Raincoat Suggestions?

On an April/May trip last spring to France and the UK, as well as on a fall trip (Sept/Oct) to Northern Italy and Switzerland, I took this Columbia jacket. Perfect for layering, never got stuffy. My routine is tee shirt (long or short-sleeved as required) + cardigan or light fleece + jacket as needed. I always bring a pair of lightweight gloves as when my hands are cold, so is the rest of me.

I have used a Marmot jacket (waterproof windbreaker) for many trips. I bought one slightly large to allow layering underneath. Many of these type of jackets have zippers under the arms (aka "pit zips") for breathability. My jacket was about $100 but is very well made and has lasted 12+ years and many trips. I would suggest going to an REI if you have one near you as they will have many options that you can try on for fit and preference.

Enjoy your trip!

I like Columbia’s selection with a hood for sure and large pockets come in handy. Try to get a longer length at least below hips. They are well made and at a good price point.

Another vote for Marmot’s PreCip rain jacket. I take mine on every trip I take.

I sized up and bought a Long jacket from Eddie Bauer even though I'm just 5' 4". That got me an extra inch or two of length. Having taken full-length raincoats on several earlier trips, I refuse to do that when my itinerary covers a mix of rainy and dry destinations. It's a terrible drag to have to carry a full-length standard raincoat around; they never fit in a small suitcase. I insist on a lightweight jacket that will fit in a tote bag; mine can be crammed in my travel purse. Like others, I use a fleece for warmth under the jacket as necessary.

A hood is essential for me; it must have a way to adjust the snugness, or else it will be blown back off my head way too often.

Which raincoat does matter. I bought the precip in advance of our trip to the UK. I managed to lose it while rearranging luggage in Salisbury and ended up buying a replacement at a TJ Maxx in Bath. The New Balance coat served me well and I was happy to find something well priced that fit.
While it had poured early in our trip and the precip coat kept me dry, it only drizzled the rest of the trip (thankfully). I wore the new balance coat one day this summer when it was pouring and found it soaked me all the way through!!
The New Balance is a great windbreaker but clearly not waterproof.

I have an Eddie Bauer rain coat that I do like and use it as a windbreaker as well. However, it ends at the low hip and I find myself getting very wet from my seat down. I typically don't like to use an umbrella since it is another thing to carry, its easily lost and I find it difficult to take photos and follow a map/navigate while holding an umbrella. On my last trip which did end up to be a bit rainy, I brought rainpants and was so glad to have them. That said, I am in the market for a longer raincoat. I'm hoping to find something light weight, packable and that ends at the top of my legs (or covers my seat).

One tip I'll offer is that I always carry a visor. I use it for sun, of course, but I also use it under my hood of my raincoat. It keeps the rain off my glasses and the hood from flopping around on my face.

I have a waterproof rain jacket from Cabelas. NOW is probably the time to buy something as you might find good prices over the next week or so.

I had a Marmot Precip and liked it BUT it was cut too slim for my 70-year-old body plus it was an older model (from 2013) and the fabric was "crinkly". This is a key. IF you have stores near you with Marmot, Columbia, EB, etc, please try to go by and give the goods a feel, lol. Not only is cut important but feel and sound are important to me. My SIL still has her Marmot and really won't wear it because of the sound. The fabrics have changed a LOT in the years since we bought ours but there are still some that are noisier than others.

I also sized up when I bought my current jacket as I decided I wanted to be able to zip it up over a very small cross-body wallet. If it is raining hard I can fit a city map in one pocket, an umbrella in another pocket, my phone in a chest zip pocket and have my small cross body bag underneath so everything is covered.

Your profile doesn't indicate where you're from but if you need protection for winter, I use my rain jacket all winter long here in the N. Idaho Panhandle. It is roomy enough that I can fit a Costco puffy vest or a 100weight polarfleece jacket under it. I have an old 200 weight polarfleece jacket that I only wear when it is really bitter and it will barely fit under it. I can manage it if I don't have to wear the combo for a long time otherwise it feels too tight.

I have an L.L. Bean gore-tex shell parka (Stowaway) that comes down to my knees, got it 13 years ago before a canoe trip where I needed to keep my butt dry while paddling. I wear it in wet weather and it works great. Compresses into its inside pocket so easily packed. The hood keeps everything dry, and a baseball cap lets me see out easily and keeps the face dry too. Fits over layers in cold weather.

Sadly, Bean hasn't sold this product for several years. All their rainwear, and everyone else's too as far as I can find, stops at the hips. Based on this thread and others' experiences, you'd think someone would produce a knee length waterproof shell, but no one does, at least for men. Are you listening, RS? Or Bean, Columbia, Marmot, REI, Patagonia, Cabela's, and the rest? Maybe they're just trying to sell us pants to go with their mini-raincoats.

