Quick answer
The best waterproof jacket for most people right now is the Mammut Alto Light HS at around £160. It is light at 355g, has the underarm vents that many dearer shells have dropped, comes from a serious Alpine brand with strong sustainability credentials, and, crucially, it is properly in stock across sizes and colours when many rivals are not. If £160 is more than you need to spend, the Helly Hansen Moss covers everyday wet weather and the £51 Columbia Watertight II is the best true budget jacket.
Our pick: Mammut Alto Light HS
- Best overall: Mammut Alto Light HS (~£160)
- Best mid-level: Helly Hansen Moss (£80-85)
- Best budget: Columbia Watertight II (~£51)
- Cheapest packable: Trespass Qikpac (~£20)
A waterproof jacket is the one piece of outdoor kit almost everyone in Britain needs, whether or not they would ever call themselves a hiker. The same jacket that keeps wind-driven rain off you on a mountain works just as hard on a short dog walk, the school drop-off, a soggy touchline, a coastal stroll or a multi-day hike through forest and fell. This guide covers that whole range of use, because the right answer depends entirely on what you want from it.
So we have split it into three clear tiers, and each starts with its own comparison table. (Shopping the other wardrobe? The women's waterproof jackets guide runs the same three tiers.) Jump straight to the tier that fits your budget:
Why a proper waterproof matters
You learn what a waterproof jacket is for on a day like Pen y Fan in January: horizontal rain, wind that gets inside anything half-hearted, and hours to go before shelter. Up there, a good adjustable hood is not a nice-to-have, it is the difference between a manageable day and a miserable one, and a jacket that wets out leaves you cold in a way that gets dangerous rather than just unpleasant.
But most of a waterproof's life is not spent on a mountain. It is the school run in sideways drizzle, the dog walk that started sunny, the touchline, the festival, the walk from the car park. A jacket that keeps out wind and rain earns its keep in all of it, which is why we have organised this guide by what you want to spend and what you need it to survive, rather than assuming everyone is heading for a summit.
And since staying dry is a head-to-toe job, the best hiking boots guide covers the other end of the problem, rebuilt this month on the same checked-in-stock rule. A shell is only the outer layer, too, so the autumn and winter layering guide covers what goes underneath it to keep the whole system working.
Cheap and capable: £20 to £55
This tier is for keeping the rain off without ceremony: the jacket in the glovebox, the one stuffed in the school bag, the first waterproof for someone who is not sure how much they will use it. The three packables here are among the biggest-selling jackets on Amazon UK for a reason, and the Columbia tops the tier as the step up to a proper membrane jacket.
| Product | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest packableTrespass Qikpac | ~£20 | |
| ★ 4.4 · packaway with stuff sack · internal storm flap · zip pocketsBest for The glovebox jacket: the cheapest reliable way to not get wet. | ||
| Regatta Pack It III | £24.39 | |
| ★ 4.5 · pack-away · breathable · fits over normal clothesBest for Fits over normal clothes, lives in a bag until the sky turns. | ||
| Mountain Warehouse Pakka | £24.99 | |
| ★ 4.5 · IsoDry membrane · fully taped seams · packaway bagBest for The Amazon best seller: taped seams and a membrane at £25. | ||
| Best budgetColumbia Watertight II | £50.20 | |
| ★ 4.7 · Omni-Tech membrane · 340g · packable hoodBest for The step up from packables to a proper jacket, for £51. | ||
Trespass Qikpac: the £20 answer
At around £20 depending on colour, the Qikpac is the cheapest reliable way to not get wet, and the build is more considered than the price suggests. The full-length front zip is backed by an internal storm flap running its whole length, which closes the obvious leak path a cheap zip creates. The hood is grown-on and adjustable rather than a token afterthought, there are two zipped pockets for keys and phone, and the whole jacket packs away into its own small bag.
That pack-away bag is the point: this is the jacket that lives in a rucksack, glovebox or desk drawer until the sky turns. One buying note: the sizing runs small, so if you are between sizes, go up.
