The Best Rain Jacket Review

“Weather shouldn’t change your plans, just what you’re wearing.” My dad used to say this on backpacking trips when it was raining…or snowing, and we were looking at a day of 15-plus miles over a high pass. Having grown up backpacking all over the Sierra and California, I can appreciate a rain jacket that keeps the weather off, but also keeps interior moisture out.

Gone are the days of wrapping yourself in that oversized, heavy, rubber rain slicker to venture out into inclimate weather. Today’s selection of rain jackets boast multi-layered high-tech “waterproof breathable” fabrics that are designed to allow air circulation within the jacket, while still maintaining complete waterproofing. The idea is that the rain will stay out and the air heavy with your vaporized sweat will be able to circulate out of the coat. That’s the idea at least.

Here’s What we Judged the Rain Jackets On:

• Waterproofing: How dry did the jackets keep us? This is obviously an important factor when buying a rain jacket. We found all the jackets to be waterproof so we were really splitting hairs.

• Breathability: How well the fabric itself breathed and how well ventilated the jacket was. In the end, none of the jackets’ fabric was very breathable during high intensity activity, but some of the jackets’ design was better geared toward effective ventilation.

• Durability: How long is this jacket going to last? Through all the testing we checked for signs of wear.

• Comfort/Fit: How was the fit of the jacket? Was it comfortable to wear? Nobody wants to wear an uncomfortable, poorly fitting jacket. Some jackets felt like a jacket, others felt like a tent rain fly. Here it’s all about the little things: fleece in the chin area, comfortable hood, jacket fits well, waist doesn’t ride up when you lift your arms, etc.

• Looks: Did it look good? As much as we all like to deny it, the majority of consumers buy articles of clothing largely based on the way it looks. The color, the cut, the stitching, the accent features are all important. Of course, this is all a matter of personal opinion. What we like the looks of might be hideous to you, but we tried to judge the jackets with a broad sense of what looks good.

• Pockets: What are the pockets like? Can I fit all my crap in there? Will the pockets keep my stuff dry? How many are there? Are they cozy? Easy to get to? Some jackets like the Marmot Oracle had an awesome array of functional pockets; pocket functionality on some others was a little off.

• Bulk/Weight: This was both an objective and subjective measure based on the manufacturer’s stated weight of the jacket, and how easy it was to pack and lug around. Naturally we had to factor in whether the jacket packs into one of its own pockets or not as that is a major advantage in portability. Strangely, the two lightest jackets we tested (the Patagonia Rain Shadow and Mountain Hardwear’s Epic) could not pack into one of their own pockets.

• Feature Functions: Rain jackets are loaded with little adjustable pieces: zippers, pit zips, snaps, buttons, waist cinching devices and other little features. These help us adjust the jacket for maximum comfort and maximum ability to keep the weather out. We tested them all, noted difficulties or oddities and reflected each in the scores and reviews.

A note on Men’s and Women’s Rain Jackets:
Throughout the testing we noticed that the men’s and women’s versions of the jackets are very similar. A slightly different cut here, a different color accent there, some other minor feminine touches, but for the most part they were just about the same. Performance-wise we didn’t see much difference. Some of the scores between the men’s and women’s versions are different. What our male tester found cool and really liked, our women testers sometimes weren’t too stoked on. In the end it came down to the simple fact that men and women are different and while the jackets were very similar, a woman’s perspective on the features of a jacket are seen through a different lens than a man’s. While much of the functional and technical information will be the same between the men’s and women’s reviews, the differences are outlined in the individual Women’s Rain Jacket Reviews.

Editor’s Choice Award
Our Editor’s Choice award for both Men's rain jackets goes to the Marmot Oracle. This was hands down the coziest jacket we tested and was loaded with the most convenient features. The Oracle felt like a real jacket as opposed to a simple barrier between you and the rain. It was highly waterproof, the fit was well thought out, it ventilated well, packed down fairly small and just looked good. All in all, the Marmot Oracle is a top notch rain jacket.

It was, however, the heaviest of all the jackets we tested, making it less suitable for ultra-light backpacking where every ounce counts. It was also one of the most expensive jackets in our review at $165.

Best Buy Award
Our men's Best Buy Award goes to the Marmot PreCip. At $100 this is one of the cheapest jackets we tested and performed better than the other budget option: the North Face Venture. We liked the fit of the PreCip, it keeps the weather out, has two large pockets that help with ventilation and packs down nice and small. While heavier than the Venture, we found the looks, comfort, and breathability of the PreCip to be far superior, allowing us to justify a slightly heavier jacket.

Top Pick
As Top Pick we'd like to recognize Montane Minimus Jacket as an awesome light-weight rain jacket. This jacket was the second lightest that we tested and managed to keep some thoughtful design features on the jacket to increase comfort, versatility and protection from the rain. Check it out!