Does the Perfect Raincoat Exist?

Welcome to another installment of “things most people probably don’t overthink but I absolutely do.” Today’s obsession: staying dry when it’s raining out. Some of my most miserable times have been when I’ve gotten soaked and been extremely cold. The two combined are the worst for me—part of why I really dislike cold water swimming.

Keeping my body and feet dry (and warm) have been two ongoing quests of mine, and I’ve put in many hours trying to find the perfect raincoat that wouldn’t leak. I was also trying to avoid sweaty synthetic materials like plastic since they don’t breathe, which made the search even harder. It’s kind of required for certain types of boots, but I was hoping to avoid that plastic prison feeling for jackets.

The Early Attempts

One of the first rain coats I tried was a rain jacket from L.L.Bean that worked pretty well. It did its job keeping me dry until… well, let’s just say I got vomit on it (don’t ask) and had to wash it to get rid of the smell. Big mistake. Washing it completely destroyed the waterproofing, turning my trusty rain jacket into essentially a windbreaker.

I tried Nikwax waterproofing treatment on it, hoping to bring it back to life, but it didn’t really make a difference. (I also tried Nikwax on some winter gloves around the same time and it really didn’t help there either—starting to think that stuff is more marketing than magic.)

I also had a rain jacket from Eddie Bauer, but it was too big and I never really ended up wearing it in actual rain to test it properly. It just hung in my closet taking up space until I finally gave it away to someone who could actually use it.

So with my previous rain gear either destroyed or donated, I was back to square one.

The Waxed Canvas Experiment

I really like the idea of waxed canvas since I prefer 100% cotton or wool, and that fits the bill perfectly. I did some research and the one that kept popping up was Barbour, the British brand. Specifically, Barbour’s Derwent jacket from J.Crew caught my eye. They had plenty of options without hoods, which didn’t make sense to me for a raincoat—I mean, what’s the point of a raincoat without a hood, really?

I found one with a hood (which they no longer carry) and my wife was sweet enough to buy it for me as a gift. It was a great coat—stylish, not sweaty, and Barbour is a solid brand that really stands behind their products. They’ll even re-wax it for you, though they really should considering it’s not exactly a cheap coat.

It quickly became one of my favorite lighter weight coats, but there was just one problem: it wasn’t really waterproof. If you were out in the rain for an extended period, the water would eventually soak through—first at the seams and eventually through the canvas, even after I had it re-waxed. Apparently “water resistant” and “waterproof” are not the same thing. Who knew?

The Search for True Waterproofing

Well, there has to be a truly waterproof coat out there somewhere, right? Long enough so your pants pockets don’t get wet, but not down to your knees like a trench coat?

I started hunting again, this time ruling out cotton and resigning myself to potentially sweaty rain gear.

Stutterheim was a Scandinavian brand I discovered, and they made a fisherman’s raincoat. Now if anything was going to be waterproof, it had to be a fisherman’s raincoat—these people literally work in water for a living. But these coats were pretty expensive and I didn’t want to spend all that money just to have it leak like everything else.

As luck would have it, I stumbled upon a clearance model in my size in an acceptable green color, so I ordered it. First impressions: this was a heavy-duty rain coat that ran a bit small, making it hard to layer underneath. I couldn’t return it since it was a clearance item, so I was committed.

The big question: was it actually waterproof? Yes! It really was. The only downsides were that it was made of heavy material that made it sweaty during summer storms, and it was too bulky to pack for travel and the buttons were not the best for torrential rain. (They’ve since come out with a lightweight model that I haven’t tried yet.) I was happy with it overall, though I wished I had sized up for better layering ability.

The Travel-Friendly Quest

So now I needed something that was waterproof but packable for travel.

I searched for the best lightweight rain jacket, and the one that kept coming out on top was the Patagonia Men’s Torrentshell 3L Rain Jacket. During my research, I learned that rain jackets are generally 2-layer, 2.5-layer, or 3-layer construction, with 3-layer typically having the best waterproof results. This seems obvious in hindsight, but I thought all rain jackets were basically the same.

This coat pretty much fit the bill. It’s lightweight and good for travel, and it’s not too sweaty thanks to vents that zip closed when needed. Two issues though: it lasts a while before it starts to leak, but eventually it will leak, and it’s a little too short—everything in my front pockets will get soaked in a real downpour.

All in all, I can recommend this coat as well as the Barbour and Stutterheim, but be aware of the drawbacks with each.

Random Rain Gear Observations

L.L.Bean makes a good rain jacket that became my go-to for my kids, but they’re pricey for something kids will grow out of and barely use. Plus, they keep shifting their color options around and won’t just stick with orange, which is a great bright color for kids’ safety.

Some others I considered during my quest include Helly Hansen (I’m sure they have some solid options given their marine heritage) and Cole Haan’s rubberized raincoat for a more urban look.

The Verdict

So does the perfect raincoat exist? I’m starting to think it’s like the perfect anything—you end up with trade-offs. Want truly waterproof? You get bulky and sweaty. Want lightweight and packable? You sacrifice some waterproofing over time. Want natural materials? You get water-resistant at best. The Stutterheim Stockholm Lightweight Zip one size up might be the next raincoat I try.

Maybe the real answer is having the right coat for the right situation, which is exactly the kind of gear-obsessed conclusion that probably proves my wife’s point about overthinking these things, having too many coats and wasting money.

But hey, at least I’m dry, sometimes…