacific Northwest winter and false spring. I hike, bike, run, and stroll my canine—typically I even stand within the bathe with my garments on when the climate isn’t cooperating. I additionally obtained recommendation from Amber Williams, a shopper science educator and lecturer in textile science and sample making at Utah State College’s Out of doors Product Design program. All to search out the rain jackets value your money and time.
Remember to take a look at the remainder of our outside protection, together with the Greatest Umbrellas, Greatest Puffer Jackets, Greatest Operating Shorts, and Greatest Merino Wool Garments.
Desk of Contents
Up to date April 2025: We added the Gorewear Concurve Windbreaker, the MEC x Aquanator, the Montbell Versalite, the Rab Cinder Phantom, and the 66 North Snaefell rain jacket.
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Understanding Rain Jacket Tech
{Photograph}: REI; Getty Pictures
Attempting to decipher jackets’ product specs is nearly as annoying as getting soaked by a sudden cloudburst on the path.
Search for laminated layers: Most technical waterproof jackets are known as two- or three-layer jackets. These layers often encompass a face cloth that has been handled with a waterproofing agent like sturdy water repellent, which is a skinny mesh for releasing water vapor, plus a protecting inside lining beneath. Basically, for higher sturdiness you’ll wish to search for layers which were laminated collectively, relatively than merely coated with a waterproofing agent. That’s the recommendation of Amber Williams, the buyer science educator and lecturer from Utah State College.
Waterproof and breathability scores: Producers often price every cloth primarily based on its waterproofing and breathability. For instance, a rain jacket with a water-resistant ranking of 20,000 implies that should you had an endlessly lengthy 1-inch sq. tube, you could possibly pour 20,000 millimeters of water on high of the material earlier than it will begin seeping by way of (that is over 65 ft!). A 20,000 breathability ranking implies that 20,000 grams of water vapor can go by way of the material going the opposite course. Whereas the upper breathability ranking might sound higher, you would possibly wish to suppose twice should you’ll be out within the chilly. Physique warmth can escape a breathable jacket nearly as simply as water vapor.
Examine the seams and zippers: In order for you your rain jacket to last more than an amusement park poncho, take a look at the seams. Shoulders are significantly weak factors, as most outside sports activities require you to put on a backpack that may rub and harm them. “Design strains look actually horny, however over time, they’re not going to final as lengthy,” Williams says. Different options to search for embody plasticized, waterproof zippers and protecting zipper flaps. That’s why our rain jacket picks are so costly—numerous new cloth tech and numerous design particulars.
Care on your jacket: You may vastly lengthen the lifetime of your gadgets by correctly caring for them. Hold your jacket—don’t retailer it crammed in an abrasive, tiny stuff sack. If you happen to see stains from grease, filth, or sunscreen, or discover that water is now not beading on the floor, you’ll want to scrub it. Comply with the producer’s directions. It’s possible you’ll want a specialised detergent—many cloth detergents will go away residues that may intrude with the sturdy water repellent’s (DWR) efficiency. Keep away from cloth softener, bleaches, dry cleansing, and the dryer.
Greatest Rain Jacket for On a regular basis Use
Because the Nineteen Sixties, fashionable rainwear has relied on carcinogenic perfluorocarbons (PFCs), or “endlessly chemical compounds.” Trendy sturdy water repellents (DWRs) use PFCs in manufacturing, which then migrate out of your clothes into soil and streams as you tromp round exterior. At the moment, many firms are making steps to cut back the degrees of PFAS of their merchandise, most likely as a result of states are banning these sorts of chemical compounds. In 2023, common outside retailer REI introduced it will part out any merchandise with PFAS in its shops.
If you wish to be lifeless sure that your jacket doesn’t have PFAS, you’ll be able to’t go improper with a traditional rubber raincoat, like Stutterheim’s Stockholm raincoat. Technical rain jacket producers are likely to shrink back from polyurethane, as a result of it is, properly, rubbery. However the materials is sturdy, long-lasting, windproof, waterproof, and PFC-free! I additionally choose rubber rain jackets in damp coastal climates, just like the Pacific Northwest. Breathability is much less of a sticking level when the air is already humid.
That is the one rain jacket I’ve ever purchased with my very own cash, as a result of I am so uninterested in having to switch my rain jacket each few years when the waterproofing wears off. I put on the Stockholm nearly each day. The outer overlaying is comprised of 100% rubberized PVC with a cotton lining, so you do not squeak like a duck when carrying it.
