It’s vital to travel in the mountains with adequate protection from the worst the weather can throw at us and that means having a quality waterproof jacket. When you’re in the wild, you want a good rain coat that you can count on.
The most obvious concern when buying a waterproof jacket is the type of protection that you’re getting, as this influences the price, weight, breathability and of course the level of waterproofing on offer. You obviously don’t want the jacket to start leaking water after just a month of wear, yet you don’t want to pay over the odds for something that may feel a little overkill for the type of activity that you’re buying the jacket for.
There are three main types of waterproof protection to consider; wax-coated (pretty rare for technical outdoor jackets these days), PU-coated, and membrane lined jackets. Give our Buyer’s Guide to Waterproof Jackets a read to understand the differences between the three waterproof protections.
You’ll notice that membrane lined jackets are the most common in this roundup. They’re favoured for their good balance between weight, breathability and waterproofness. The most common type of waterproof membrane is of course Gore-tex, but we’ve also included some of the various own-brand waterproof technologies such as Paramo’s Nikwax Analogy and Patagonia’s H2No.
Aside from the type of waterproof protection on offer, it’s also important to consider other features that the jacket carries in order to find the best waterproof jacket for you. Choose these features based on the type of activity that you’re buying the jacket for. For instance, if you’re going to be mostly cycling and trail running then a lightweight and breathable jacket will be the best option for you. A jacket that holds a mixture of features makes for a great multi-activity jacket that can be used and abused wherever you take it.
Best Waterproof Jackets: Our Team’s Top Picks:
Many of the jackets in this selection are featured in our Outdoor 100 and our Green Gear Guide. Within these product guides, you’ll be able check out a more in depth review of each jacket, including tester’s verdicts and industry trade secrets.
- Best Overall Waterproof Jackets: Mountain Equipment Makalu Jacket
- Best Value Waterproof Jacket: Keela Pinnacle
- Most Breathable Waterproof Jacket: Páramo Helki Jacket
- Best Lightweight Waterproof Jacket: Arc’teryx Beta Jacket
- Best Waterproof Jacket for Harsh Weather: Keela Munro
The Expert
These jackets were tested by editor Will Renwick and our contributors and outdoor enthusiasts Emma Cole and Cat Nicol. Will, who led the tests, has been reviewing outdoor gear for outdoor magazines for over 10 years. He’s stood on a number of gear awards juries, including for the ISPO Awards, the OIA Awards and the Scandinavian Outdoor Awards and has hiked numerous long distance trails including the 870-mile Wales Coast Path, the Cambrian Way and the Camino de Santiago. Emma, is a hiker, trail runner and cyclist based in the North Wessex Downs and Cat is a hiker and snowboarder from the Cairngorms.
How They Were Tested
We tested all of these jackets on hikes within the UK’s national parks, as you’ll see in the pictures alongside each review. Will, Emma and Cat looked at the resistance to heavy and wind-driven rain, the breathability when hiking at tempo up hills, the durability of the fabrics against rough rocks and branches and their resistance to abrasion when worn underneath a heavily-loaded backpack.
1. Mountain Equipment Makalu Jacket
Selected as our best waterproof jacket overall this year
Price: £300
Weight: 550g
Best for: hillwalking, mountaineering
What we liked: protective, durable, innovative new fabric
What we didn’t like: quite heavy
The all-important thing to know about this is that it’s one of the first ever jackets to use Gore-tex’s brand new ePE fabric. This is a new waterproof material from Gore-tex that looks set to replace the standard version of the fabric that we’ve all come to know over the last few decades now. The reason for the switch? The old fabric contains PFCs while the new one doesn’t. PFCs, you see, are now being phased out of production by most outdoor brands due to their potential for environmental harm.
Better still, the fabric is impressive. We’ve used it in three different jackets now and it seems to be durable, protective and as breathable as you can expect a waterproof membrane to be. Featured here in the Mountain Equipment Makalu, it makes for a very impressive offering. During our tests, this jacket had the feel of a shell you can really trust; the kind of thing we’d reach for when we knew conditions were going to be very rough. But it’s still relatively lightweight too; we found it can serve either as that option to wear all day-long in horrible stuff or as that option to carry in your backpack, just in case some rain happens to roll in. For us, this offered everything we’d want in bad weather: a fully adjustable hood, venting pit zips, water resistant zips and, of course, a fabric that can capably block out moisture.
There are also touches that show Mountain Equipment’s real alpine expertise. The hood, for instance, is helmet friendly, the pockets can be accessed when you’re wearing a harness or backpack with a hipbelt and the arms are articulated so the hem doesn’t lift up when you’re reaching high for a hold.
Full Specifications
Available in men’s and women’s versions / 75D fabric / Gore-tex ePE membrane / helmet-friendly adjustable hood / underarm vents / two-way main zip / press stud at zip base / 2 x handwarmer pockets / 1 x chest pocket.
Selected for our Outdoor 100 23/24. Read our full Mountain Equipment Makalu review.
Buy the Mountain Equipment Makalu: £300 at Ellis-Brigham