The Best Men's Lightweight Rain Jackets

We analyzed 5,959 reviews from 70 websites to find the best men's lightweight rain jackets. Sources included:
WalmartMacy'sJet
+67 More

Top Men's Lightweight Rain Jackets

Best for Most People
Best Men's Lightweight Rain Jackets The North Face Venture 2 Men's Racket
$59 from 56 stores
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Why Consider This:
Maybe you don’t feel like spending more than $100. In that case, The North Face’s Venture 2 Jacket is for you. The North Face Venture 2 has all the other good stuff that makes it great for backcountry trips, like zipper pulls and hood tabs that you can use with gloves, enough room to layer under, and the all-important underarm zippers.
People Like:
  • Inexpensive
  • fairly light
  • solid weather resistance
People Dislike:
  • Relatively bulky fit
  • not the most breathable
  • hood doesn't fit over a helmet
93
Owner Score
4,088 Reviews from 32 Sites
67
Media & Critic Score
2 Media Reviews
Buy On Amazon.com
Why Consider This:
Designed to deliver not only superior moisture protection, but also breathability, comfort and lightweight, packable convenience. Storm flap and an adjustable drawcord droptail hem keep you dry, and stowaway design for easy take-along – just in case.
People Like:
  • Waterproof and breathable
  • Durable
  • Roomy cut for added layers, but not baggy
People Dislike:
  • Inside can get sticky when hot and humid
  • Pockets a little too high
  • Sticks to exposed skin
79
Owner Score
107 Reviews from 1 Sites
80
Media & Critic Score
2 Media Reviews
Top Performance
Best Men's Lightweight Rain Jackets Patagonia Torrentshell Men's Rain Jacket
$64 from 39 stores
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Why Consider This:
Get this jacket if your goal is to stay dry. The Patagonia’s deep hood keeps rain off your face and out of your hair, with a generous cut that sheeted water away better than anything else we tested.
People Like:
  • Stormworthy
  • durable
  • decent breathability
People Dislike:
  • Ventilation
  • small zipper pulls and cord locks
  • coated membrane isn't as long-lasting as laminated options
82
Owner Score
751 Reviews from 24 Sites
78
Media & Critic Score
2 Media Reviews
Buy On Amazon.com

How Critic.ly Saves You Time

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Unbiased & Unsponsored: Critic.ly aggregates and analyzes reviews from real owners and industry critics. We remove spam, sponsored reviews, and other forms of bias to make sure you get the best possible sense of what people actually think about products.
Our reviews of the best men's lightweight rain jackets were based on 5,959 reviews from 70 websites.
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How to Find the Right Men's Lightweight Rain Jacket

An inexpensive rain shell is an uninsulated jacket meant to repel wind and rain, but not necessarily keep you warm. Because it’s unlined, it’s lightweight and easy to stuff in a pouch or pocket. Unlike rain jackets of yore, they’re made of waterproof/breathable (“w/b” from now on) fabric that helps push moisture out of the coat and prevent you from getting wet and clammy. It’s a basic piece of gear that all hikers, campers, and backpackers should have in their arsenal—it doesn’t hurt to have one around the house either. There are some other considerations that a cheap rain shell ought to include, that might seem obvious, but not all are made with some of these in mind. For one, the fabric should be waterproof and breathable. Secondly, the design of the jacket should be such that, it keeps water out. Also, there should be some manual ventilation, it's preferable if it is in the use of pit zips. This is particularly useful for dumping heat and letting out moisture manually. Though less important, our ideal rain shell could also be easily used while wearing gloves, and has a hood that articulates—meaning when you turn your head, the hood turns with you.

Men's Lightweight Rain Jackets We Eliminated

We research and analyzed 6 men's lightweight rain jackets. Here's what we concluded about the ones that didn't make the cut.
Marmot PreCip Eco Men's Rain Jacket
Eliminated - Not Enough Reviews
Owner score of 93 but hard to properly evaluate with only 741 owner reviews.
Helly Hanson Loke Men's Rain Jacket
Eliminated - Not Enough Reviews
Owner score of 87 but hard to properly evaluate with only 262 owner reviews.
Columbia OutDry Ex Gold Men's Rain Jacket
Eliminated - Not Enough Reviews
Owner score of but hard to properly evaluate with only 0 owner reviews.

Sources & Methodology

Critic.ly uses a combination of machine learning and human editors to help you find the best products.
We start by aggregating and analyzing reviews from real owners and industry critics. We remove spam, sponsored reviews, and other forms of bias to make sure you get the best possible sense of what people actually think about products.
We convert every review to a weight average score from 0 to 100.
For this article, we analyzed 5,959 reviews from 70 sites to find the best men's lightweight rain jacket.