A resilient, heavyweight waterproof shell is a good option for more demanding hillwalking and mountaineering, especially in the winter. A lightweight waterproof jacket or rain jacket will serve for the rest of the year, especially during the warmer months. Especially if you’re travelling quickly and with a light load. This is frequent on hot day hikes, but it can also happen on camping trips where weight is an issue.

After all, in spring and summer your rain gear is likely to spend most of its time stuffed in your rucksack. With that in mind, it makes sense to carry a lighter and more packable jacket, especially one that is equipped with a stuff sack or pack pocket for maximum compressibility. A rain jacket also has numerous benefits when you’re actually wearing it. Typically, thinner fabrics are more breathable and feel less cumbersome, permitting greater freedom of movement. This can be a benefit during other outdoor activity such as trail running and mountain biking. In turn, this makes many rain jackets a very versatile bit of kit.

If you’re looking for something a bit more substantial, check out our guide to the Best all-season waterproof jackets to see what we thought of the ones we tested.

These jackets were tested by Matthew Jones and Ellie Clewlow. Matt and Ellie are outdoor writers and photographers living and working in Snowdonia, North Wales. Both reviewers tested these jackets extensively while hiking, climbing, trail running and backpacking in the hills and mountains of Snowdonia.