Rating: 4.4 / 5
Buy the Trespass Qikpac on AmazonRegatta Pack It III: the one that fits over everything
The Pack It III is Regatta's take on the same brief, and it plays two cards the Qikpac does not. First, the fabric is breathable as well as waterproof, which matters the moment a walk involves any effort. Second, the cut is generous enough to fit comfortably over normal clothes, which is exactly what a throw-it-on-when-it-starts jacket needs to do: it goes over a jumper or a coat without a wrestle, then packs back down into its stuff sack.
It comes in a wide spread of colours and sizes. Like the Qikpac, the sizing runs small, so size up when in doubt. Between the two, the Regatta has the edge on breathability and fit over layers, the Trespass on price.
Rating: 4.5 / 5
Buy the Regatta Pack It III on AmazonMountain Warehouse Pakka: taped seams at £25
On the spec sheet the Pakka is the most technical of the three packables. It uses an IsoDry waterproof and breathable membrane, so internal moisture can escape while rain stays out, and, unusually at this price, the seams are fully taped, sealing the stitch lines where cheap jackets leak first. Front pockets keep phone and keys to hand, and it folds into its own compact stuff bag for travel and commuting.
Taped seams plus a membrane at £25 is the tier's best fabric story. Sizing runs slightly big in the larger sizes, the mirror image of the other two, so check the size guide rather than defaulting up.
Rating: 4.5 / 5
Buy the Mountain Warehouse Pakka on AmazonColumbia Watertight II: best budget jacket
If your budget stretches to £50, the Watertight II is where it should go. It uses Columbia's own Omni-Tech membrane which, while not in the same league as Gore-Tex, provides solid waterproofing for typical British rain, and it makes this one of the cheapest membrane jackets you can buy from a major brand. At 340g it carries easily, the hood packs away when the sun comes out, and the cut is roomy enough to take a jumper underneath on a cold day.
It is not a jacket for serious mountain use or sustained storms. But for coastal paths, woodland walks, dog walks and everyday autumn use it does exactly what you need and breathes far better than a PU jacket. The step up from the packables above buys you the membrane, the build quality and the fit; the step up to the mid tier buys refinement this price cannot reach.
Rating: 4.7 / 5
- One of the cheapest membrane jackets from a major brand at ~£51
- Omni-Tech waterproofing handles real rain, not just drizzle
- Breathable, unlike PU rain jackets near this price
- Roomy enough to layer a jumper underneath
- Good stock across lots of colours
Beginners, occasional walkers, and anyone who wants one honest budget jacket that covers the school run and the Sunday walk alike.
Mid-level, more serious: £57 to £130
This is the tier for people who wear a waterproof most weeks: better fabrics, better hoods, details like pit zips and fleece-lined collars, and jackets that look as good in town as they work on a trail. It is also where the market is busiest, so we have kept the guidance honest: one winner, one deal, and the roles each of the others plays.
| Product | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|
| The dealColumbia Pouring Adventure III | £54.49 | |
| ★ 4.6 · Omni-Tech, fully seam sealed · 37% off at the time of writingBest for Mid-level fabric at a budget price while the sale lasts. | ||
| Best mid-levelHelly Hansen Moss | £36.26 | |
| ★ 4.8 · Helox+ PU, fully welded seams · never wets outBest for Everyday wet weather done properly: the jacket that is simply always waterproof. | ||
| Berghaus Deluge Pro | £102.39 | |
| ★ 4.6 · Hydroshell 2L · adjustable hood and hemBest for The classic British walking brand's do-it-all shell. | ||
| Helly Hansen Crew Hooded 2.0 | £100.52 | |
| ★ 4.5 · Helly Tech · fleece-lined collar · hood packs into collarBest for The smart one: sailing DNA, works in town without looking like hiking kit. | ||
| Helly Hansen Seven J | £51.27 | |
| ★ 4.6 · fully weatherproof · clean modern cutBest for City to trail crossover with the cleanest looks in the tier. | ||
| Rab Downpour | £112.50 | |
| ★ 4.7 · 20,000mm Pertex Shield · underarm vents · 377gBest for The hill walker's mid-level pick, with the best spec sheet under £150. | ||
| The North Face Antora | £115.00 | |
| ★ 4.6 · DryVent shell · three-piece adjustable hoodBest for Weekend walks and city exploring with TNF build quality. | ||
| Helly Hansen Dubliner | £124.57 | |
| ★ 4.5 · Helly Tech · quick-dry lining · packable hoodBest for The commuter's waterproof: everyday polish with proper protection. | ||
| The North Face Millerton | £128.10 | |
| ★ 4.4 · waterproof AND synthetic insulated · the cold-weather oneBest for One jacket for wet AND cold: insulation built into a rain shell. | ||
Columbia Pouring Adventure III: the deal of the tier
At the time of writing the Pouring Adventure III is 37% off, down from £90 to £56.99, which drops a genuine mid-level jacket into budget money and makes it the standout deal in this guide. You get Columbia's Omni-Tech waterproof-breathable fabric with fully sealed seams throughout, a clear step up in wet-weather stamina from the entry jackets: full seam sealing is what separates a jacket that survives prolonged heavy rain from one that only shrugs off showers, and it is rare at this money.
