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HomeOutdoor10 Finest Backpacking Rain Jackets of 2023

10 Finest Backpacking Rain Jackets of 2023


What should you look for in a rain jacket for hiking and backpacking? While having a waterproof/breathable jacket can be a plus, it’s pretty easy to overwhelm their ability to vent moisture in the rain when you’re perspiring with a backpack strapped to your back. You’re really better off buying a more affordable jacket that has features that hikers need like a fully adjustable hood, pit zips, velcro wrist cuffs, and hem adjusters. Tracking down rain jackets that fit that description takes a little leg work, but we’ve done it for you below.

We’ve also included waterproof/breathable rain jackets as well as ones made with non-breathable fabrics because you’re going to perspire when you’re wearing them in the rain, no matter how much they cost or what they’re made of. If staying perspiration-free in the rain is important to you while you’re hiking down a trail carrying a loaded backpack…maybe you should pick another sport. You’re going to sweat. Think of a rain jacket as part of your larger layering system instead. Its best use is to keep you warm when it’s raining or the wind is blowing hard, often in combination with a mid or base layer. Perspiring is inevitable. Your goal should be to stay warm and avoid hypothermia.

Here are the 10 top (reasonably priced) rain jackets that we recommend for hikers and backpackers.

1. Patagonia Torrentshell 3L ($149)

Patagonia Torrentshell
The Patagonia Torrentshell 3L Jacket is a fully-featured rain jacket terms with an adjustable hood, pit zips, velcro wrist cuffs, hem pull cord, and side pockets. While the Torrentshell has been available for years, Patagonia recently updated it and made it a full three-layer waterproof/breathable jacket with improved breathability and comfort. This in combination with its impressive feature set makes it a very attractive jacket at a relatively low price point.  It is available in men’s and women’s sizes.

Check the latest price at:
REI | Patagonia

2. Black Diamond Stormline Stretch Rain Shell ($170)

Black Diamond Stormline Stretch

3. REI Rainier Rain Jacket ($100)

REI Rainier Rain Jacket
The REI Rainier Rain Jacket is very similar to the Marmot Precip Eco listed below. It has a 3-way adjustable hood that can be folded away when not in use, velcro wrist cuffs, pit zips, handwarmer pockets, internal drop pockets, and a drawcord hem. It’s made with REI 2.5 waterproof/breathable Peak membrane and has an external DWR which will need to be refreshed periodically when rain stops beading on the jacket’s exterior. Available in men’s and women’s sizes. Read the SectionHiker Rainier Rain Jacket review.

Check the latest price at:
REI

4. Outdoor Research Foray II ($225)

Outdoor Research Foray II Jacket

The Outdoor Research Foray II is an updated version of OR’s most popular waterproof/breathable Gore-tex rain jacket. It is loaded with features including a three-way adjustable hood with a front brim, velcro wrist cuffs, chest and hand warmer pockets, YKK Aquaguard zippers, and elastic hem adjustment. But what sets this jacket apart from all others are its full-length torso-flow side-zips which can be opened like pit-zips but extend all the way down the sides of the jacket so you can fully ventilate the jacket like a poncho and even wear it over your hip belt to keep it dry in the rain. The women’s model is called the Outdoor Research Aspire II.

Check the latest price at:
REI | Outdoor Research 

5. Montbell Versalite Jacket ($249)

Montbell Versalite Jacket
The Montbell Versalite Jacket is a fully-featured ultralight rain jacket that has pit zips, a four-way adjustable hood, hook and loop wrist cuffs, hip-belt compatible chest pockets, an internally controlled hem adjustment, waterproof zippers, and taped seams. While it is by far the most breathable Gore-tex jacket on this list, it’s made with 10-denier nylon ripstop that is easy to damage and thin enough that it’s best used in more moderate weather when less warmth is required. The Versatile jacket is available in men’s and women’s sizes. Read the SectionHiker Versalite Jacket review.

Check the latest price at:
Montbell

6. The North Face Venture 2 ($110)

The North Face Venture 2
The North Face Venture 2 is a fully-featured rain jacket that is comparable to the Marmot Precip Eco (below), although it is made with heavier weight, more durable fabrics. It has a fully adjustable hood, pit zips, velcro wrist cuffs, zippered side pockets, and a drawcord hem adjustment. The Venture 2 is made with The North Face’s DryVent proprietary waterproof/breathable fabric. This jacket is still a good value for the price and is fairly lightweight. It’s also available in men’s and women’s sizes. Read the SectionHiker Review. 

