Lightweight rain jacket

Montbell is definitely a good choice. The fit was a little off for me, but I’m a fan and hear good things. It’s a good balance of rain protection and minimal weight which is nice when it sits in the pack. Since you said summer, you don’t need bomber.

Alternatives include the Enlightened Equipment Visp and Zpacks Vertice jackets if you want to go very light (under 6oz.) or the Patagonia Torrentshell which is listed at 14 oz is a solid choice for the price. If you don’t mind the cost, there’s the Arc Teryx Beta SL which is the best choice for significant rain in your area. If you like the idea of sticking with Goretex, this is top of the line.

The poncho crowd may come for you, but I prefer a rain jacket too, especially in camp.

Not Gore-Tex and maybe too minimal for your preferences, but OR Helium might work for your use-case (occasional transient wet events, plus wind shell).

The membranes are all changing this year, so old information and reviews are mostly out of date.

Just take your best guess and report back so that the knowledgebase improves for all. :)

EDIT: This includes the Helium. OR claims that the new Helium is more waterproof than the old Helium, without losing breathability, which might be an improvement overall.

+1 on the OR Helium. I am a poncho guy, but when I bring a rain jacket, that’s the one. Bear in mind it is a little bit close-fitting.

I hike mostly in the Sierras in summer, so my use is similar to Bruce’s—protection from afternoon showers, and something to wear over my fleece and puffy on cold evenings. I got the zPacks Vertice. Works well. I don’t have much use for pockets. No Velcro, so it won’t attack my Alpha 60 fleece pullover.

Despite being lighter than most, it’s 3-layer, so it’ll last longer than the typical 2 or 2½ layer. That’s why I got it, even though it was more expensive than the OR Helium.

When I first started backpacking in Boy Scouts in the early 80’s, I remember my first trip to Philmont when my rain gear was a nylon poncho and I developed mild hypothermia in a constant rain in the South Country – that was not fun.  Of course other clothing materials have changed and improved and a wool sweater became one of my favorite pieces of gear.

How does the Zpacks Vertice feel against the skin when wearing short sleeves?  I have not liked the clammy feel of 2 or 2.5L jackets.

Bill, when you say membranes are all changing this year, what are you referring to exactly and what should we expect?  Thanks.

when you say membranes are all changing this year, what are you referring to exactly and what should we expect?

Regulations changed in some large markets (California and New York State for example), causing many of the manufacturers to change their recipes:

• Gore-Tex stopped making their classic ePTFE membranes and now have a new ePE membrane.
• Classic electrospun OR AscentShell has been replaced by AscentShell Dry and AscentShell Air. The Dry variant has low MVTR compared to older (and better) electrospun and ePTFE membranes.
• MB Versalite changed from 2-layer Gore-Tex Windstopper to proprietary 3-layer “Super Dry-Tec” membrane, which they claim has slightly better performance.
• OR sold off their older Helium jackets at clearance prices, and now say that the new Helium is more waterproof (unreliable waterproofness was a common complaint about the older model, although it still achieved a popular balance of performance: weight/packability/breathability/waterproofness).
• EE Visp is no longer available. This may be unrelated to the laws, but it was one of the best UL WPB jackets. EE says that they are working on a replacement, but no word on when they expect one to be available.
• MH’s new Kor_Airshell_Hybrid has zoned fabrics, with excellent Pertex Quantum Air windshell over most of the jacket, with a layer of a “coated” weather-resistant (non-membrane) fabric over shoulders, top of arms, and hood. This may be a compromise due to lack of availability in excellent membranes.
• In the meantime, ZPacks Vertice, Rab Cinder Phantom, The North Face Papsura Futurelight, OR Helium, and MB Versalite are the lightest WPB jackets that I am aware of.

We don’t have many lab or field tests of the new membranes yet. The only authoritative report I have seen published so far was Stephen Seeber’s report on this year’s OR Foray with AscentShell Dry.

When similar law changes caused manufacturers to change their DWR formulas, the result was modern DWRs that don’t work as well as the old C8 DWRs. It would not surprise me if something similar happens with WPB membranes, although manufacturers constantly seek improvements, and some claim improved performance with their new membranes.

Bottom Line: We shall see how it shakes out in the future. We may get better membranes in the future, although I’m unsure about this year’s products.

just to add to that,

they used to have c8 DWR, but that has forever chemicals in manufacture and use so that is pretty much not available anymore.  Better DWR.

then they switched to c6 DWR.  DWR not as good as c8.  That also has forever chemicals but not as bad as c8, but being phased out.

now they’re switching to c0 which has a worse DWR but not as bad at having forever chemicals.

When I’ve look at products, they usually don’t say which DWR they have.

