Waterproof Jackets Compared for Hill Walking and Camping

Start With the Weather You Actually Walk In

Most British hill days are not decided by one dramatic downpour. They are decided by four hours of fine, wind-driven drizzle that finds every gap in your layering and slowly soaks you from the collar down. Anyone who has spent a long afternoon on a Pennine edge or a Snowdonian ridge knows the feeling: not wet enough to turn back, but wet enough to be miserable by the time you reach the car.

That is the condition a good waterproof jacket is really built for. A short shower on a lowland path is easy. Persistent drizzle on an exposed trail, with wind pushing moisture through every zip and seam, is the proper test. So when you compare jackets, compare them against the worst day you realistically expect, not the best one. If you walk in the Lake District or the Scottish Highlands between October and April, you need more jacket than someone doing summer strolls on the South Downs.

Fabrics, Ratings and What Breathability Really Means

Waterproofing is measured by hydrostatic head — essentially how much water pressure a fabric can hold back before it leaks. A jacket rated around 10,000mm will handle steady rain and a pack strap pressing on your shoulders. For exposed, all-day weather or winter use, look for 20,000mm and above.

Breathability matters just as much, because a jacket that keeps rain out but traps your sweat will leave you clammy and cold the moment you stop. Ratings are usually quoted as grams of moisture per square metre over 24 hours, or as a RET value where lower is better. In practice, look for:

• Around 10,000–20,000g/m²/24h for general hill walking, which keeps you comfortable on a moving day.
• Pit zips — the single most useful ventilation feature on a jacket, especially on steep climbs.
• Three-layer construction for durability under a pack, or a lighter two-and-a-half-layer fabric if packability and weight matter more.

Remember that breathability collapses when the outer fabric wets out, so the durable water repellent finish on the face fabric is doing real work, not just cosmetic work.

Seams, Zips and the Details That Keep Water Out

Water gets in through the stitching long before it gets through the fabric. Every seam should be fully taped, not critically taped — the difference matters on shoulders and sleeves, which take the brunt of wind-blown rain.

The main zip needs a storm flap behind it, and ideally a second flap or a water-resistant zip in front. Check the pockets too. Chest pockets sit above a hip belt and stay usable with a pack on; handwarmer pockets are comfortable but sit exactly where your belt and pack straps press, so they rarely stay dry. Velcro or elasticated cuffs and a drawcord hem let you seal the jacket down when the wind picks up, and a two-way main zip is a quiet luxury when you are sitting down at camp.

Hoods, Cuffs and Getting the Fit Right

A hood is the difference between a tolerable walk and a miserable one. Look for a wired or stiffened peak that holds its shape, a volume adjuster at the back, and two cords at the front so you can cinch it around your face without pulling the whole jacket sideways. The collar should come up high enough to cover your chin when the hood is down.

Fit is a balance. You want room for a base layer and a mid-layer fleece underneath, plus enough space in the shoulders to swing your arms on a steep ascent. But a jacket that is too baggy flaps in the wind and lets cold air circulate. Try it on with the layers you actually wear, and check the sleeves do not ride up when you reach for a trekking pole. Longer cuts that cover the top of your thighs are excellent in horizontal rain but can be restrictive on technical ground.

Day Walks Versus Multi-Day Camping

For a day pack, a lightweight, packable shell that lives in your bag until needed works well. For camping, priorities shift. You will wear the jacket at camp, in the tent doorway, and while cooking in the rain, so durability and a slightly more generous cut matter more than shaving grams.

• Day walks: light, packable, pit zips, chest pocket for a map or phone.
• Overnight and multi-day trips: tougher face fabric, larger hood to fit over a hat, pockets placed clear of a pack belt.
• Winter conditions: higher hydrostatic head, longer cut, room for a down or synthetic mid-layer.

If you only buy one jacket, choose the one that copes with your wettest realistic trip rather than your driest one.

Keeping It Working Season After Season

A jacket that has stopped beading water is usually not leaking — its water repellent finish has worn off. Wash it with a dedicated technical cleaner, never fabric softener, and tumble dry on low to reactivate the finish. When that no longer works, reproof with a spray-on treatment, which preserves breathability better than a wash-in product on lined jackets.

Check the seam tape occasionally, especially around the shoulders, and store the jacket loosely rather than crammed into a stuff sack for months. Looked after properly, a decent shell will keep you dry through many British summers and rather more British winters.