If the sale is still on when you read this, it is the smart buy at the bottom of this tier. At its full £90 it competes more evenly with the jackets around it.
Rating: 4.6 / 5
Check the Pouring Adventure III deal on AmazonHelly Hansen Moss: best mid-level jacket
The Moss descends from the 1950s fisherman's coats Helly Hansen built its name on, and that heritage is the whole point: Helox+ polyurethane fabric, fully welded seams, a full-coverage hood and a front zip backed by a snap-closed storm placket. Rain does not get through it. Ever. There is no DWR coating to wear off, no membrane to clog, nothing to degrade: the way some £100-plus jackets slowly stop being waterproof after two seasons simply cannot happen here, which is why it wins this tier as the jacket you can trust every single wet day for years.
The cut works as a true top layer, sized to go over hoodies and work gear rather than fitted like a shell, and it is light enough to wear all day without noticing. It is well stocked in lots of colours and sizes at £80 to £85.
Be clear-eyed about the trade: welded PU does not breathe like a membrane, so this is not the jacket for working hard uphill. For everything else, the dog walks, commutes, school runs, coastal strolls and low-effort walking that make up most of British wet-weather life, it is the most dependable jacket in this guide, and the smartest £85 in it. If your walking is sweatier, the Downpour below is the breathable pick at this level.
Rating: 4.8 / 5
- Fully welded seams: it cannot wet out and has no DWR to wear off
- The everyday jacket that will still be fully waterproof in five years
- Layers over hoodies and work gear comfortably
- Well stocked in lots of colours and sizes
- Classic Helly Hansen looks that work in town
Everyday wet weather done properly: the always-waterproof jacket for the door hook. Work hard uphill in it and you will boil; that is the one honest limit.
Berghaus Deluge Pro: the British walking classic
Berghaus has been making walking kit since 1966, and the Deluge Pro is its bread-and-butter waterproof: Hydroshell 2-layer fabric rated for everything from drizzle to downpours, a fully adjustable hood and hem for when the weather does its worst, and two zipped pockets. It is a deliberately simple package, the fabric and the hood doing the work without gimmicks, and it comes in a wide run of colours and sizes.
Its natural role is the walker's alternative to the Moss: a proper breathable walking shell from the most familiar name in British hillwalking, at nearly the same money. Pair it with a Berghaus fleece underneath and it covers three seasons of UK walking.
Rating: 4.6 / 5
Buy the Berghaus Deluge Pro on AmazonHelly Hansen Crew Hooded 2.0: the smart one
The Crew Hooded 2.0 comes from Helly Hansen's sailing range, and it shows in the details: Helly Tech waterproof, windproof and breathable protection, articulated shoulders and elbows so it moves with you rather than against you, a hood that packs neatly into the collar when the sun is out, and a soft fleece lining in the collar and hand pockets for cold mornings. Adjustable cuffs and hem let it seal down when the wind gets up.
It is the jacket in this tier that most looks like a jacket rather than hiking kit, which makes it the pick for anyone whose waterproof spends as much time in town as on a path.