I noticed the zpacks vertice advertises that they have c6.  I think they’re going after customers that want the superior performance of c6 and don’t care that it damages the environment.

I used some gearaid durable water repellent treatment on my rsbtr wpb fabric and it seemed to work pretty good.  That product is advertised as zero fluorocarbon.

This all is very confusing to me.

Is the fluorcarbon DWR that bad?  Is it just a manufacturing problem?  Does it contaminate the environment or yourself with use?

Are there or will there be replacements that are just as good without destroying the environment?

So, like Bill said, everything is changing and eventually we’ll know if new products are just as good.

Bruce, haven’t noticed any clamminess with the Vertice, but then I wear it with something long-sleeved underneath.

I noticed that the zpacks vertice is longer and bigger around than a lot of jackets.

I think that would keep you drier in use.

Now that the new Rab Phantom is a full zip jacket and no longer a pull-on, I’m interested. It’s 7D with 2.5 layer Pertex Shield. Men’s medium weighs 4.2 oz. Definitely would go up a size with anything Rab. MSRP $200. Backcountry.com has them in stock.

“I hike mostly in the Sierras in summer, so my use is similar to Bruce’s—protection from afternoon showers…”

I’m a fellow Sierra hiker. 90% of the time, rain isn’t an issue beyond afternoon thunderstorms, given a 6 day or less hike. It’s when that last 10% falls due that a good rain jacket/poncho is essential. A lot of Sierra hiking is at altitude. Even in summer temps can be cold. Being wet when approaching and passing over a pass in cold weather is miserable at best, and dangerous at worst.

A robust jacket pays dividends weather turns bad longer term. Or a poncho. My old Rab Demand is three ply and bomb proof still. I think it’s around 8 ounces. Extra ounces for essentials is…essential, when things go bad.

What an interesting thread. I have a 1st generation Zpacks Rain Jacket from about 10 years ago that I’m finally replacing. It has performed great.

interesting to know there is a major shift happening in this market right now with new regulations on PFAS. Also, I suppose like most gear, if you are in the market, buy it now since all rain jackets are imported and their prices will likely be going up soon.

anyone have a comparison of Zpacks to Enlightened Equipment rain jackets?

Agree Monte, the new Rab Phantom does look good. I just worry about durability of those fabrics against a pack. But then again, I don’t need it that often in South Australia… (we’ve just broken more records for dry spells).

I’m a big fan of the BlackYak Javari. Difficult to source but has held its own over the past year. 3L GTX Active, baggy fit works well over layers and it has very few failure points for extended use. https://global.blackyak.com/products/herren-javari-gore-tex-3l-active-shell-jacke I carried it for a month in the Winds and a month in Patagonia, and use it as an emergency shell in my ski pack. I sized up one size to fit over a thick synthetic puffy for mountaineering. Short-ish hem, but not unbearably so.

Chad, the zipper is listed as water resistant. Has that been a weak spot when rain is steady?

Hasn’t been an issue for me. I think it’s a strange way to market what seems to be a uretek/aquaguard/whichever trade name standard waterproof zipper.

Yes that Blackyak looks very good. It’s three layer…? which I like. How much does it weigh? And yes, the simple design and lack of fail points are all good things. Maybe best in cool/colder temps where sweating out is much less of an issue.

I like Rab in general and the Phantom is super tempting. But even Rab hedges a bit in terms of how far this jacket is meant to be pushed. 2.5 layer.

Thinking about the Rab Phantom: Both the Phantom and the OR Helium are made from 2.5L Pertex Shield. Rab uses 7D, OR uses 30D.

Helium is notorious for being moderately waterproof, moderately breathable, lightweight, packable, and reasonably priced. It is an attractive and popular balance, but people complain about getting wet in extended or heavy rain. Some Helium owners carry an emergency poncho for backup.

Since EE Visp is no longer available, ZPacks Vertice, Helium, and Phantom are some of the lightest waterproof-breathables (WPBs). MontBell’s jackets have new fabrics this year. No reports yet, but they have always made good stuff (although even their “Western Cuts” tend to be small, so size up).

The Rock Front Rain Hoody is waterproof and has long side zippers, similar to OR Foray’s “TorsoFlo” vents.

Timmermade MegaZip comes in pullover or poncho cuts, made of DCF or silpoly. They have the longest vents: cuff to hem. The entire side and arm of the jackets can be opened for ventilation.

Lightheart, AGG, and WarBonnet also make waterproof jackets with pit zips.

I don’t have mine with me (traveling) but somewhere around 6.5oz from memory in an XL.

I tried to buy a Rock Front Rain Hoody, but they sell out straight away when they get stock! I’m really keen to try it out (though we are in a shocking drought in South Australia at the moment so chances might be a bit limited this year…).