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Want to stay dry on a budget? Over the past 3 years, we've tested dozens of coats and to bring you these 9 best budget women's rain jackets to put to the test. We've put the most impressive contenders in the field to the test over the past five years, this time challenging affordably priced competitors to measure up in all the same tests. We pushed them under a full hose spray and holding puddles of water to see where their limits were. From hiking or biking to running or running errands, we've found the best high-value jackets with low price tags to keep you dry and comfortable.
Editor's Note: This review was updated on July 3, 2023, to include updated and new jackets from Marmot, REI, The North Face, Columbia, Eddie Bauer, and Sierra Designs.
Weight: 9.1 oz | Material: 100% recycled ripstop NanoPro nylon
REASONS TO BUY
Great venting and breathability
Good coverage and weather protection
Lightweight and comfortable
REASONS TO AVOID
Zippers aren't waterproof
Smaller fit may be harder to layer
For affordable rain gear, you can expect to make a few sacrifices in protection to save extra cash. For the fewest sacrifices and a very well-worth-it price, we love the Marmot PreCip Eco. This coat kept us pleasantly dry, from regular summer rainstorms to standing under a high-pressure hose and letting water sit pooled for extended periods. It's thin, fairly flexible, and comfortable to wear against your skin, even in warmer climates. Rolling the hood into the collar and taking advantage of dual venting through mesh-lined pockets and zippered armpits help you release built-up heat when needed. A slim, athletic fit keeps it looking classy while ready for action. Rain cloud passed? Stuff this coat into its pocket and clip it outside your pack as you continue your adventure.
The slim fit of the PreCip can make it more challenging to comfortably fit on the wide variety of shapes of womankind, so if a slim fit sounds small to you, consider sizing up. It can also make layering more challenging, especially over bulky warm layers. It's also not the lightest jacket we tested, though it's within a couple of ounces, which we find acceptable. And, like all jackets in this review, it lacks certain amenities like waterproof zippers and extra-durable fabric that can get you through the harshest conditions. We adore this rain jacket's look, feel, and performance and highly recommend it as our top choice at a budget price.
All good things come at a cost, and when buying a budget rain jacket for women, there will be some sacrifices you'll have to make when looking within a certain price range. We found the REI Trailmade to meet our basic needs for a water-resistant and comfortable jacket, all at a good price. We liked how comfortable the Trailmade is for all-day wear. The fabric felt good on our skin, it layers well, and the jacket didn't restrict movement. It is fully lined, which adds bulk and warmth, making it a good choice for colder weather. The 2-layer polyester shell is seam sealed, and a DWR finish helps water pool and roll off the fabric.
Although the Trailmade offers moderate protection from the rain, it fell a bit short in heavy downpours. We got wet during our hose testing, and water soaked through the fabric after a short exposure. The hood is large, falls over our eyes, and is not volume adjustable. REI also claims the Trailmade is packable, but this isn't entirely true. You can stuff the jacket into its pocket, but the zipper isn't reversible, so you can't zip it up and clip it to anything. Although this coat is not fancy or high-tech, it's a great jacket for the occasional user who needs a basic raincoat at an affordable price.
The REI Co-op Trailmade will keep you dry in a sudden rain shower but we wouldn't recommend it for prolonged and heavy rain.
If you're reading this in search of a lightweight jacket for warmer days with some precipitation protection at a budget-friendly price, the SoTeer Lightweight Hooded may be your dream come true. This polyester layer is super thin and the lightest coat we tested. Despite being unable to find information on any waterproof coating, we're impressed by how long this modest windbreaker-like jacket held out before becoming saturated. Though we wouldn't rely on this keeping us dry on a cold and rainy winter day in Seattle, it'll keep you dry enough to run errands for a short time. It's also exceedingly breathable, making it one of the better options for warmer weather and high-output activities like bike commuting or running.
However, the SoTeer isn't without its drawbacks. Namely that in a category of raincoats, it's not up to the task of heavy precipitation or all-day deluges. It has some of the shortest sleeves of any model we tested and easily exposes not just the wrists but a good chunk of the forearm while moving around. The pockets hang open, quickly collecting stray droplets, making them useless for anything other than soggy hands. And this budget rain jacket has some corner-cutting construction, from thin, flimsy fabric to giant overhangs of excess fabric flopping around inside, lined with loopy, sloppy hems. But if you need to save serious cash and only need a little bit of water protection, this lightweight windbreaker-like budget rain jacket for women may be right up your alley.
The inexpensive SoTeer sounds like a dream come true. And if you want a windbreaker with minor water-repelling properties, short sleeves, and questionable construction, it might be.