Rating: 4.5 / 5
Buy the Crew Hooded 2.0 on AmazonHelly Hansen Seven J: the clean crossover
The Seven J is Helly Hansen's do-anything rain jacket: a fully weatherproof polyester shell with a clean, modern cut designed to be as at home in the city as on an outdoor day. That crossover is the feature: no dangling adjusters or technical clutter, just a properly weatherproof jacket that does not look like hiking kit, in a cut that sizes true.
Prices run £85 to £125 depending on colour, so it is worth clicking through a couple of colourways before committing: at the lower end it is one of the best-value jackets in the tier.
Rating: 4.6 / 5
Buy the Helly Hansen Seven J on AmazonRab Downpour: the hill walker's mid-level pick
If your waterproof's serious work happens on hills rather than high streets, the Downpour is the strongest spec sheet in this tier. Around £112 buys 50-denier Pertex Shield with a 20,000mm hydrostatic head and 20,000g/m² breathability, which matches or beats jackets costing twice as much. The feature set is properly thought through: underarm vents, a hood that adjusts with one hand and has a stiffened peak for driving rain, storm flaps inside and out on the main zip, and a fluorocarbon-free finish with 54% recycled content.
The compromise is the 2.5-layer construction, which can feel clammy against a t-shirt on a long muggy climb; the vents help a lot. At 377g it carries easily as the jacket you bring rather than the jacket you hope you will not need. One buying note: stock is currently limited, so if your size is there, decide quickly. If you want a matching set, the Rab Downpour Eco pants feature in our waterproof trousers guide.
Rating: 4.7 / 5
Buy the Rab Downpour on AmazonThe North Face Antora: weekend walks and city miles
The Antora is The North Face's everyday waterproof: a DryVent shell that is waterproof, windproof and breathable, built, in TNF's own words, for city exploring and weekend walks. The details are sensible rather than showy: a three-piece adjustable hood, raglan sleeves that move well, zipped hand pockets, elastic cuffs and a drawcord hem. It is also refreshingly easy to live with, machine washable and tumble-dry safe.
It earns its place as the recognisable-brand alternative to the Helly Hansen pair above: comparable protection, TNF's fit and finish, and the logo half the high street already trusts.
Rating: 4.6 / 5
Buy The North Face Antora on AmazonHelly Hansen Dubliner: the commuter's waterproof
The Dubliner is the most everyday-polished of the Helly Hansen trio: Helly Tech waterproof, breathable and windproof protection with a quick-dry lining that keeps it comfortable across warm and cold weather, a hood that stows into the collar, adjustable cuffs, and secure zipped hand pockets for keys, phone and wallet. Helly Hansen pitches it for commuting through the city or heading out in the wet, and that is exactly its lane: the jacket you wear every day that happens to be a proper waterproof.
At around £117 it tops the everyday end of this tier. If your money is chasing hill performance instead, the Downpour above spends it better.
Rating: 4.5 / 5
Buy the Helly Hansen Dubliner on AmazonThe North Face Millerton: the insulated one
The Millerton is the odd one out in this guide, usefully so: it is a waterproof rain jacket with synthetic insulation built in, so it stays warm even when the weather is wet, and the fabric blocks wind to cut the chill on blustery days. That makes it a different proposition from everything else here: not a shell you layer under, but a single jacket for cold, wet winter days, the freezing school run, the December dog walk, the touchline in January.
The trade-off is versatility: an insulated jacket is too much jacket for a mild wet day, which is why the layering approach wins for walkers (the Mammut insulated jackets guide covers the dedicated warmth layers that pair with any shell above). But if you want one zip-and-go jacket for the cold half of the year, this is that jacket.
Rating: 4.4 / 5
Buy The North Face Millerton on AmazonPremium brand and materials: £160 and up
This is where serious fabric technology lives: Gore-Tex membranes, 3-layer construction, stormproof hoods and the Alpine brands that build for genuinely bad weather. You are paying for materials, durability and performance headroom your worst UK day will not exhaust.
