What should you look for in a rain jacket for hiking and backpacking? While having a waterproof/breathable jacket can be a plus, it’s pretty easy to overwhelm their ability to vent moisture in the rain when you’re perspiring with a backpack strapped to your back. You’re really better off buying a more affordable jacket that has features that hikers need like a fully adjustable hood, pit zips, velcro wrist cuffs, and hem adjusters. Tracking down rain jackets that fit that description takes a little leg work, but we’ve done it for you below.

We’ve also included waterproof/breathable rain jackets as well as ones made with non-breathable fabrics because you’re going to perspire when you’re wearing them in the rain, no matter how much they cost or what they’re made of. If staying perspiration-free in the rain is important to you while you’re hiking down a trail carrying a loaded backpack…maybe you should pick another sport. You’re going to sweat. Think of a rain jacket as part of your larger layering system instead. Its best use is to keep you warm when it’s raining or the wind is blowing hard, often in combination with a mid or base layer. Perspiring is inevitable. Your goal should be to stay warm and avoid hypothermia.

Here are the top reasonably-priced rain jackets that we recommend for hikers and backpackers.

1. Patagonia Torrentshell 3L

The Patagonia Torrentshell 3L Jacket is a fully-featured rain jacket terms with an adjustable hood, pit zips, velcro wrist cuffs, hem pull cord, and side pockets. While the Torrentshell has been available for years, Patagonia recently updated it and made it a full three-layer waterproof/breathable jacket with improved breathability and comfort. This in combination with its impressive feature set makes it a very attractive rain jacket at a relatively low price point.  It is available in men’s and women’s sizes. Read the SectionHiker Patagonia Torrentshell Review.

2. Black Diamond Fineline Stretch Rain Shell

The Black Diamond Fineline Stretch Rain Shell is a lightweight, 2.5 layer BD.Dry waterproof/breathable rain shell with a volume adjustable, helmet-compatible hood and front brim, pit zips, velcro wrist cuffs, zippered handwarmer pockets, an elastic hem adjuster, and a YKK polyurethane zipper for extra water protection. It’s made with a very comfortable and quiet stretch fabric that is fully seam-taped for maximum weather protection. It is available in men’s and women’s sizes.

3. REI Rainier Rain Jacket

The REI Rainier Rain Jacket is very similar to the Marmot Precip Eco listed below. It has a 3-way adjustable hood that can be folded away when not in use, velcro wrist cuffs, pit zips, handwarmer pockets, internal drop pockets, and a drawcord hem. It’s made with REI 2.5 waterproof/breathable Peak membrane and has an external DWR which will need to be refreshed periodically when rain stops beading on the jacket’s exterior. Available in men’s and women’s sizes. Read the SectionHiker Rainier Rain Jacket review.

4. Outdoor Research Foray 3L

The Outdoor Research Foray 3L is an updated version of OR’s most popular waterproof/breathable Gore-tex rain jacket. It is loaded with features including a three-way adjustable hood with a front brim, velcro wrist cuffs, chest and hand warmer pockets, YKK Aquaguard zippers, and elastic hem adjustment. But what sets this jacket apart from all others are its full-length torso-flow side-zips which can be opened like pit-zips but extend all the way down the sides of the jacket so you can fully ventilate the jacket like a poncho and even wear it over your hip belt to keep it dry in the rain. The women’s model is called the Outdoor Research Aspire 3L.

5. Montbell Versalite Jacket

The Montbell Versalite Jacket is a fully-featured ultralight rain jacket that has pit zips, a four-way adjustable hood, hook and loop wrist cuffs, hip-belt compatible chest pockets, an internally controlled hem adjustment, waterproof zippers, and taped seams. While it is by far the most breathable Gore-tex jacket on this list, it’s made with 10-denier nylon ripstop that is easy to damage and thin enough that it’s best used in more moderate weather when less warmth is required. The Versatile jacket is available in men’s and women’s sizes. Read the SectionHiker Versalite Jacket review.

6. Enlightened Equipment Visp Rain Jacket

The Enlightened Equipment Visp Rain Jacket is a 3-layer waterproof/breathable jacket made with a thin 7D ripstop nylon, a non-porous PU membrane and a soft tricot lining for a comfortable next-to-skin feel. Weighing 5.6 oz it’s very lightweight, but less puncture-proof as a result. It has pit zips under the arms with waterproof zippers. The jacket has a fitted hood with a stiffened visor that adjusts at the front and back and shaped wrist cuffs with a velcro adjustment for added wrist warmth and utility. Made for hiking, the Visp has a drop-tail hem that offers extra coverage in the back to keep the jacket from riding up under a pack as well as an elasticated waist to prevent drafts from below. The sizing is unisex. Read the SectionHiker Visp Review. 

