In this article, I will provide a list of the best waterproof hiking jackets. Additionally, I will provide a full explanation as to why these jackets are best for hiking in continuous rain. After I found out the hard way that waterproof clothing is never completely waterproof, I decided to do some in-depth research about waterproofing. I was amazed by how hard it was to find valuable information about the topic. Therefore, I decided to write this article and bundle all the valuable information I could find.
I did a lot of research on the topic, but it was very hard to find a high quality summary that covered every aspect about waterproof hiking jackets. Therefore, I decided to write my own article about this subject. After I had done all that research, I felt qualified to create a list of the best waterproof hiking jackets. In case you are also looking for the best rain pants for hiking, I would recommend this article: The best cheap rain pants for hiking.
List of the best waterproof hiking jacket
If you want to fully understand why these jackets are the best waterproof hiking jackets, I strongly advise you to read this entire article. In the second part of this article you can learn all about the research I have done before making this list.
If you are just looking for the best waterproof hiking jacket, my answer would be simple, Outdoors Research Foray Gore-Tex Paclite Jacket.
1. Outdoor Research Foray Gore-Tex Paclite Jacket
- Best all-round
- Membrane: 2 layer Gore-Tex Paclite
- Waterproofing: 28,000mm HH,
- Weight: 15.4 oz/435g (large)
- Breathability: RET: 6-8 (15000 mvtr)
The Foray Gore-Tex Paclite jacket is my overall favorite pick. The fabric used is Gore-Tex Paclite, this fabric is an offshoot from regular Gore-Tex.
This jacket has a higher hydrostatic head rating than any other jacket on this list. It takes a lot of rain to soak a 28.000mm HH jacket.
Additionally, this jacket is very breathable for how waterproof it is. Solely based on the numbers, this jacket is the most waterproof jacket on the list. The breathability score is pretty good as well.
Surely there has to be a very serious price tag?
It is the most expensive jacket on this list. However, in comparison with jackets that provide the same water resistance/breathability, this jacket is actually really cheap.
Almost nobody dislikes this jacket and there are no big flaws. Also this jacket is fully seam-taped and has a great finish.
The only downside? It’s not as lightweight as some of the alternatives.
You can check out this jacket on amazon:
Men: Outdoor Research Foray Gore-Tex Paclite Jacket
Women: Outdoor Research Aspire Jacket
2. Outdoor Research Helium 2 jacket
- Best lightweight pick
- Membrane: 2.5 layer Pertex® Shield+
- Waterproofing: 15,000 mm HH
- Weight: 6.4oz/180g (medium)
- Breathability: 20000 mvtr
If going lightweight is very important to you, you might consider picking up the Outdoors Research Helium 2. This jacket is cheaper, weighs less and is more breathable than the Outdoors Research Foray.
That said, this jacket is less waterproof and has a slightly lower breathability rating. However, these ratings are still very good.
Once again, Outdoor Research provides the best value for money.
You can check out this jacket on amazon:
Men: Outdoor Research Helium 2 jacket
Women: Outdoor Research Helium 2 jacket
3. Marmot precip
- Best budget pick
- Membrane: 2.5 layer nanoPro
- Waterproofing: 10,000 mm HH
- Weight: 11oz/312g
- Breathability: 15000 mvtr
The marmot precip is a very well received jacket by many hikers. It’s considered to be one of the best budget options out there.
However, I find that the price difference between the Marmot Precip and the Outdoor Research Helium 2 is not big enough to justify the lower waterproofing and breathability ratings. Therefore, I would recommend buying the Helium 2 over this jacket. However, if for some reason you can’t buy –or don’t want to buy– the Helium 2, this is probably the next best thing.
You can check out this jacket on amazon:
Men: Marmot precip
Women: Marmot precip
4. Columbia watertight 2
- best extreme budget pick
- membrane: Omni-Tech®
- Waterproofing: 10,000mm HH
- Weight: 13.5oz/383g
- Breathability: breathability: 10000 mvtr
The columbia watertight 2 is the best pick for people on an extreme budget. It won’t be as good as the other options on this list, but it is very good value for money.