Thanks for reading my rant. Wish I could help. The zipper on my old Stowaway is starting to go, so I'm getting desperate.

Agree with you, Dick, aggravating! I can say that my friend has a very packable longer Columbia women's raincoat she said she got recently at her outlet mall. However, I've found nothing similar on their websites or in their stores, outlet or otherwise.

Raincoat fashion seems to have evolved with tehcnical breathable wateproof wear driven by the outdoor wear market. During my business suit days (decades ago) we had our London Fog below knee trench coats. These days, if we need malestorm rain protection hip-length rain coats need to be combined with rain pants.

I recently bought this women's, waterproof KUHL Jetstream Trench Coat which they refer to as thigh-length. The model in the REI photo is 5'9", and the size Medium is just short of her mid-thigh in front, longer in back. I (5'6") bought the Large to wear over a cardigan and Costco puffy vest plus other layers. The Large drops close to my knees in front and is at the top of my knees in back.

The side zipper pockets are large enough to fit a mid-sized travel umbrella. It has a hood with small built-in visor. And it fits in my Baggallini travel purse. 4 colors including Olive, Raven, Harbor (medium blue) and Wine.

Available to REI members through Nov 25th at 20% off, a $40 savings, which is still a significant investment at $160.

Edit: I just noticed that the description says the right pocket converts into a stuff sack. I'll have to try that!

CWSocial, that looks like a really nice jacket/coat. I like that Harbor color. Nice neutral alternative to black.

CWsocial, what a great jacket! Also when I clicked on it, alternative jackets appear. There is a REI Co-op Pike Street jacket that shows up. It looks similar and is a fair amount less expensive. I wish it would say if it also stowed into a pocket.

Pam, I really like and almost bought that Harbor color. My cool weather travel pallette is blue and burgundy. It was a little too matchy matchy with my travel pants. Looked a bit like I was wearing the rain pants that I am trying to avoid bringing. I bought the wine color.

I just tried scrunching it into the right pocket, which has a double-sided zipper and a carry loop once you've stuffed it in. But the result is bulky. And I'm not sure I'll do that again, risking the zipper on my expensive jacket. I think I'll just fold it gently (!) into a big Ziploc and put that into my travel purse.

jules m, I found this Q&A for the REI Pike Street trench:

Q: Does this coat have a packing pouch? Is it designed to be packable? Rough estimate of weight? I would like to use this for a trip to Europe and want to have a packable rain coat.

A: This jacket weighs approximately 13 ounces; it does not stow into one of its pockets.

Although the pocket-as-a-stuff-sack idea is clever, as noted above, I don't think I'll risk doing that again. On the jacket I bought, it creates a chunky sack, once stuffed. That could be good to stuff into a small daypack. I'd prefer it to be flat to fit into my day purse.

"Although the pocket-as-a-stuff-sack idea is clever, as noted above, I don't think I'll risk doing that again. On the jacket I bought, it creates a chunky sack, once stuffed."

I agree with this. My Cabela's jacket has a stuff sack but when "stuffed" it's bigger than I want, lumpy and it gets wrinkled if you stuff it when wet. I prefer the flat-fold into a ziplock as well. Plus if it is wet it won't get things in your purse or day pack wet.

BTW - I also put my travel umbrella into a ziplock for when it's wet. The inside of my pockets are open mesh so if you put something wet in there it soaks thru. I saw a cool thing at Cluny Museum in Paris last month where by the front door they had a stand of long plastic bags for umbrellas. Very neat!

You have already been told some great brands to look at. Make sure it is rated as "waterproof" vs. "water resistant". This does matter. Layering is the way to go.

I use a Columbia Raincoat, but the other brands mentioned are also good. Make sure you try it on over any layers that you think you might be wearing. You want it to feel good both layered and not layered.

Due to a slow but very significant weight loss over the last 18 months, I recently took 4 raincoats to Goodwill and gave my Marmot to our son. It was a men's jacket because REI didn't have a women's one large enough for me when I bought it. It fit him perfectly.

So I was faced with finding a jacket to replace all those. I settled on the Eddie Bauer Women's Rainfoil Packable Jacket which was on sale at 40% off. I ordered it in black. Due to a backorder mix up I cancelled it through customer service.

I went back online and ordered it in the Dark Loden color. Then the black one arrived on 11/21. The green one is due on Monday. I may keep both of them!

This jacket is supposed to go into a pocket. I tried that and it was not easy to do. I got a regular XL which goes down below my bottom. It provides more coverage than is indicated by the pictures.

