Best Backpacking Rain Jackets of 2023

Spend sufficient time outdoor and also you’ll find yourself with a reasonably dialed-in layering system: baselayer, insulation layer, and backpacking rain jacket. That final a part of the puzzle is normally the trickiest. While there are many heavy-duty shell layers that may shield you from monsoons or blizzards, quick days on the path imply you’ll get soaked from your personal sweat. What you need is simply the shell: nothing extra, nothing much less. To discover the suitable light-weight shell on your subsequent backcountry journey, I checked out one of the best backpacking rain jackets from Arc’teryx, Montbell, Patagonia, Outdoor Research, and Frogg Toggs. 

How I Tested Lightweight Rain Jackets

The rain jackets in my check have been assessed each within the subject—from path operating to snowboarding to climbing—in addition to utilizing a collection of managed exams. 

Waterproofing Test 

I positioned every rain jacket on the bottom after which poured a small quantity of water on high of the surface of the hood, with a seam underneath every pool of water. These have been then left for twenty-four hours, after which I checked to see which had “wetted out,” whether or not the water had soaked by means of to the within of the jacket. 

Shower Test

For this check, I hung every rain jacket on a garments hanger with one of many greatest climbing shirts beneath it. It was hung within my bathe beneath a bathe caddy. The bathe was then turned on for an hour for every rain jacket (it was winter within the Pacific Northwest when this check was carried out, so water utilization was much less of a priority), to evaluate how nicely weak factors, like zippers and seams, saved water off of the shirt beneath. Next up was the wind check, which was carried out utilizing a small (however mighty) Vornado fan. Each rain jacket was given a qualitative ranking on how nicely it did at blocking the wind. 

Durability Test 

To do that, I snagged clippings of Oregon grape and Himalayan blackberry, together with a tough stone (within the occasion you find yourself doing a little mild scrambling in your rain jacket). Each was then brushed flippantly in opposition to the light-weight jackets, to imitate the impact of brushing in opposition to brush whereas out within the subject, to see if it ripped the fabric. In addition to the above, I additionally weighed every rain jacket and thought of further particulars akin to protection, worth, and extras, akin to pit zips. 

Weight

Jacket weights have been checked utilizing a kitchen scale. 

Key Features

• Sizes: Men’s XS-XXXL; ladies’s XXS-XXL
• Price: $450
• Weight: 8.5 ounces
• Material: 3L GORE-TEX
• Pit Zips: No
• Pockets: Two zip pockets on the waist

Pros

• Most waterproof jacket in my check
• Most wind-resistant jacket in my check
• Durable

Cons

• Expensive
• Heavier than different rain jackets I examined 
• No pit zips

The Arc’teryx Beta LT was probably the most waterproof, wind-resistant jacket in my check, and included a variety of options that assured that not one inch of your insulation layer or baselayer will get moist. The beneficiant hood (even the puffiest of puffers will match underneath this one) has cinch cords each on the again and by the chin as a way to get a safe match, whereas the cuffs have velcro tabs which you could tighten when the wind picks up or loosen once more when you might want to cool off a bit. This was additionally one of many few jackets that I checked out that included a noticeable drop-tail hem.

There are a number of downsides to the Arc’teryx Beta LT. Individuals who work up a sweat simply will seemingly discover the dearth of pit zips (the zippers that run beneath your armpits) whereas UL purists will scoff on the weight—no less than till they land of their first severe downpour. But the most important one is the value, which is over 100 {dollars} greater than the subsequent closest jacket I checked out and fifteen occasions dearer than my finances decide. 

Key Features

• Sizes: Men’s S-XL; ladies’s S-XL
• Price: $250
• Weight: 5.7 ounces
• Material: GORE-TEX Infinium Windstopper
• Pit Zips: Yes
• Pockets: Two zip pockets at waist

Pros

• Very light-weight
• Reasonably waterproof and wind resistant
• Has pit zips

Cons

• Not appropriate for excessive situations

Let’s get the robust half out of the best way first: If you might be headed into situations that might be described as “torrential,” it’s best to most likely depart this one in your closet. But if you happen to’re extra typical rain situations—the sunshine mist of the Pacific Northwest or short-but-intense squalls of the East Coast—then the Montbell Versalite is a wonderful alternative. It handed the bathe check with flying colours and after the twenty-four waterproofing check (and are you actually going to be out within the rain for 24 hours?) it was solely barely damp beneath, indicating a excessive diploma of water resistance. 

This wasn’t fairly the lightest rain jacket in my check, however the additional options it included (accounting for that additional ounce of weight) upped its efficiency for giant adventures. The largest of those is the zipped pit vents, important for letting you cool off and air out when the sweat begins to choose up. It additionally has (albeit extra minimal that the Arc’teryx Beta LT) velcro cuffs and cinches on the hem in addition to the again of the hood and on the neck, which can assist to maintain out chilly gusts when the wind kicks up. 

Key Features

• Sizes: Men’s XS-XXL; ladies’s XXS-XL 
• Price: $330
• Weight: 7.8 ounces
• Material: H2No Performance Standard
• Pit Zips: Yes
• Pockets: Two zip pockets at waist; one zip pocket at left chest

Pros

• Fair-trade licensed 
• Contains 87 p.c recycled nylon
• Has pit zips

Cons

• Some moisture snuck in throughout the bathe check
• Expensive

So, because it seems, creating a wonderfully waterproof, windproof rain jacket isn’t precisely probably the most environmentally pleasant course of. In latest years, there was better consciousness across the risks of among the chemical substances, together with PFAS, which can be used to waterproof out of doors gear, and dedication by among the extra forward-looking manufacturers to begin to rectify the issue. 

