hiking clothing reviews

Mammut Kento Light HS Hooded Jacket.

Review: Mammut Kento Light HS Hooded Jacket

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Ultralight Rain Jacket Mammut Kento Light HS Hooded Jacket $219, 5.5 oz./156g (men’s medium) Sizes: men’s S-XXL, women’s S-XL backcountry.com When the sky darkened with foreboding, black and gray clouds that suddenly obliterated the sharply angled peaks flanking the John Muir Trail in the Evolution Basin of Kings Canyon National Park, I pulled on the ultralight Mammut Kento Light HS …

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Outdoor Research Helium AscentShell Jacket.

Review: Outdoor Research Helium AscentShell Jacket

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All-Season Shell Jacket
Outdoor Research Helium AscentShell Jacket
$449, 11.5 oz./326g (men’s medium)
Sizes: men’s S-XXL, women’s XS-XL
rei.com

Heading to Iceland for a couple weeks of hiking—including trekking hut to hut, when we’d be committed to hitting the trail every day, no matter the weather in a place where it’s rarely good—I knew I’d basically be living in my rain shell, so I wanted it to feel good and to work. I wore OR’s Helium AscentShell Jacket for several hours every day for a week trekking Iceland’s Laugavegur Trail and Fimmvörðuháls Trail, through cool temps with wind and rain on most days, and on several dayhikes along Iceland’s Ring Road, with similar weather, including hard, wind-driven rain at times. And this lightweight shell rose to the challenge of some of the most difficult conditions that most hikers, backpackers, and climbers ever face.

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The Black Diamond Treeline Rain Shell.

Review: Black Diamond Treeline Rain Shell

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Rain Jacket
Black Diamond Treeline Rain Shell
$150, 10 oz./283.5g (men’s medium)
Sizes: men’s XS-XXL, women’s XS-XL
backcountry.com

High-performance rain jackets for the backcountry cost real money. Cheap rain shells often compromise on quality. Through a rainy, three-day, August backpacking trip in the Wind River Range, including hiking nine miles in wind-driven rain and temps in the 40s Fahrenheit on our last day, this lightweight jacket kept my 20-year-old son dry. If you want a rain shell that delivers good quality at a price that leaves you gas money to reach the trailhead, the Treeline warrants a close look.

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The Outdoor Research Helium Wind Hoody.

Review: Outdoor Research Helium Wind Hoodie

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Ultralight Wind Shell
Outdoor Research Helium Wind Hoodie
$129, 5 oz./141.7g (men’s medium)
Sizes: men’s XS-XXL, women’s XS-XL
backcountry.com

If, besides very low weight, versatility counts for everything in an ultralight wind shell, the variety of places, weather, and seasons I’ve worn OR’s wafer-thin Helium Wind Hoodie speaks volumes about its value. From hiking up and sometimes running down crazy-steep trails in fall and the earliest days of spring in Utah’s Wasatch, Canada’s Banff National Park, New Hampshire’s White Mountains, and Idaho’s Boise Foothills, to the breezy heights of Hawaii’s high point, 13,803-foot Mauna Kea, and the windblown depths of the Grand Canyon, this shell fended off cool wind while taking up no more space in my daypack than my long-sleeve jersey.

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Arc’teryx Zeta SL Jacket.

Review: Arc’teryx Zeta SL Rain Jacket

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Rain Jacket
Arc’teryx Zeta SL Jacket
$299, 11 oz. (men’s medium)
Sizes: men’s XS-XXL, women’s XS-XL
outlet.arcteryx.com

Sometimes, mountain weather refuses to cooperate with your plans. On an August trip backpacking in the Wind River Range with my son, we saw patches of blue sky only on our first afternoon—followed by a couple of days of rain, culminating with us hiking out nine miles in a wind-driven tempest and temps in the 40s Fahrenheit. On days like that, I’m happy to have a shell that will reliably keep me dry and comfortable like the Zeta SL.

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