Each time I slip on a rain jacket, I give thanks that we now not should wrap ourselves in thick, smelly sealskin to remain dry. One of the best rain jackets right now are extra snug and watertight than ever, because of advances in weatherproof textiles and attire design. However relying on the local weather and your degree of exercise, sorting by way of totally different types, applied sciences, and waterproof rankings might be complicated.
Yearly, I take a look at dozens of rain jackets by way of the soggy Pacific Northwest winter. I hike, bike, run, and stroll my canines—typically I even stand within the bathe with my garments on when the climate isn’t cooperating. I additionally received recommendation from Amber Williams, a professor at Brigham Younger College who has been an professional on out of doors product design. All to search out the rain jackets value your money and time.
Do not forget to take a look at the remainder of our out of doors protection, together with the Greatest Puffer Jackets, Greatest Merino Wool Garments, and Greatest Hoodies. If you’d like a extra in-depth clarification for what these phrases imply (like, what’s hydrostatic head?) we’ve got a material explainer right here.
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Up to date November 2025: We added the Arc’teryx Beta SL, the Lolë Piper 2.0, the Páramo Velez Journey Smock, the Helly Hansen utility rain coat, the North Face Antora, the North Face Mountain Parka, the Finisterre Stormbird, and the Rab Firewall Alpine and Phantom.
Greatest Total
{Photograph}: Adrienne So
Yearly, I attempt to discover one other jacket that beats the Arc’teryx Beta SL for roominess and dryness, and it is simply inconceivable. Regardless of its extravagant value, that is the jacket that I all the time find yourself reaching for when an atmospheric river begins pouring by way of Portland. That is Arc’teryx’s lightest rain shell. It has Gore-Tex’s newest cloth innovation, referred to as ePE (expanded polyethylene)—it is a breathable, waterproof membrane laminated to a nylon face that is additionally freed from carcinogenic perfluorocarbons (PFCs) and has a hydrostatic head (HH) score of 28,000, which is fairly unimaginable (the usual is round 10,000). On the subject of rainwear, I sacrifice sustainability in favor of not getting moist—being chilly and moist actually sucks and could possibly be life-threatening within the improper state of affairs. However this jacket has saved me dry by way of the bugging-est out, sideways-pouring rain.
Options-wise, the hood is sufficiently big for my hair (or a helmet, in case your hair is smaller than my hair), with adjustable cuffs and pit zips (essential for exercise!). And in contrast to many different jackets, the ladies’s model has loads of house for my shoulders and arms to maneuver freely for biking, mountaineering, and shifting heavy objects. For those who’re solely getting one rain jacket, it needs to be this one.
Greatest Rain Jacket for Girls
{Photograph}: Adrienne So
{Photograph}: Adrienne So
I like this rain jacket. I used to be strolling within the metropolis with my good friend (within the rain) when a truck all of the sudden went by way of a puddle proper subsequent to us on the highway and lined me head to toe, Intercourse and the Metropolis-style. This jacket saved me dry. Its waterproofing specs are common—it makes use of a carbon-based, sturdy water repellent and has a HH score of 10K, which is about half the waterproofing of what a few of our different picks have—however I actually like its design options.
I am 5’2″ and it’s long enough to cover my shins. You can button the cuffs to prevent water from running down the sleeves. It has multiple (huge) pockets for all your random walking-around needs, with both zippered and open options. The fit is incredibly loose for layering—why don’t more outdoor brands do this? I’m very small on the bell curve of humanity, but I shouldn’t need to size up to men’s medium to get a size loose enough for layering! Most importantly, it packs up into its own small, self-contained backpack with straps so you can hang it on a wall when you get to the party instead of leaving a giant, soaking garment to hang from a hook and drip all over everything.
★ Various: For those who’re not attempting to remain dry for hours whereas outdoors and also you additionally like a feature-rich rain jacket with massive pockets, I just like the Helly Hansen utility rain coat ($200), which additionally covers plenty of your physique and has plenty of pocket choices.
Greatest Rubber Rain Jacket
{Photograph}: Adrienne So
Since the 1960s, modern rainwear has relied on per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), or “forever chemicals”, to waterproof clothing. Modern durable water repellents (DWRs) use PFAS in manufacturing, which then migrate from your clothing into soil and streams as you tromp around outside. Today, many companies are reducing the levels of PFAS in their products, probably because states are banning these chemicals.
One of the simplest ways to be sure you do not have PFAS in your coat is to go together with a traditional rubber raincoat, like Stutterheim’s Stockholm raincoat. Technical rain jacket producers are likely to draw back from polyurethane as a result of it is, properly, rubbery. However the materials is sturdy, long-lasting, windproof, waterproof, and PFAS-free. I additionally choose rubber rain jackets in damp coastal climates, just like the Pacific Northwest. Breathability is much less of a sticking level when the air is already humid.
