Gear testers at Backpacker put 69 men's rain jackets through a full year of downpours, hail, and pack-strap abuse. Only eight made the cut. If your waterproof shell has ever quit on you mid-hike, this year's results are worth a look before you spend a cent.
Taking top honours is the Helly Hansen Verglas Infinity Shell Jacket 2.0 ($370), which testers described as a one-jacket-does-everything option. Its proprietary three-layer Lifa Infinity membrane kept a tester bone-dry during a thunderstorm on Black Mountain in New Mexico's Sangre de Cristo range, and it survived a six-day, 40-pound-pack trek with no seam peeling or zipper trouble. It's not the most breathable option out there — testers overheated above 50 degrees — but pit zips help. A fall 2024 redesign cut 2.7 ounces and $100 off the price.
Value hunters have two strong picks. The Patagonia Torrentshell 3L ($189) is a true three-layer shell at a sub-$200 price, with a recycled nylon ripstop face and PFC-free membrane. A Maine sea kayak guide who has tested shells for 13 years gave it a rare 10/10 for durability after dragging it through brush, rough rocks, and years of pack-strap rubbing. He shrugged off pea-sized hail on the Gunnison River, too. The trade-offs: a stiff fabric out of the box, a baggy cut on slim frames, and middling airflow.
At just $100, the REI Co-op Rainier was the budget steal of the test. A Wyoming-based tester wore it on daily stormy walks in the Tetons and for the ultimate torture test — stacking half a cord of firewood in the rain — without a leak or a rip. You get pit zips, zippered hand pockets, and a reworked hood with a semi-rigid visor, though breathability is only average.
Specialists fared well too. The Outdoor Research SkyChaser ($340, 11.6 oz) uses a stretchy Pertex Shield Pro fabric and mountaineering-friendly details like a helmet-compatible wire-brimmed hood and harness-compatible pockets, making it a favourite for scrambling and backpacking. At the featherweight end, the 7mesh Guardian Air ($500, 7 oz) pairs a 15-denier ripstop shell with a Gore-Tex ePE membrane — waterproofing a Montana bikepacker rated as good or better than anything he's worn in the category over 20 years, though you give up pit zips.
Rounding out the list: the Montane Alta XT ($720) for heavy-duty use, the Patagonia Storm Racer ($315) for trail running, and the Montane Featherlite Nano ($130) as an emergency layer.
The takeaway for travellers and hikers: price doesn't track neatly with performance. A $100 jacket outperformed shells costing three times as much on waterproofing and durability, while the priciest options win mainly on weight or specialised features. Know what you actually need — everyday storm cover, a packable emergency layer, or an alpine workhorse — and you can spend far less than the headline numbers suggest.