The Warbonnet Stash Jacket is available as a rain jacket or a non-waterproof windbreaker (see review), depending on the fabric you order. This is a review of the rain jacket made with the 30 Denier siliconized nylon which Warbonnet uses to make their backpacking tarps. While the Stash Jacket is not seam-taped, it’s a great rain jacket to use for three-season hiking or backpacking when you want an affordable ($100) and very lightweight rain jacket with 22″ torso length pit-zips and an adjustable human-sized hood. It’s called a Stash Jacket because it bunches up to the size of an orange and is easy to stash in a backpacking pack or a day pack whenever you think you might want to bring a rain jacket.
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Specs at a glance
- Material: 30D 2000mm NeverMist Silnylon
- Weight: 6.0 oz (xl)
- Gender: Unisex
- Sizing: Runs large for layering
- Seam-taped: No
- Waterproof Zippers: No
- Adjustable Hood: Yes
- Pit-zips: 22″
The Warbonnet Stash Rain Jacket is made with 30D siliconized nylon (silnylon) which is waterproof and non-breathable. It’s the same fabric that Warbonnet uses to make their hammocking tarps. Since the jacket is not seam-taped, Warbonnet does not market the silnylon jacket as “rain” jacket, but you can treat it as such. I’ve hiked in soaking all-day rain with the jacket, it’s done an excellent job at repelling moisture, and it hasn’t leaked.
Feature-wise, the Stash Jacket doesn’t have any pockets, waterproof zippers, hem adjustment, or adjustable velcro wrist cuffs. It’s really pretty basic. But it does have 22″ long side torso zips so you can vent excess body heat in order to reduce perspiration buildup inside the jacket. The torso zippers have two metal sliders each but do not come with zipper pulls, which you’ll want to add (a simple cord is fine) to make the jacket easier to use. The torso zips are long enough that you can reach your pants pockets easily if you use them to carry items.
The Stash Jacket also has an adjustable hood with cord locks positioned on the sides of the neck that let you adjust the size of the front opening. The hood is sized for human heads and not climbing or ski helmets like many mainstream rain jackets, which can be awkward for that reason. The hood also has a slight bill on top to reduce glare and can be used without a billed cap to keep the rain off your face or glasses.
There are elastic cuffs over the wrists to prevent drafts from blowing up your sleeves, but they’re loose enough that you can pull them up your forearms to vent more body heat. Your blood flows close to your wrists, so pulling up your sleeves is a good way to vent more warmth and reduce perspiration.
10 Best Rain Jackets for $100 or less
The Warbonnet Stash Jacket is one of our top 10 recommended rain jackets for $100 or less.
Recommendation
The Warbonnet Stash Jacket is an ultralight hooded jacket with long side torso zips that give it a wide range of use across many different temperatures. While it is not seam-taped like more expensive rain jackets, I haven’t experienced any leakage during several months of use, both on-trail and off-trail when bushwhacking through dense wet vegetation. This non-breathable version of the Stash Jacket is too warm to use as a wind shirt, even with the pit zips open. But its real value, besides its waterproof performance which is permanent and does not use DWR, is the fact that it packs up so very small inside your backpack, unlike bulkier rain jackets that are heavier and takes much more pack space.
When ordering, make sure you pick the waterproof tarp fabric if you want the rain jacket version and not the breathable quilt fabric used for wind shirts. I particularly like the camouflage coloring shown here, but Warbonet has many other colors available as well.
Disclosure: Warbonnet donated a jacket for review.
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