With a hydrostatic head rating of 10.000 mm HH and a breathability rating of 10.000 mvtr this is definitely not a bad hiking jacket. A lot of brands would ask double or triple the amount of money for a jacket with these specifications.
You can check out this jacket on amazon:
Women: Columbia watertight 2
Waterproof ratings
In order to know what waterproof hiking jacket is right for you, you should learn about the waterproof ratings.
The hydrostatic head (HH) rating (also called the water column rating) is the most common way of rating the level of waterproofing. These ratings will indicate how waterproof your jacket (or other products like a tent) is.
These ratings are determined by testing how much water a fabric can hold before the water starts to seep through. This is tested by holding a tube filled with water over the fabric and see at when it starts to leak.
The ip rating or Ingress Protection Rating is another common way to rate the waterproofing of certain fabrics.
The biggest problems with these ratings is that they do not always seem to be correct. A lot of manufacturers don’t even present these ratings to the customers.
This leaves most customers with not much more than other customer’s reviews. The problem with this is that certain people might praise the waterproofing of a certain jacket after doing a short dog walk in light rain.
You, however, might use that same jacket for a multiday mountain hike where you can expect a lot of rain. You might think that it is completely waterproof because so many reviewers told you so. The truth is, different circumstances require different gear and when you are out hiking, the circumstances might get pretty rough.
That said, I wouldn’t say that waterproof ratings are completely useless. Just stick with trusted manufacturers and know what these ratings represent.
What waterproof rating does my jacket need
Nobody can predict exactly how much rain they will encounter on the trail. Still, there are a couple of things you should consider before buying a waterproof jacket.
I would advise against any jacket with a rating below 5000 mm. These jackets might be perfect for walking to the supermarket or walk the dog in mild rain.
Once you start talking about a waterproof hiking jacket, only look at jackets with a rating above 5000 mm.
I would already like to mention that a waterproof rating (assuming it is provided and correct) is not the only important aspect of a waterproof hiking jacket.
5000 mm hiking jacket
A jacket with a HH rating of 5000 mm can resist a fair amount of water. That said, once it starts raining very hard or it keeps on raining for a long amount of time, the fabric will start to get soaked.
I would recommend these jackets to hikers who know that the conditions will be mild while they are on the trail. If you are a day hiker, this rating will probably be high enough to keep you dry as well.
10000 mm hiking jacket
I would feel comfortable going on a multiday hiking trip with a 10000 mm waterproof jacket. These jackets can resist a lot of water. However, every jacket has its limits, if it just keeps on raining for hours and hours you will still get soaked eventually.
If the weather really is so bad that it can soak your 10000 mm waterproof jacket, you should probably try to find some shelter anyway. Your jacket is probably not the only thing you should be worried about in these conditions. For example, your backpack, pants, shoes, etc. are also at risk of getting soaked.
20000+ mm hiking jacket
These jackets are designed to keep you dry in the most extreme circumstances. It will take a lot of continuous rain before these jackets start to soak through. Note, that everything can get soaked eventually, even these jackets.
Seriously consider bringing one of these jackets when you know you will encounter a lot of rain on the trail. Also, you should definitely bring one of these jackets when hypothermia is a very real risk (mostly in very cold areas). Having wet clothes in an extremely cold area could lead to hypothermia, you should not take any risks here.
Types of waterproof jackets
In short, there are two main types of waterproof jackets: a coated jacket and a laminated jacket (membrane). The coated jacket is cheaper than the laminated jacket, but has very poor breathability.
Coated jacket
A coated jacket is created by spraying a waterproof coating (PU coating) on the jacket. Do not mistake this with DWR coating (durable water repellent coating). This spray is actually part of the jacket, it is sprayed on during the production of the jacket.
The problem with this approach is that spraying something on a jacket, does not guarantee that the spray is evenly spread out. Your jacket will only be as waterproof as the thinnest portion of coating on the jacket.
To compensate this, manufacturers tend to spray more than needed on those jackets, just to make sure they strengthen the weak spots. The issue with this approach is that the jacket end up with very poor breathability.
Should you care about the breathability? As long as you stay dry from the rain everything is fine right?
