Field Mag may receive a minor commission from purchases made via affiliate links.
As a baseline, we want our outerwear to keep us warm and dry so that weather isn’t a distraction from any planned fun. Sometimes planning a hike, bike ride, or camping trip around the weather is possible, but when it’s not, a rain jacket that's windproof and keeps precip off your body can make downpours quite tolerable—there's a reason that old saying, "There's no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing," is overused.
Every outdoor brand we love and trust offers at least one dependable rain jacket for men and women, but because of that, the number of choices can be overwhelming. Waterproofing materials, garment construction, intended use, and, of course, style make for a lot to consider when picking out a rain jacket in 2023.
Below we break down the ins and outs of what makes a good rain jacket. To cut to the chase and see our top picks for the best rain jackets for men, scroll down (check out our picks for best women's rain jackets here, and best anorak jackets here). And don't be alarmed by all the bright colors—most of our picks come in black. We've also listed women's options, too.
What Makes a Good Rain Jacket?
Every (good) rain jacket will keep precipitation off your body, but how much of it and for how long is the real question. So before we dive into our top picks, let’s take a good look at the different features and tech specs to keep an eye on.
Layered Construction
One of the numeric ratings to look for is a layer count, typically written out as 2L, 2.5L, or 3L. A three-layer rain jacket consists of an outer or face fabric, a middle waterproof membrane, and a lining layer. A durable water repellent (DWR) treatment typically coats the outer layer, making it water-resistant by causing rain droplets to bead up and roll off. A DWR coating will lose effectiveness with time, but they’re easy to revive with one of many at-home repellant treatments.
The middle membrane layer is the key to it all–it's a magical material with pores big enough to allow moisture caused by body heat to escape yet too small for droplets of rain to pass through should any get past the DWR and outer layer. Wearing a membrane layer directly against the skin creates an opportunity for dirt and oils to clog those crucial pores, and preventing this is where the lining layer comes in.
A lining on a three-layer rain jacket isn’t going to be a soft and fuzzy fabric like cotton, but instead a protective barrier to protect those high-tech pores we mentioned. On a 2.5L jacket, the liner isn’t a fabric layer but a treatment applied to the backside of the membrane.
Waterproof Ratings
Some jackets will include a number that rates the fabric’s waterproof capabilities. Testing involves positioning a column of water on top of a fabric swatch and taking a final measurement of the water’s height when water starts dripping through the fabric. (Science!) You’ll find ratings landing somewhere between 5,000mm and 20,000mm, but many brands omit these ratings from technical product descriptions (they're more common on winter outerwear and parkas than lighter rain shell jackets).
Brand Name Fabrics
At this point, Gore-Tex has become the name brand outdoor folks are asking for in their rain shells and outerwear. The company's proprietary fabrics are expertly developed and heavily tested; look out for products with GTX in the title to denote its presence, and other named Gore tech like Paclite and Infinium. But Gore is certainly not the only name out there. Textile companies like Pertex, Polartec, and eVent have developed materials worthy of equal praise, and they're found on outerwear from all the most well-known outdoor recreation apparel brands. Plenty of these gear brands have even taken it upon themselves to develop their own trademark technologies, such as Patagonia’s H2No and The North Face’s DryVent.
Seam Construction
When the needle of a sewing machine pierces waterproof fabrics during construction, it creates a line of holes that follows the seams of a rain jacket. Look for a rain jacket that covers the seams with tape, just like the rain fly on your tent. On some options, you’ll find seams are even “welded” together using heat instead of this more-common combination of thread and seam tape.
More Features to Consider
Seemingly small features can make or break the effectiveness and functionality of a waterproof rain jacket, depending on your needs. For example, armpit zippers are wildly helpful for venting excess built-up heat, so much so that some would never consider a rain jacket without them. And hand pockets might seem like a no-brainer, but some ultralight rain jackets might forgo them entirely to save weight. Hood shapes are pretty much personal preference, but some are considerably more adjustable than others.
The 12 Best Rain Jackets of 2024
Best Overall: Arc’teryx Beta LT
If you haven’t quite cracked the product naming conventions of Arc’teryx, fear not, we got you. The LT here stands for lightweight, and though the Beta line ranks below the alpine-rated Alpha series, this high-end lightweight rain jacket is well-suited for just about any casual or backcountry use you have in mind (it was made to handle the Pacific Northwest, after all). As with most of Arc'teryx's hard shells, the Beta LT stars a three-layer Gore-Tex fabric with taped seams to keep the wet from leaking in. A helmet-compatible hood may be a bit baggy during casual wear, but it’s easily adjustable thanks to three easily accessible drawcords. With layering in mind, sizing is on the generous end, but baggy is the look these days, anyhow.
Women's Option: YES
Price: $450
Most Affordable Rain Shell: Patagonia Torrentshell 3L
The Torrentshell is a three-layer rain jacket that comes at a very reasonable price point. Patagonia’s own H2No technology manages moisture and waterproofness, but the brand's more expensive jackets feature Gore-Tex. Several of our feature boxes get ticked off here for versatile functionality: a three-way adjustable hood, pit zips, velcro cuffs, and the ability to stow the jacket into one of its hand pockets for easy packability. The cut of the Torrentshell has three-season rainwear in mind, but sizing up should allow for additional layers underneath if you want to wear it in snowy environments too. As with all Patagonia products, this coat is made as sustainably as possible, here with biobased content and bluesign approved fabric.
Women's Option: YES
Price: $179
Best Sustainable Rain Jacket: Mountain Hardwear Stretch Ozonic Jacket
Rain jackets aren’t always the hottest source of sustainability, but this 2.5-layer rain jacket draws 100% of its body fabric from recycled materials. The suitably named Stretch Ozonic also references the made-for-movement nature of the material that’s soft and quiet to the touch once you get moving (no one wants to be that swishy rain jacket person). You’ll also find an array of pockets, one of which the jacket packs down into, and a welcome set of pit zips that will likely come into play on a jacket weighted for warmer months.
