The 12 Best New Hiking Shells of 2017
Hardshell, softshell and everything in between: These jackets will protect you from any kind of weather.
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Gear Guide 2017: The Best Shells for Hikers
adidas Voyager Jacket Review: Simplify your packing with this lightweight, do-it-all softie, which has the best performance-to-price ratio of any softshell we tested. Click here to read our full review.
Outdoor Research Helium Hybrid Hooded Jacket Review: Designers use hybrid construction to maximize waterproofing where you need it (the hood, shoulders, upper arms, front, and back) and breathability where you don’t (underarms and side panels) in this exceptionally light softshell. Click here to read our full review.
Marmot Lightstream Review: What to wear when it’s too warm for a beefy softshell and a wispy windshell isn’t enough? This light, ultrabreathable jacket, which hit the spot on sunny, windy days. Click here to read our full review.
Columbia OutDry Extreme ECO Jacket Review: The most waterproof/breathable/sustainable jacket we’ve tested. Click here to read our full review.
Dynafit Elevation Gore-Tex Jacket Review: A true all-season shell should be light enough for summer backpacking, protective enough for nasty winter weather, and breathable enough to handle your hardest pushes any time of year. Click here to read our full review.
Cotopaxi Teca Half-Zip Review: Like a lot of ultralight windshells, the Teca repels gusty weather and even light rain. Click here to read our full review.
Marmot Valor (m’s Adonis) Review: This shell nails the trifecta: tough, light, and breathable. The latter is especially good considering the price. Click here to read our full review.
Montane Minimus Stretch Review: Not surprising: As the weight of a shell drops, so do the number of features. Surprising: That rule doesn’t apply to the Minimus. Click here to read our full review.
Mountain Hardwear Thundershadow Review: This shell delivers high-end breathability and protection for a song. Click here to read our full review.
Eddie Bauer Cloud Cap Flex Review: A fully featured, nicely cut, movement-friendly shell for just $129? We had to triple-check the price, but it’s no mistake. Click here to read our full review.
Helly Hansen Odin 9 Worlds Review: Headed somewhere high, wind-whipped, rain-sodden, and altogether miserable? This is your shell. Click here to read our full review.
Patagonia Storm Racer Review: If you’re one of those hikers willing to trade a few design luxuries for super-low weight (you know who you are), reach for the Storm Racer. Click here to read our full review.
You have to consider weather, terrain, and activity level when choosing a shell. From a 6-ounce hardshell to an uncommonly breathable softshell to a bargain do-it-all, we’ve got picks for every hiker.
Test Data
Testers: 47
Days tested: 687
Miles hiked: 2,495
Max wind speed: 60 mph (Mt. Washington, NH)
Biggest 1-day temp swing: 51°F (Clear Creek Reservoir, CO)
Coldest temp: -10°F (Southern Alps, New Zealand)
Highest trip: 14,003 ft. (Mt. Huron, CO)
Rise of the Budget Hardshell
Thrifty hikers, rejoice: There’s never been a better time to snap up a quality shell at a rock-bottom price. While shells with $400-plus price tags have dominated in recent years, this season’s offerings include a slew of high-performing jackets that come in under—sometimes well under—200 bucks. To wit: Look for steals this spring from Columbia (OutDry EX Reversible, $150), Montbell (Convertible Rain Jacket, $179), adidas Outdoor (Fastpack 2.5L, $159), L.L.Bean (TEK O2 2.5L Element Jacket, $159), and Eddie Bauer (Cloud Cap Flex, $129), all of which earned positive reviews from testers.
What’s behind the plummeting prices? It’s demand from you—especially the young consumers. “What our under-30 customers expect they’re going to pay in an Amazon world is much lower,” says Mountain Standard cofounder Eric Lyon. His brand keeps cost down by managing its own raw materials and even built an early version of a hardshell out of other brands’ castoff materials.
Big brands are pulling this off by switching to proprietary materials over pricier premium fabrics and getting creative with their manufacturing. And sometimes it’s just a matter of flexing big-company muscle: “We can go into a factory with pretty large order numbers and negotiate great prices,” says Greg Thomsen, U.S. managing director for adidas Outdoor.