Well, if your jacket does not breathe at all, you will start sweating very fast. Remember that sweating causes heat loss. A lot of inexperienced hikers underestimate how fast they start sweating when wearing clothes that are not breathable. Additionally, a lot of people underestimate how much heat you might lose when sweating. Sweating can in fact cause hypothermia.
A coated jacket might keep the rain out, but this does not mean that it will keep you dry.
Laminated jacket
Let’s take a look at the laminated jacket. If a coated jacket would be a spray, then the laminated jacket would be wallpaper.
The laminate is applied evenly on the jacket. These fabrics are designed to keep the rain out, but still allow air to flow through.
Once again, do not underestimate the importance of breathable clothing. Especially if you are going to a cold area.
My recommendation would be to avoid coated jackets and always go with a laminated one.
Only consider bringing a coated jacket when all of the following points apply to you:
- you are on a very tight budget
- there is no threat of hypothermia
- you won’t encounter a lot of rain
Keep in mind, bringing a coated jacket during summer will be very uncomfortable (you will sweat even more because of the weather). But bringing a coated jacket during the winter can also be dangerous (hypothermia).
Except for the types of fabrics, a jacket can also have 2 layers, 2.5 layers or 3 layers. If you want more information about these layers, read this article: What Does 2, 2.5 And 3 Layer Construction In A Rain Jacket Mean?.
DWR: Durable Water Repellent
DWR stand for durable water repellent. Most decent rainwear is treated with a DWR finish. The DWR is the first line of defence versus the water.
A DWR can be applied to both a coated jacket or a laminated jacket and does not compromise breathability.
When you buy a new jacket, it is probably treated with DWR. However, the DWR coating does not last very long (maybe a year or two). The good thing is that you can re-apply this coating at home.
Keep in mind that once you re-apply this coating yourself, it will probably not last as long as the original DWR.
This coating will make your gear water repellent. You can do a quick test to see if you need a new layer of DWR. Spray some water on the fabric, wait a couple of seconds and see if the water makes it way into the fiber (the fabric will become darker on that spot). If this is the case, your jacket is in need of a DWRs maintenance.
Durable water repellent is not only good for rain jackets. It can also be applied on shoes, backpacks, rain pants, etc.
If you want to learn more about how to revive or apply DWR, I would recommend this article: Rainwear: Durable Water Repellent (DWR) Care.
Breathability
Breathability is important because non-breathable clothes will lead to a lot of sweating, sweating will lead to heat loss. Eventually sweat could even lead to hypothermia.
Don’t get me wrong if you wear a coated non-breathable jacket to walk your dog, that’s completely fine. However, wearing non-breathable clothes on a serious hiking trip (or any high exertion activity) is far from optimal.
It’s not impossible to test the breathability level of a fabric or a jacket. The problem is that a lot of manufacturers have their own kind of rating. Therefore, it is very hard to start comparing breathability.
I tend to look at reviews from hikers and look at the part where they talk about breathability. This is –in my opinion– the best way to compare breathability between jackets. That said, make sure those reviews are honest. Additionally, don’t trust one guy’s opinion, collect multiple reviews/opinions before jumping to conclusions.
In general, I trust numbers more than humans. However, in this case, it’s very hard to trust the numbers. Therefore, I will rely on human opinions instead.
Other important characteristics
Breathability and waterproofing are not the only important characteristics of a waterproof jacket. Let’s take a look at weight, durability and price as well.
Weight
Most hikers like to pack as light as possible. Especially if you have to cover a big distance, weight does matter. There is a good reason ultra-light has become so popular.
The outer layer’s main job is to provide protection from rain and wind. However, it does not necessarily has to provide warmth. Of course, protection from wind and rain will eventually prevent heat loss.
Because the outer layer does not need to be used for insulation, it does not have to be very heavy.
Some winter hiking jackets might come with insulation and therefore weigh more. As long as the additional weight is worth it, this is obviously fine.
In the end, a high quality lightweight jacket will cost more than a regular high quality jacket. Waterproofing, windproofing and breathability are obviously more important, but weight is still a very important factor for any piece of hiking gear.
Price
After doing some extended research, I realized that a lot of these very expensive jackets are rather low quality. One would assume that a more expensive rain jacket would do a good job at keeping you dry. Well, quite often this is not the case at all.