Women's Option: YES
Price: $230
Best Rain Jacket for Hiking: Outdoor Research Helium Jacket
OR may not be a specialty ultralight brand, but they’ve been around long enough to know how to make a 179-gram (6.30-ounce) rain jacket so good that it’s been a bestseller for 12 years and counting. But with such a slim weight also come minimal features—a single chest pocket that serves as a stuff sack. Unlike most ultralight gear, the fully-taped 2.5-layer Pertex Shield Diamond Fuse fabric is robust thanks to the inclusion of ripstop.
Women's Option: YES
Price: $170
Best Rain Shell for Daily Wear: The North Face Dryzzle Futurelight Jacket
This punny rain jacket features the seam-sealed construction of The North Face's all-caps FUTURELIGHT fabric, a versatile three-layer textile with a soft-to-the-touch, recycled liner layer made with stretch, motion, and high breathability for the wearer. The absence of pit zips might be a red flag for some, but in our experience this casual everyday jacket doesn't really need them (and its high-volume hand pockets do help make up for it).
Women's Option: YES
Price: $230
Best Rain Jacket for Alpine Use: Klättermüsen Allgrön 2.0
The Swedish outfitters have designed this waterproof jacket not just for rainy days but to withstand extreme weather conditions in alpine expeditions where keeping dry is of utmost importance. The seams of the three-layer Cutan fabric are taped all around, and a proprietary brand design adds stretch to its waterproof and breathability characteristics. The hefty jacket (620 grams/21.8 ounces) isn’t the lightest option around, but with this weight comes an impressive 20,000-millimeter waterproof rating that doubles figures on other pieces we’ve found.
Women's Option: YES
Price: $599
Best Rain Jacket for the City: Goldwin Pertex Shieldair Jacket
If you guessed that Pertex’s Shield Air makes up this lightweight, fashion-forward rain jacket from Japan, then you’ve earned yourself a gold star. This baggy-fit piece follows streetwear patterns but has all the performance features of activewear, too. The Shieldair Jacket opts for a set of chest pockets instead of hand pockets; they're lined with mesh to double as vents, and their position maintains accessibility when wearing a harness or backpack. This airy 267-gram (9.4-ounce) Shieldair isn’t a packable jacket to the degree of some others on this list—it doesn't pack into itself—but it comes with a branded stuff sack that gets it down to the size of a hefty burrito.
Women's Option: No
Price: $550
Best Softshell Rain Jacket: Rab Kinetic 2.0 Waterproof Jacket
The British expedition apparel brand focuses on weight and stretch in its active raincoat made from the Proflex fabric that Rab has developed itself. By sandwiching a waterproof breathable membrane between two high gauge knit layers, Rab essentially created a breathable softshell with rain jacket levels of waterproof performance. The 336-gram (11.8-ounce) jacket includes all of the features we’d come to expect from a technical piece, including adjustable cuffs, hood, and hem, but skips out on pit zips due to the highly breathable nature of the fabric.
Women's Option: YES
Price: $250
Best for Bike Commuting: Rapha Commuter Lightweight Jacket
Dead-set commuters don't let a little rain scare them off the bike and down into the hot and sticky subway lines, but to traverse town through a shower you need a proper rain shell. Made of polyester, Rapha's high-quality coat calls to mind a windbreaker and is breathable enough to handle working up a light sweat and water-resistant enough to handle light storms, though you may want to wear something heavier for a long route through real downpour. Other bike-friendly features include a hood that fits beneath a helmet and reflective accents that keep you visible to traffic. And, you can squish it down into a pocket to pack it away if the skies clear by the time you're off the clock and heading home.
Women's Option: YES
Price: $122
Best Packable Rain Jacket: Backcountry Runoff 2.5L Rain Jacket
Thanks to its polyester fabric and lightweight Pertex waterproof membrane, the Runoff jacket is able to get down to 9.2 ounces and scrunch down into its chest pocket to the size of a mason jar. It still maintains a high waterproof rating though, and we greatly appreciate the cape-style storm flap venting that runs from the front hand pockets all the way around the back of the jacket (especially since you won't find any underarm pit zips here). The fabric has a nice feel to it, and there's some reflective detailing that helps if you're commuting too.
Women's Option: YES
Price: $179
Most Innovative: Jack Wolfskin Tapeless 2.0 Jacket
With its matte finish and soft fabric, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the Tapeless 2.0 isn't a rain jacket at all. Heck, it doesn't even have seam tape, which we've already said is a must-have for any standard rain jacket. That's because Jack Wolfskin (which, just in case you've never heard of it, is a big name over in Europe) used Texapore waterproof fabrics to build it and fused the different pieces together to create its innovative watertight seal, no tape necessary. Our tester noted that the jacket's fit is a little bit more roomy than some of the others on this list so it could be a good option for everyday life, but it's also breathable enough to use for hiking and other outdoor activities.
Women's Option: NO
Price: $500
Best Anorak: Black Diamond Stormline Stretch Anorak
Black Diamond may be better known for other outdoor gear like carabiners and cams, but its apparel is up to the highest standards. The waterproof, breathable, slightly stretchy Stormline Anorak is a stand out in the line, featuring a minimalist design that runners and city-dwellers alike can appreciate. The poncho-style pullover features the company's proprietary BD.dry waterproof membrane alongside a stretchy bluesign approved fabric that has plenty of freedom of movement, packing enough versatility for everyone from climbers to hikers.
Women's Option: YES
Price: $155
Published 03-10-2022
Updated 04-20-2023
