Bracketing Rain Jackets: The Hood Is the Fit Test, Not the Chest

Waterproof ratings are hydrostatic head measurements: the height of a column of water the fabric can hold before it leaks. A 5,000 millimetre rating handles light showers, 10,000 handles steady rain, and 20,000 handles prolonged heavy rain. The rating describes the membrane, not the jacket, and a high rating with failed seams still leaks.

The coating on the outside matters as much as the membrane. The durable water repellent finish, DWR, makes rain bead and roll off the face fabric. When it wears off, the face fabric wets out, the jacket feels clammy, and people blame the membrane for a coating problem. DWR can be restored with a technical wash and a reproofing treatment, which is cheaper than a new jacket.

The rating is a column of water

Put the hood up and turn your head left and right. A good hood turns with your head, so the brim stays over your eyes and the jacket does not twist around your shoulders. A bad hood stays put while your face turns inside it, and you end up looking at the inside of the fabric. Cord locks at the back and sides let you tune the fit; a hood with no adjustment is a hood that fits one head shape.

Check the brim from the side in a mirror. It should clear your peripheral vision without flopping over your eyes when the wind picks up. If you have to hold the brim with a hand to see the pavement, the hood is a decoration, not a feature.

The hood decides in the first minute

Try the jacket over the layer you will actually wear under it, not over a t-shirt. A fleece or a light puffy changes the fit by a full size in the chest and the shoulders, and a jacket that fits over a tee will bind over a midlayer. Pit zips matter here too: they vent heat when you are walking uphill, and a jacket without them turns into a sauna in twenty minutes.

Raise both arms overhead and watch the hem. It should stay over your waistband, not ride up to your ribs. Sit down in it and check the same thing. A jacket that rides up when you sit will ride up every time you get in a car.

Fit it over what you will actually wear

Keep the size that lets you turn your head, raise your arms, and sit down without the hem moving or the hood dragging. The other size goes back the same day. A rain jacket is a tool for staying dry while moving, and the fit test is movement, not standing still in front of a mirror.

Keep reading: Bracketing Wool Blazers: The Shoulder Seam Tells the Truth, Bracketing Chelsea Boots: Ankle Fit Decides, Not Size.

Keep the one that moves like a shell, not a tent

If both sizes fail the hood test, the hood design is wrong for your head, not the size. Return both and look for a three-way adjustable hood. The chest measurement will never tell you that, which is why the size chart is the last thing to trust on a rain jacket.

Frequently asked questions

What waterproof rating do I need in a rain jacket?

A 5,000 millimetre rating handles light showers, 10,000 handles steady rain, and 20,000 handles prolonged heavy rain. The rating describes the membrane; seams and zips matter just as much.

Why does my rain jacket wet out even though it is waterproof?

The DWR coating on the face fabric has worn off, so the fabric saturates even though the membrane still holds. A technical wash and reproofing usually fixes it.

How should a rain jacket hood fit?

It should turn with your head, with the brim clearing your peripheral vision, and cord locks that hold it without strangling. If you have to hold the brim to see, the hood is wrong.

Should I size up in a rain jacket for layering?

Only if you will layer a fleece or puffy under it. Try the jacket over that layer, not over a t-shirt, and judge the fit with your arms raised.