A waterproof hiking jacket seems to be a product where people are willing to pay more because they assume it will keep them dry. And staying dry during a multiday hike is worth the money. I guess jacket manufacturers saw an opportunity there.
Keep in mind that price does not equal quality.
Durability
For obvious reasons, durability is another important factor as well. The best way to find out how durable a hiking jacket is would be to investigate the fabrics that are used.
Additionally, you could check out some reviews. Make sure to read reviews of people who have used that specific jacket for multiple years on multiple extended hiking trips. A customer who has bought the jacket 2 weeks ago will not be able to give you valuable information about the durability of the product.
Waterproof brand fabrics
There are a lot of waterproof brand fabrics. In this article, I will limit myself to covering only a few of these waterproof fabrics. When you are interested in buying a rain jacket, make sure to check out the fabric first.
Gore-Tex Pro
- Hydrostatic Head: 28.000 mm
- MVTR: 25.000 g/m2/24 h
Gore-Tex is probably the best known waterproof fabric out there. Note that there is a difference between GORE-TEX, GORE-TEX Active and GORE-TEX Pro.
Polartec NeoShell
- Hydrostatic Head: 10.000 mm
- MVTR: n/a
Polartec NeoShell claims to be the most breathable fabric out there. It does not have the best hydrostatic head rating (10.000mm) but I still feel that it provides enough rain protection for a regular hiking trip.
This fabric is probably optimal for high exertion activities in areas where there will not be an extreme amount of rain. If you are a fast pace hiker, having breathable clothing becomes even more important.
Pertex Shield+
- Hydrostatic Head: 20.000 mm
- MVTR: 20.000 g/m2/24 h
Pertex shield+ has slightly worse ratings than GORE-TEX pro. However, this fabric is very lightweight. Jackets that use Pertex Shield+ are very good for ultra-light hikers.
Marmot NanoPro
- Hydrostatic Head: 10.000 mm
- MVTR: 11.500 – 17.500 g/m2/24 h
The marmot NanoPro is a more budget friendly fabric. That said, I feel like a hydrostatic head rating of 10.000 mm is sufficient for most hiking trips.
If you have a tight budget and you won’t hike in extreme conditions, a jacket with a Marmot NanoPro fabric might be for you.
Warning for buyers
Once waterproof/windproof jackets start reaching a certain price, manufacturers start calling them hardshell jackets instead of rain jackets. I haven’t found a decent explanation of what the difference is. I have investigated the differences in specs and could conclude that the only consistent distinction is to the price.
The label “hardshell jacket” seems mainly for commercial purposes. In fact, every rain jacket is actually also a hardshell jacket. This statement is based on the following definition
“The simplest definition of a hard shell jackets is that it is waterproof and usually windproof, primarily designed to keep you dry in rain”
source: What is the difference between a hard shell jacket and a softshell jacket?
I’m not saying that you should completely avoid any jacket labelled as hardshell jacket. Just be cautious, you might get very poor value for money because of some excellent marketing.
That said, the hardshell labelled jackets might be more durable for rock climbing and similar activities. But as a hiker, there seems to be no real additional value.
Conclusion
I know this was a rather bulky article about waterproof hiking jackets. You might have already forgotten half of it. No worries, I’ll quickly sum up the most important things once again.
If you are going to remember anything from this article, remember the hydrostatic head rating. A good waterproof hiking jacket should have a hydrostatic head rating of at least 5000mm HH, but for most hikers I would recommend buying a 1000mm HH instead. If you are going to encounter a lot of rain, buy a jacket that has a rating of 20000mm HH or even more.
Another thing you should probably remember is that breathability is very important. You don’t need to remember any of the rating systems, these are too complex and too inaccurate anyway. However, you should always try to find information about a jacket’s breathability before buying it.
I guess that basically sums it up. The result of all my research was that the Outdoor Research Foray jacket is currently the best waterproof hiking jacket you can buy.
Do you agree or disagree with my list? Do you have a certain jacket that you like a lot and do you think it should be on this list? Do not hesitate to let me know!
Looking for more information about what clothing to bring on a hiking trip? I created an entire checklist for Mountain hiking clothes, feel free to check it out.