When you look for a good hardshell, you’re looking not only for something that will protect you from the wind and the rain, but also something that’s comfortable, breathable, and that will pack away easily. The Outdoor Research Interstellar Jacket – which is available in men’s and women’s versions – does the impressive task of ticking all of these boxes in one fell swoop.

Good looking and as practical as it gets, the Interstellar Jacket may have nothing to do with the space-based Christopher Nolan and Matthew McConaughey film of the same name, but it is a jacket which is (metaphorically speaking, of course) out of this world.

This release, according to Outdoor Research is the lightest, most breathable three-layer hard shell they’ve ever produced, and to top it off, it has a real stretch to it meaning that you can be kept dry without having your movement limited.

It really moves with you. Not just thanks to its stretchy AscentShell fabric, but also the clever underarm panels which are purpose-built to allow full reach without the bottom of the jacket creeping up and moving uncomfortably.

This innovative fabric and design makes the Interstellar ideal not only for walking and hiking but also for climbing and trail running as well. Realistically speaking, the last thing you want to be worrying about when you’re doing any of the above is adjusting the jacket you’re wearing, or worrying about the conditions getting through it, and the Interstellar is a bit of kit that will very much let you concentrate on the job at hand. It really is a technical bit of kit.

“Good looking and as practical as it gets, the Interstellar Jacket… is out of this world”

Other design details include a fully adjustable helmet-compatible hood that will move with your head when you turn it, elasticated cuffs that also have a Velcro tab closure, an internal storm flap behind the main zip, and a chest pocket and handwarmers – all with waterproof zips.