While that is an ongoing concern that not one of the backpacking rain jackets I checked out bought precisely proper, the one which bought the closest to hitting the mark was the Patagonia Storm10. In addition to being fair-trade licensed (which appears at whether or not the employees who make the attire are being paid a sustainable wage), it additionally comprises 87 p.c recycled nylon. 

Despite being one of many dearer rain jackets I checked out, the Patagonia Storm10 struggled throughout the bathe check, with some moisture evident on the climbing shirt beneath. Its waterproof material, nonetheless, simply handed the waterproofing check. 

Key Features

• Sizes: Men’s S-XXXL; ladies’s XS-4X
• Price: $159
• Weight: 6 ounces
• Material: Pertex Diamond Shield Diamond Fuse 2.5L
• Pit Zips: No
• Pockets: One zip pocket at left chest

Pros

• Widest vary of sizes of all of the rain jackets I checked out
• Lightweight

Cons

• Least waterproof rain jacket I checked out

One widespread piece of recommendation you hear with backpacking rain jackets is that you just’re going to need to measurement up. That’s since you might need an insulation layer, base layer, and perhaps even a fleece beneath that shell. But there are additionally occasions the place you may want a extra minimal method: like whenever you’re hoofing it up a hill throughout a summer season squall. So Outdoor Research’s method to sizing—mainly, embody each choice underneath the solar—is precisely what I needed to see. The males’s sizing for the Helium goes all the best way to 3X (that’s a 56 inches chest circumference) whereas the ladies’s goes all the best way out to 4X (59 inches): the most important of any backpacking rain jacket I checked out. 

Recording the outcomes of the 24-hour waterproofing check for the Outdoor Research Helium. 

Now the draw back: This one actually isn’t all that waterproof, soaking by means of throughout the 24-hour waterproofing check. If you’re anticipating sunny skies with solely a 5 p.c likelihood of rain, it’s tremendous to pack, but when you might want to account for a number of days of rain, this one isn’t going to offer the safety that you just want. 

Key Features

• Sizes: Men’s S-XXXL; ladies’s S-XXL
• Price: $30
• Weight: 4.6 ounces
• Material: DriPore Gen 2
• Pit Zips: No
• Pockets: None

Pros

• Very, very light-weight
• Inexpensive
• Comes with rain pants

Cons

• Not waterproof in stormy situations
• Less sturdy than different rain jackets 

Dollar for greenback, the Frogg Toggs Ultra-Lite Suit offers one of the best safety of any backpacking rain jacket I checked out. Partly as a result of the Frogg Toggs are extraordinarily low-cost, but additionally partly as a result of these are a reasonably good shell layer. While the jacket carried out the worst within the bathe check (a much less sturdy entrance zip appears to have been the failure level), there was no leakage throughout the 24-hour waterproofing check, they usually additionally proved surprisingly wind resistant. It would have challenged the Arc’teryx Beta LT for the highest spot in that class if it had included any form of cinch on the hem (which allowed for a considerable breeze to sneak by means of). 

While the Frogg Toggs Ultra-Lite got here in at each an eye-poppingly low worth and weight, it was the one rain jacket in my check to choose up scrapes throughout the sturdiness check, particularly once I scraped the jacket with a rock. Do not take this one in your subsequent scrambling journey, or actually anywhere the place you anticipate severe blow downs. But thru-hikers on a finances ought to nonetheless think about this one. After all, you could possibly purchase three and nonetheless pay lower than the subsequent closest priced layer (the Montbell Versalite). And you get free rain pants. 

What to Consider Before Buying a Backpacking Rain Jacket

Weight

Since weight is often a significant concern of backpackers, I solely checked out shell layers that weighed lower than 10 ounces. If weight just isn’t one in all your main issues, you’ll be higher off with the greatest searching rain gear or the greatest rain gear for fishing. While there are at all times trade-offs whenever you begin reducing the ounces off of outside gear, with rain gear the stakes go up significantly. If you’re focused on reducing weight, however have a sure stage of efficiency that you just’ll nonetheless must get out of your rain gear to satisfy it—hold studying. 

Material

There are seemingly countless proprietary waterproofing choices on the market, however for light-weight rain jackets, most are silnylon, silpolyester, or polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), usually with a further sturdy waterproof (DWR) coating. How nicely any of those work at really holding out rain relies on a variety of components (therefore the proprietary side), however typically PTFE (which is what GORE-TEX is made out of) will maintain off rain for longer than different supplies. In this check, we checked out whether or not every materials may resist rain for 24 hours with out wetting out. 

Breathability

There’s a basic sense within the out of doors neighborhood that “breathable rain gear” is an oxymoron and, for all intents and functions, that is true. While breathable rain gear does present some launch of warmth and moisture, it’s not going to be sufficient for people which can be usually soaking their raingear from the within out (conversely, individuals who don’t sweat a lot—like this gear reviewer—gained’t profit a lot from this characteristic in any respect). For this story, I didn’t check for the precise breathability of every material, however I did think about different methods every rain jacket may launch warmth (akin to pit vents). 

Durability

Lightweight rain jackets could be delicate, and typically rip or shred whenever you brush up in opposition to numerous varieties of foliage. If you understand that your rain gear might be subjected to rougher environments—dense foliage, rocky scrambles—then take note of how nicely it does on the sturdiness check. 

Final Thoughts

After placing 5 high rain jackets by means of a collection of subject exams, I’m assured that (assuming cash isn’t any object) the Arc’teryx Beta LT is one of the best backpacking rain jacket you should purchase. If weight is your main concern, the Montbell Versalite is one of the best light-weight choice I checked out, whereas the Frogg Toggs Ultra-Lite Suit offers spectacular waterproofing for a surprisingly low worth.