| Product | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|
| Best overallMammut Alto Light HS | £147.82 | |
| ★ 4.9 · 15,000mm DRY Tour · 355g · underarm vents · bluesignBest for The best waterproof jacket to actually buy right now. | ||
| Mammut Treeline Light HS | £218.99 | |
| ★ 4.6 · 2-layer Gore-Tex ePE · recycled polyesterBest for The cheapest way into genuine Gore-Tex from a serious Alpine brand. | ||
| Rab Firewall | £225.00 | |
| ★ 4.8 · 3-layer Pertex Shield · YKK AquaGuard sleeve ventsBest for Mountain days beyond the treeline, light enough to carry always. | ||
| Rab Kangri GTX | £319.99 | |
| ★ 4.8 · 3-layer Gore-Tex ePE · 28,000mm · burly 70D fabricBest for The buy-once-properly hillwalking shell. | ||
| The flagshipMammut Crater IV HS | £315.99 | |
| ★ 4.8 · 3-layer Gore-Tex ePE · helmet-compatible stormproof hood · pit zipsBest for Full-fat Gore-Tex mountain armour with every feature intact. | ||
Mammut Alto Light HS: best overall
The best waterproof jacket in this guide is the one that gets the whole package right. The Alto Light is one of Mammut's lightest hiking shells at 355g, built from a 2.5-layer laminate Mammut calls DRY Tour: a 50-denier recycled polyester face with a membrane rated to 15,000mm waterproofing and 15,000g/m² breathability. That is not Gore-Tex and it is not pretending to be; it is a solid technical laminate that handles British rain without fuss, from a brand whose day job is Alpine mountainsides. If Mammut is new to you, our Mammut brand review covers the company and where the range fits.
The build is what wins it the top spot. A one-point adjustable hood, two side pockets with water-repellent zips, and underarm ventilation zips, which plenty of dearer jackets have dropped and which matter enormously on British days when you start cold and warm up fast. It packs down small enough to always bring. The sustainability credentials are the strongest here too: bluesign certified, Fair Wear, PFC-free DWR, recycled face fabric.
And the unglamorous clincher: it is properly in stock, across a wide colour range and full size run, at around £160. Half the premium market is drip-fed into the UK in two colours; this is a superb jacket you can actually have before the weekend.
Rating: 4.9 / 5
- 355g with a low packed volume: the shell you always bring
- Underarm ventilation zips, increasingly rare at any price
- Serious Alpine brand pedigree at £160
- bluesign certified, Fair Wear, PFC-free DWR, recycled fabric
- Excellent real-world availability across sizes and colours
Most people, most of the time: the complete waterproof package for UK walking, from coast path to winter hill, at a price the Gore-Tex crowd cannot match.
Mammut Treeline Light HS: Gore-Tex for less
If the badge on the membrane matters to you, the Treeline Light is the cheapest way in this guide into genuine Gore-Tex from a serious Alpine brand. It is a 2-layer Gore-Tex laminate with the modern PFC-free ePE membrane, a recycled polyester face, two zipped front pockets and an adjustable drawstring hem: a deliberately clean, simple walking shell that lets the fabric do the talking.
Against the Alto Light you are paying £35 more for the Gore-Tex membrane and giving up the pit zips and a little packability. Against the Crater below you are saving £140 by accepting 2-layer construction and a simpler feature set. That positioning is exactly its appeal.
Rating: 4.6 / 5
Buy the Mammut Treeline Light HS on AmazonRab Firewall: the mountain-day pick
The Firewall is Rab's lightweight mountain shell, designed in its own words for mountaineering and trekking beyond the treeline, and it brings the tier's most interesting feature set. The fabric is 3-layer Pertex Shield bonded to a 100% recycled face that stays thin, light and packable. Ventilating YKK AquaGuard zips run down each sleeve, a genuinely different solution to the sweat problem. The two-way adjustable hood has a concealed internal cord lock and a flexible peak, and the regular fit comes with fully articulated sleeves so it layers and moves properly.
This is the jacket in the premium tier for people whose walking regularly turns into weather: proper 3-layer construction and mountain features at £225, comfortably under Gore-Tex flagship money. Good stock in colours and sizes at the time of writing.
Rating: 4.8 / 5
Buy the Rab Firewall on AmazonRab Kangri GTX: the buy-once hillwalking shell
The Kangri is a full 3-layer Gore-Tex shell built for hillwalking rather than alpinism, and its spec sheet remains among the strongest here: a burly 70-denier face fabric that shrugs off pack straps and barbed-wire stiles, a 28,000mm hydrostatic head, the PFC-free ePE membrane, pit zips, a fleece-lined chin guard and hipbelt-friendly pockets, with 44% recycled content.
