Dynafit Radical GTX Shell Jacket

Our take For the lightest shell in our test, see the Arc’teryx Beta LT Jacket. But if you’d rather have more features for an ounce more, this nimble number is your pick. A streamlined cut and Gore-Tex’s standard three-layer shell paired with a C-Knit backer (which Gore says shaves about 10 percent off traditional tricot via a thinner, circular knit) help it make weight, and it packs down to the size of a Nerf football. The C-Knit enhances breathability so much that we often didn’t need to deploy the pit zips, and it lends the shell a soft, supple feel. Plus, the fabric is durable: “When going somewhere I knew I would take a beating, this was the lightest jacket I felt would do the job,” says one Alaskan tester.

The details The Radical has hand pockets that fit liner gloves and snacks, two interior pockets, a zippered sleeve pocket (big enough for an iPhone 7), stretchy cuff gussets that seal out weather, and a helmet-friendly hood. There’s no excess fabric to whip in the wind, but it still fits nicely over midweight puffies.

Trail cred “While climbing Rocky Mountain National Park’s Flying Dutchman couloir on a warm day, I left this shell on all the way up,” notes a Colorado tester. “My body temp never redlined, and it was great to avoid changing back and forth.” dynafit.com