It is true to dimension and roomy sufficient to layer a down vest underneath it. It has double-welded seams to maintain the water out, and the hood is massive sufficient for a baseball cap or a big beanie. I additionally just like the buttons; once I’m simply throwing on a jacket to stroll the canine, it is sooner and simpler than ensuring a seam-sealed zipper does not get caught in a storm flap. If you happen to additionally reside in a wet local weather and are sick of re-waterproofing your rain jacket each season, get considered one of these.
★ Alternate options: The worth of the Stockholm would possibly make you gag. In order for you a primary rubber slicker, I’ve additionally had Rains’ waterproof jacket ($140) for a number of years now, which has a really related, Scandinavian-inspired design however at a way more affordable worth. Baxter Woods ($300) can also be a reasonably nice rubber slicker that is rather less than the Stockholm.
Greatest Waterproof Operating Jacket
My necessities for a operating rain jacket are a lot totally different than these for an on a regular basis one. I am sweating, so I am already damp, and I do not care as a lot if the jacket is a bit more permeable. Nevertheless, I need it to suit properly, not chafe or rustle annoyingly, and have good air flow so I do not grow to be clammy when understanding.
Gorewear’s windbreaker is billed as probably the most comfy operating jacket ever, and it is completely true. I have been carrying this jacket exterior for my 3- to 5-mile rain runs, and I barely even discover it is on. This magic is as a result of cloth—it is a permeable, double-weave cloth that’s DWR-treated and has a 3D cloth construction inside. Mainly, there are a billion tiny cloth tent poles that maintain it, suspended, over the floor of your pores and skin so you aren’t getting that horrible sticky feeling when your operating rain jacket begins clinging to you want plastic wrap. It does not appear to be this could work, but it does.
It has all the same old operating jacket necessities, like reflective particulars and elastic cuffs. There is a stowaway pocket, and it packs down extremely small, almost to the dimensions of a handkerchief. This can be a blessing, since you’ll be able to stuff it in a operating vest when it stops raining, and a curse, as a result of I maintain dropping it. (I spent about 20 minutes trying to find it in my home, since I take it with me all over the place.) Better of all, it is a mere $100, which is inexpensive for a high-tech rain jacket.
Different Operating Rain Jackets to Take into account
I’ve tried so many rain jackets within the operating class. Listed here are just a few that I like:
- Showers Move Cloudburst for $199: That is the most effective if you’d like a operating rain jacket that sheds a bit extra, er, rain. It is thicker than the Gorewear windbreaker however nonetheless extremely smooth and versatile. I put on this when the outside temperatures drop underneath 40 levels with a wool layer beneath.
- Patagonia Houdini for $109: That is the jacket that everybody usually tells you to get. Everybody has one. It is easy and packable, and the corporate switched to a PFC-free DWR. Nevertheless, it rustles, it isn’t too breathable, and I really feel like I am carrying a plastic bag.
- Tracksmith Downpour for $400: For its exorbitant worth, that is probably the most feature-rich jacket of the bunch, with a PFAS-free DWR on a three-layer jacket, a brimmed hood, and a 360-mesh panel for breathability. Like all of Tracksmith’s gear, it is extremely stunning, however the colours are darkish, and it does not have reflective particulars, which might be harmful when operating within the rain.
Greatest Waterproof Biking Jacket
I hate rain gear. It is heavy, cumbersome, and infrequently performs in true downpours, and the entire waterproof and breathable factor is a lie (you’ll be able to have each, simply not on the similar time). Regardless of all that, I really like the Rab Cinder Phantom and have been carrying it all over the place I am going, on and off a motorcycle. It solves nearly all my points with rain gear. It is extremely gentle (3.3 ounces/114 grams for a medium), stuffs right down to concerning the dimension of a tennis ball, and is one way or the other surprisingly waterproof.
The shell is 7D Pertex, which has proved to be windproof and waterproof, and when it isn’t raining, it is fairly breathable. Pair it with a grid fleece for the last word in breathable heat. At 3 ounces, there aren’t numerous bells and whistles to the Cinder Phantom. You should use the total entrance zip to ventilate, although it is fiddly to make use of whereas driving. There are not any pit zips and, sadly, no drawstring on the waist. There’s elastic, however I’d like to sacrifice an oz and have a pull string.
The one factor to know concerning the Cinder Phantom is that it’s designed for biking, which implies it has a brief lower with an extended again, which works nice on a motorcycle however is not the most effective for mountaineering, since rain dripping off you just about lands proper in your legs. That has not stopped me from utilizing this off the bike, although. I pair it with Patagonia’s new M-10 storm pants (additionally superb, although much less breathable), which give me full physique protection at about 10 ounces. Do I fear that the Cinder Phantom’s skinny cloth won’t stand as much as a backpack long-term? I do, however after six months, thus far so good. —Scott Gilbertson