Check the latest price at:
BackcountryAmazon

7. Marmot Precip Eco ($100)

Marmot Precip Jacket
The Marmot Precip Eco is a very popular backpacking rain jacket because it’s inexpensive, but fully featured with pit zip vents, a fully adjustable hood, velcro-wrist cuffs, and a hem adjustment.  The jacket also has two mesh-lined front pockets which are great to store gloves or a hat and provide additional ventilation. The Precip Eco is made with Marmot’s proprietary waterproof/breathable fabric which gets the job done but will need to be reproofed when the DWR coating wears off. While the Precip Eco is priced at $100, you can usually find it for far less. The Precip Eco is available in men’s, women’s, and youth sizes. Read the SectionHiker review.

Check the latest price at:
REI | Marmot | Amazon

8. Lightheart Gear Rain Jacket ($125)

Lightheart Gear Rain Jacket
The Lightheart Gear Rain Jacket is a fully-featured rain jacket with an adjustable hood, pit zips, velcro wrist cuffs, interior, and exterior pockets, and a drawcord hem. It’s made with siliconized polyester (silpoly) which is a permanently waterproof fabric, so you’ll never need to restore a DWR layer because it doesn’t have one. Lightheart Gear is a cottage manufacturer that sews all of its jackets. It’s also available in a nice variety of colors. The sizing is unisex. Read the SectionHiker review.

Check the latest price at:
Lightheart Gear

9. Frogg Toggs Xtreme Lite ($60)

Frogg Toggs Xtreme Lite

10. Columbia Sportswear Watertight II ($100)

REI Groundbreaker Jacket
The Columbia Sportswear Watertight II Rain Jacket is a low-price, basic waterproof/breathable jacket that’s fully seam-taped, has an attached adjustable hood, velcro wrist cuffs, zippered side pockets, a drawcord hem, and mesh lining. It’s quite durable but still relatively lightweight. It lacks pit-zips like the Marmot Precip Eco and Patagonia Torrentshell Jackets, but it also costs much less. The Watertight II Rain Jacket is made with Columbia’s proprietary waterproof/breathable fabric which gets the job done but will need to be reproofed when the DWR coating wears off. This jacket is still an excellent value for the price. The Watertight II is only available in men’s sizes. The corresponding women’s jacket is called the Columbia Sportswear Arcadia II Rain Jacket.

Check the latest price at:
Backcountry | Columbia Sportswear

Backpacking Rain Jacket Selection Criteria

What are the most important features to look for on a hiking and backpacking rain jacket?

Adjustable Hoods

Unfortunately, many rain jackets have oversized hoods that are intended for skiers and climbers who wear protective helmets. What you should look for is a fully adjustable hood with a rear volume adjustment so you can shrink the hood size to fit your head, side pulls so you can adjust the size of the face opening, a wire or shapeable brim to shield your eyes from wind and snow, and a high collar that covers your neck and mouth. All of these features will help protect your face from the cold and wind and help you stay warmer.

Zippered Pockets

You can’t have too many rain jacket pockets. They’re great for carrying spare gloves, hats, and keeping navigation tools in easy reach. They’re also good for keeping snacks close at hand so you can eat while you hike. I view rain jacket pockets as an extension of my backpack because the extra storage cuts down on the number of times I have to stop to get clothes or food out of my pack.

Venting Capabilities

When you have to hike in cool wet weather, you want to limit the amount you perspire by actively managing your warmth level. The key to doing this involves venting excess warmth by removing or venting layers. A good rain jacket should provide several ways for you to dump excess heat without having to take it off completely. Here are some of the most important features to look for when comparing different jackets.

  • Adjustable Hook and Loop (Velcro) Wrist Closures: This helps regulate the body heat at your wrists where the blood flows close to the surface of your skin. They can be worn under gloves or over them depending on your preference and the glove type.
  • Two-way front zipper: If you pull the bottom half up, you can dump a lot of excess torso heat, poncho-style.
  • Hem drawcord: Cinch it closed to keep the wind from blowing up between your legs and robbing your torso of heat.

Breathability Ratings

What should you look for in terms of breathability ratings when looking at hiking rain jackets? For inexpensive rain jackets, the best you can hope for is 10,000 (g/m^2/d) MVTR (movable water vapor transmission rate), which is pretty lackluster. Most of the manufacturers listed above don’t publish the MVTRs for their jackets, because they’re not that competitive with more expensive garments.

But to be honest, I don’t trust the breathability ratings published by manufacturers because they’re measured in ideal laboratory conditions that have little to do with actual use. Pit zips and active venting trump breathability claims any day. If you get too hot, venting your rain jacket is going to cool and dry you off far more quickly than waiting for water vapor to move across a breathable membrane while your zipper is closed.

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