7. Marmot Precip Eco

The Marmot Precip Eco is a very popular backpacking rain jacket because it’s inexpensive, but fully featured, with pit zip vents, a fully adjustable hood, velcro-wrist cuffs, and a hem adjustment.  The jacket also has two mesh-lined front pockets which are great to store gloves or a hat and provide additional ventilation. The Precip Eco is made with Marmot’s proprietary waterproof/breathable fabric which gets the job done but will need to be reproofed when the DWR coating wears off. While the Precip Eco is priced at $120, you can usually find it for far less. This jacket is available in men’s and women’s sizes. Read the SectionHiker review.

8. Lightheart Gear Rain Jacket

The Lightheart Gear Rain Jacket is a fully-featured rain jacket with an adjustable hood, pit zips, velcro wrist cuffs, interior, and exterior pockets, and a drawcord hem. It’s made with siliconized polyester (silpoly) which is a permanently waterproof fabric, so you’ll never need to restore a DWR layer because it doesn’t have one. Lightheart Gear is a cottage manufacturer that sews all of its jackets. It’s also available in a nice variety of colors. The sizing is unisex. Read the SectionHiker review.

9. Frogg Toggs Xtreme Lite Jacket

The Frogg Toggs Xtreme Lite is a lightweight waterproof rain jacket with a fully adjustable hood, zippered side pockets, velcro wrist closures, and a cord-adjustable waist. It’s also permanently waterproof and far more durable and better fitting than other Frogg Toggs rain gear including the classic Frogg Toggs UL2 Rain Suit favored by generations of AT thru-hikers. Available in men’s and women’s models. Read the SectionHiker review.

10. The North Face Alta Vista Jacket

The North Face Alta Vista Jacket is a 2.5 layer waterproof/breathable jacket made with TNF’s DryVent Membrane. It has an excellent 2-way adjustable hood with a rear volume adjuster and neck cords. Complete with pit-zips, the jacket has hand-warmer pockets, and stuffs into its chest pocket for easy packing. Hook and loop wrist cuffs and a hem adjustment round out its impressive functionality. The jacket is available in men’s and women’s models.

Backpacking Rain Jacket Selection Criteria

What are the most important features to look for on a hiking and backpacking rain jacket?

Adjustable Hoods

Unfortunately, many rain jackets have oversized hoods that are intended for skiers and climbers who wear protective helmets. What you should look for is a fully adjustable hood with a rear volume adjustment so you can shrink the hood size to fit your head, side pulls so you can adjust the size of the face opening, a wire or shapeable brim to shield your eyes from wind and snow, and a high collar that covers your neck and mouth. All of these features will help protect your face from the cold and wind and help you stay warmer.

Zippered Pockets

You can’t have too many rain jacket pockets. They’re great for carrying spare gloves, hats, and keeping navigation tools in easy reach. They’re also good for keeping snacks close at hand so you can eat while you hike. I view rain jacket pockets as an extension of my backpack because the extra storage cuts down on the number of times I have to stop to get clothes or food out of my pack.

Venting Capabilities

When you have to hike in cool wet weather, you want to limit the amount you perspire by actively managing your warmth level. The key to doing this involves venting excess warmth by removing or venting layers. A good rain jacket should provide several ways for you to dump excess heat without having to take it off completely. Here are some of the most important features to look for when comparing different jackets.

• Adjustable Hook and Loop (Velcro) Wrist Closures: This helps regulate the body heat at your wrists where the blood flows close to the surface of your skin. They can be worn under gloves or over them depending on your preference and the glove type.
• Two-way front zipper: If you pull the bottom half up, you can dump a lot of excess torso heat, poncho-style.
• Hem drawcord: Cinch it closed to keep the wind from blowing up between your legs and robbing your torso of heat.

Breathability Ratings

What should you look for in terms of breathability ratings when looking at hiking rain jackets? For inexpensive rain jackets, the best you can hope for is 10,000 (g/m^2/d) MVTR (movable water vapor transmission rate), which is pretty lackluster. Most of the manufacturers listed above don’t publish the MVTRs for their jackets, because they’re not that competitive with more expensive garments.

But to be honest, I don’t trust the breathability ratings published by manufacturers because they’re measured in ideal laboratory conditions that have little to do with actual use. Pit zips and active venting trump breathability claims any day. If you get too hot, venting your rain jacket is going to cool and dry you off far more quickly than waiting for water vapor to move across a breathable membrane while your zipper is closed.

SectionHiker never accepts payment for gear reviews or editorial coverage. When you buy through affiliate links on our site, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Help us continue to test and write unsponsored and independent gear reviews, hiking and backpacking FAQs, and free hiking guides.