At 438g it is the heavyweight of this tier, and that durability-for-weight trade is the whole proposition: this is the jacket for the walker doing thirty or forty wet hill days a year who wants to buy once, properly. Stock is present but not deep, so treat availability as a factor in the decision.
Rating: 4.8 / 5
Buy the Rab Kangri GTX on AmazonMammut Crater IV HS: the flagship
The Crater IV is the full-fat option: 3-layer Gore-Tex with the PFC-free ePE membrane, in a build that keeps every serious-weather feature intact. The stormproof hood is helmet-compatible, adjusts vertically and horizontally, and carries a reinforced shield that holds your field of view in driving rain. Underarm vents run on water-repellent two-way zips. Even the fabric production is considered, using solution-dyed backing that dramatically cuts water consumption.
This is premium materials in the fullest sense, and the right buy for the walker or winter mountain-goer who wants the best construction Mammut makes and intends to keep it for a decade. And if your winters run genuinely serious, minus twenty rather than a wet British minus two, a shell stops being enough on its own: our extreme cold jackets guide covers the belay jackets and down that go over everything. For everyone else, the Alto Light above delivers most of the experience at half the price, which is exactly why it, and not this, is our top pick.
Rating: 4.8 / 5
Buy the Mammut Crater IV HS on AmazonWhat to look for in a waterproof jacket
3-layer vs 2-layer and 2.5-layer construction: A 3-layer jacket bonds an outer face fabric, waterproof membrane, and inner backer together into a single material. This is more durable, more breathable, and more comfortable against the skin; the Firewall, Kangri and Crater are built this way. A 2.5-layer jacket replaces the inner backer with a printed pattern or coating, which saves weight and money but can feel clammy in prolonged effort, which is why underarm vents matter so much at that level.
Membranes vs welded PU: Membrane jackets (Gore-Tex, Omni-Tech, Pertex Shield, DryVent, Helly Tech, DRY Tour) breathe, and rely on a DWR coating that needs occasional renewal. Welded PU jackets like the Helly Hansen Moss do not breathe much, but can never wet out. Match the construction to how hard you work in it.
Layering beats bulk: A shell earns its keep over a light insulating mid layer rather than replacing one. A packable synthetic like the Rab Cirrus under any jacket in this guide covers you from a mild shower to a cold summit, and when the insulation matters more than the shell, the Rab insulated jackets guide ranks the whole range.
Hood quality: A good adjustable hood, ideally with a stiffened or wired peak, is essential when wind-driven rain comes at you sideways. On a mountain in January it is the difference between a manageable day and a miserable one.
Weight and packability: For a jacket you carry more than you wear, aim for under 500g; under 350g is excellent. The packable trio in the budget tier exists precisely because the best jacket is the one you actually have with you.
Sustainability: PFC-free DWR treatments and membranes (Gore-Tex ePE, fluorocarbon-free Pertex), recycled fabrics and bluesign or Fair Wear certification are now realistic asks at every tier above £100, and the Mammut jackets here lead on all of them.
How to look after your waterproof jacket
A waterproof jacket is only as good as its maintenance. A few things worth knowing:
The outer face fabric of most jackets has a DWR coating that causes rain to bead and roll off. Over time this degrades, particularly with washing. Tumble drying on a low heat after washing actually helps reactivate the DWR coating. Use a specialist cleaner like Grangers Performance Wash or Nikwax Tech Wash rather than standard detergent, which degrades the coating faster.
When the DWR eventually fails completely you can reproof the jacket using Grangers or Nikwax reproofing spray. This is a ten-minute job that extends the working life of your shell significantly, and our full guide to reproofing a waterproof jacket walks through the wash-in and spray-on methods step by step. If your winter warmth comes from a down jacket rather than a shell, washing a down jacket is a slightly different job we cover separately.
Store waterproof jackets loosely rather than compressed: keeping them compressed for extended periods can damage the membrane.