Norrøna Falketind

The devil is in the details—but so is salvation, as this meticulously designed jacket proves. Testers raved about the little things, including asymmetrical cuffs that protected their hands while they picked blueberries in the rain in Alaska’s Chugach State Park. The brimmed, helmet-compatible hood deflects drips, and high-placed pockets keep essentials at the ready, even under a pack. More favorites: a soft, Gore-Tex C-Knit backer that feels comfortable on bare skin, pit zips, and a cut that fits over winter-weight layers. The Falketind’s three-layer Gore-Tex material delivers impressive breathability: “This shell did a great job letting surplus heat out on a challenging, 2,200-foot climb up Camel’s Hump at 55°F,” says a Vermont tester. Tradeoff: Designer details come with a designer price tag.