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CHOOSING THE RIGHT HIKING JACKET

Your hiking jacket will be the essential layer of protection in the 3-layer system that will guarantee you excursions sheltered from the vagaries of the weather. It is therefore important to choose the right hiking jacket to ensure 100% comfort for walks.

What is the hiking jacket for?

If there is indeed a hiking clothing that requires careful selection, it's the jacket. Last element to compose an effective 3-layer system, the hiking jacket must protect you from wind, rain, possible friction against stones and brush while wicking away your perspiration. You should therefore choose a waterproof, windproof, strong and breathable jacket. Depending on the season in which you will be hiking and, more generally, the climatic conditions you will have to face during your outings, you will then have to choose a hiking jacket that is more or less warm. The distance you cover and the difficulty of the ascending elevation will also allow you to decide between a classic waterproof jacket and a softshell model.

Breathability, an essential criterion for a hiking jacket

© Photo The North Face

Base, mid or protective layer: for a hiking garment to provide you with real comfort, it is essential that it offers you good breathability. To choose your waterproof jacke , do not forget to check this criterion. If Gore-Tex is the most famous membrane in the field, many manufacturers have developed their own technical fabric with small pores able to keep rainwater out while being large enough to ensure optimal perspiration wicking.

GOOD TO KNOW: DO NOT CONFUSE WATERPROOF AND WATER REPELLENCY

These two terms are often confused while they do not guarantee you the same resistance to water. So a waterproof jacket will prevent rain from getting inside, while a water repellent jacket like a softshell will make it run off the surface. It is therefore preferable to choose a water-repellent hiking jacket if you do not want to go on long excursions, regardless of the elements.

The waterproof jacket, the essential for hiking

The first step in choosing the right hiking jacket is to find out about its waterproofness. Indeed, the level of protection against rain varies from one model to another. To help you find your way, most manufacturers write down the waterproof rating of their fabric. This value is expressed in Schmerber. The higher it is, the more your waterproof jacket will withstand heavy precipitation. Here are some key figures for choosing the right hiking jacket:

  • 2000 mm: this protection is suitable for an outing in the drizzle.
  • 10,000 mm: you will be able to cope with several hours in the rain.
  • 20,000 mm: this protection ensures excellent sealing.
  • 30,000 mm: these models are suitable for the most extreme situations.

In addition, be aware that waterproof jackets also offer protection against the wind.

The softshell jacket, a waterproof jacket?

For light hiking, we often think of the softshell jacket. It must be said that it provides good thermal insulation and is breathable. Be careful, however, to only reserve it for outings without rain, because if there is one area in which the softshell jacket sins, it is waterproofing. Indeed, if choosing a softshell hiking jacket ensures you comfortable outings thanks to the flexible materials used in its making, this only gives you water repellency which can quickly prove to be insufficient. On the other hand, it can be perfectly suited to dry and cold weather with or without wind thanks to its integrated lining. If you go out in rainy weather, a waterproof hiking jacket is therefore essential.

Adapt to effort and temperatures

© Photo Millet

When you like hiking, it is very complicated to always go out in the same weather conditions. Likewise, the different courses you embark on will each present different difficulties and will require more or less effort. If you are content to go out in spring or summer, a lightweight waterproof jacket or softshell will be more than enough for you. You can take it out in case of rain and wear it over your technical underwear (your base layer).

For autumn, in case of cooler temperatures, you just need to add it to your fleece to immediately gain thermal insulation and, if the end of the season lends itself to it, you can even store it in your backpack and stay in fleece, the ideal mid layer.

For winter and long-haul treks you will need a warm hiking jacket which therefore has a lining that will give you additional thermal insulation. A 3-in-1 jacket can also be very interesting. Composed of a fleece vest or a removable down jacket, it is suitable for very low temperatures when it is fully assembled and can act as a light waterproof jacket once the internal vest removed. Thus, you can change the configuration depending on your level of effort and the temperature. You can also use it in it's lightest configuration mid-season.

For long-term efforts, it may be interesting to choose a hiking jacket with ventilation zips or mesh pockets to avoid hot spots.

Hiking is not only practiced under bright sunshine, so it is essential to choose your hiking jacket for pleasant excursions regardless of the climatic conditions.

THE THREE KEY POINTS FOR CHOOSING THE RIGHT HIKING JACKET:

  1. In order for your jacket to keep you warm, it is important to choose a breathable hiking jacket.
  2. A waterproof hiking jacket is also windproof. For hiking in dry weather, a water-repellent softshelltype jacket may be sufficient.
  3. Thanks to its removable vest, the 3-in-1 jacket is a versatile hiking equipment that can be the right solution if you are going out at all times and in all weather conditions.

HIKING/TREKKING JACKETS