Women's Hiking Jackets

The Rain Coat's three-layer Gore-Tex exterior and compressed down and synthetic insulation offer mega warmth without the bulk. Using "down composite mapping," Arc'teryx's jacket retains heat even after getting wet. The jacket's synthetic Coreloft insulation is found in the hood, underarms, and hem. In the core, the jacket is made with 750-fill European goose down for extra warmth and comfort.

This model is one of the few options that doesn't feature some sort of "stuff pocket" to help compress it. While this was hardly a big deal as we just stuff it into its own hood or down the side of our pack, it is one of the few features that most of the jackets in our review have.

The new Zeta SL is one of the most stormworthy models we tested. It provides top-tier weather protection and a long lasting DWR that holds up better than any other product in our review! In multiple side by sides with competitors, it excels at keeping us comfortable during showers or garden hose tests - proving its worth as an all around performer when you need your gear to perform no matter what conditions are thrown at them (whether wetter than usual this fall season here on Pacific Northwest mountainsides). During real world use--including two dozen days spent backpacking over very damp ground!--we were impressed not only how well these clothes held moisture away from skin but also found ourselves surprisingly dry even

It compresses smaller than the Outdoor Research Foray and The North Face Dryzzle, both of which use Gore-tex Paclite fabric. Even compared to the 2.5 layer Marmot Precip, the Zeta packs down more compactly. The title for the most packable jackets goes to the Outdoor Research Helium Rain and the Patagonia Storm 10 — both of which were roughly 50% the volume of the Zeta but also provide less stormworthiness, are less versatile, and are less durable.