A slight digression:

There's also enough room inside for me to wear this 32 Degrees Ladies 4-Way Stretch Jacket underneath. I was surprised at that. I got it at Costco for $23 with a discount. Amazon also sells it at a much higher price. I hate being cold, but I don't know if I'll take it on my RS Ireland tour in May.

I do know that I spent a lot of time at REI looking for a synthetic filled jacket for layering under the rain jacket. (Two of those went to Goodwill, too.) Even their discounted prices were many, many times the 32 Degrees price.

I prefer an umbrella. What's the use a of a raincoat if you don't have rain pants and waterproof shoes? I've also learned to duck inside when it pours because many springtime storms pass quickly. Umbrellas and cheap raincoats are available everywhere I've traveled in Europe. I have two souvenir umbrellas that I've brought home (5 euro, always haggle). Get a bright color so your wife can find you in a crowd.

Agree with others that have mentioned longer lightweight rain jackets. I find on rainy and/or windy days, it’s nice to have a little more coverage. I have an older model from REI that has served me well as a top layer on many trips.

ooh, CWSocial, I am now coveting that coat! My current jacket stuffs to about a little smaller than those airline pillows. I do definitely see the point regarding the wear on the jacket when stuffing it. When you fold your coat and place into the ziplock, can you give me an approximate size? Thanks!

I just bought this and wore it for a week in Ireland. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PN21GF8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1&psc=1

I have a Columbia waterproof trench that I can’t find online anymore and love it - but I have gained some weight and it isn’t comfy right now. I also didn’t want to pay $100 or more; so this one was a compromise. It runs a bit large, which I love - I alternated between wearing just this and putting a Uniqlo down jacket under it for extra warmth. Lots of room.

I absolutely want a raincoat that is longer. I was willing to trade the space it might require for the coverage and the price. It was nice to have it long enough to occasionally sit on a wet bench or wall and stay dry. I did not wear it in an absolute downpour but it worked fine in a drizzle.

Hi julesm,

I just folded it into a ziplock and rolled the air out like you would a compression bag. The result is 9.5" x 10.5" and about a lumpy 0.5" thick. If I then roll the ziplock, the result is a 10.5" long cylinder of about 3" diameter.

The 20% off on this jacket is valid through 11/25. I went to REI today and they had a variety of other rain jackets of varying lengths and thicknesses. Many (not all) on either their 20% or 30% off sale.

We have his-and-her jackets from Costco (several years old) that go on every trip -- waterproof, about $20. I see that Costco has some different rain jackets now for $19.99.

Here are two more mid-thigh or longer waterproof/breathable rain jackets for women (sorry, guys). I have both and use them for different purposes.

This Eddie Bauer one is two layers of fabric, so warmer and doesn’t feel “clammy” against the skin. But it does not pack small. I took it to Japan and kept it folded in the back panel of my roller bag most of the time (it only rained once in the 2 weeks).

https://www.eddiebauer.com/p/20612272?sp=1&color=400&size=S

The “Girl on the Go” jacket you see if you scroll down is also mid-thigh and less expensive, but it does not say it is breathable.

Eddie Bauer is always having sales, like 40% off everything, so I wait for one of those before buying from them.

This one by Outdoor Research is single-layer and amazingly light. (Mine is 6 ounces). It does stuff into its own pocket. If the link does not come through, google “Outdoor Research Helium Traveler Jacket”. It runs small, so you may want to size up one size.

https://www.amazon.com/Outdoor-Research-Womens-Helium-Traveler/dp/B01EVQ57H4

I used to travel with a super light-weight zippered athletic jacket that was water repellant. They fold up into nothing (fits easily into a day pack) and a black one goes well with everything. I'm not sure about the brand, but it might have been Nike. You can find these types of jackets very inexpensively at stores like TJMaxx or Marshall's, and sometimes department stores run a good sale. Being Black Friday week, you might even find a great deal online.

I never travel without a rain shell, then adjust warming layers depending on when and where I'm going.

I'm currently using one from Columbia. Rather than suggest a specific rain shell (I don't even know your gender). Here are some features I look for:
Water proof (not water resistant)
Hood
Long enough so rain drips past my bottom
Water/wind proof front closure
Zippered pockets (always good when traveling)
Room for warm layers
Not on mine but also worth considering:
Zippered underarm vents (for warm weather travel)
Inside drawstring for waste (good when it's cold and windy)
Hope that helps.

Thank you everyone for all the wonderful tips and suggestions! There are so many good options out there. I'm definitely going to head to REI this week and try a few on to see what might work best, and I'll also take a look at all the online suggestions. It's great to hear different experiences and what has worked well for others!

Today is the last day for the 20% off one item for members at REI!