Looking for a lightweight, high-tech jacket at a budget price? Check out the crowd favorite, Eddie Bauer Cloud Cap. It is constructed with 2.5-layer WeatherEdge technology, is fully seam sealed, and uses StormRepel Super DWR, Eddie Bauer's longest-lasting moisture-shedding finish. This jacket kept us dry in heavy rain and was one of the top performers in all categories throughout our testing process. Small details can make a big impact, and we appreciate the weight-saving waterproof zipper, the pit zips, the ripstop fabric, and how the jacket packs into its pocket for stowing or clipping to the outside of your backpack. The Cloud Cap's minimalist construction saves weight, and it was the lightest jacket we tested that still packed into its own pocket. This adds to the versatility of this coat and makes it a great jacket for backpacking trips where you need to have it on the outside of your pack for quick access during intermittent showers.
Most of the jackets we tested have a storm flap covering the zipper to prevent water from seeping through this obvious weak spot. The Cloud Cap uses a waterproof zipper which saves weight but isn't as waterproof as we'd hoped. Though it withstood our hose testing handily, letting water pool on it for an extended period did lead to a soaked interior. The fabric material is also rather noisy when moving the arms, making that 'crinkly' noise often associated with waterproof rain jackets. Minor complaints aside, the Cloud Cap is one of our favorites to pack and wear.
Breathable, comfortable and waterproof, the Eddie Bauer Cloud Cap was one of the best rain jackets we tested.
Looking for a budget women's rain jacket for those cold and stormy days? The Columbia Hikebound is the thickest and warmest jacket we tested. It has a 100% fine mesh polyester lining for extra warmth and was one of the few jackets that passed all of our rigorous water tests. The Omni-Shield waterproof coating causes water droplets to roll off the fabric, while the inner layer is designed to wick away moisture and is highly breathable. The jacket is well designed, and we liked the addition of a water-resistant zippered chest pocket to stow items like keys or your phone easily. The hood and hem are easily adjusted with bungee drawcords, and the jacket has a nice roomy fit for layering. The Hikebound did an excellent job at keeping us dry in even the wettest conditions, and despite it not being as lightweight or high-tech as some of the other jackets on the market, it is a great basic and budget-friendly raincoat.
Although this jacket performed exceptionally well at keeping us dry on the outside, it wasn't as breathable as we hoped. The pit zips did help regulate body temperature, but we got a bit sweaty when hiking uphill. Also, at 15 ounces, it is the heaviest product we tested, making it not our first choice for a backpacking trip where every ounce counts. It is also rather bulky and takes up more space in a pack compared to the other jackets we tested. These factors may be limited in where to use the Columbia Hikebound, but if you want a reliable budget-friendly women's rain jacket that you know will keep you warm and dry, this is a great option.
The Columbia Hikebound will keep you warm and dry and is a great choice for rainy and chilly mountain hikes.
Weight: 11.6 oz | Material: 100% recycled polyester WindWall
REASONS TO BUY
Breathable
Soft and comfortable to wear
Reasonable emergency protection
REASONS TO AVOID
Less waterproof than some
Boxy fit and is a bit on the short side
If you want a fashionable, functional jacket that keeps you cool on the trail, check out The North Face Hydrenaline 2000. It's an affordable, extremely comfortable, and highly breathable jacket that will keep you dry in a drizzle and is stylish enough that you might even want to wear it when it's not raining. We like how it doesn't have that typical stiffness that is so often associated with rain jackets yet still offers reasonable protection in a downpour. It has a soft, flexible exterior that blocks wind and a cozy mesh liner on the inside, adding extra warmth. To keep you dry inside, the Hydrenaline 2000 uses FlashDry technology, engineered to repel water and accelerate moisture evaporation while sweating. Another feature we like is the elastic cuffs, which help prevent water from sneaking under the sleeves. It is made with 100% recycled body and lining fabrics and easily packs into its pocket for a quick stash or as an emergency backup option that lives in your bag.
As much as we like this budget rain jacket for women, it does have a few downfalls. When it comes to heavy or prolonged rain, this model isn't our top choice. The non-waterproof zipper has no storm flap to protect it from the outside. The outer layer is made of WindWall polyester, which does a good job of blocking the wind and keeping you dry in a light sprinkle, but it will not hold up to a heavy downpour. It is also rather thin and not made of ripstop material, which lowers our confidence in its ability to withstand hardcore adventuring. Yet, when it comes to a super comfortable, breathable, and lightweight jacket that's easy to pack with and offers reasonable protection against a minor downpour, we love the Hydrenaline 2000.
The North Face Hydrenaline 2000 hood snugs down nicely with a pull cord.
Credit: Landon Roark
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From light rain to a heavy downpour, the Marmot PreCip Eco is our jacket of choice to keep you dry.
Credit: Tad McCrea
Why Trust GearLab
We've been testing the best budget rain jackets for women for the past three years. Before our testing process begins, we spend hours researching the best budget raincoats to find the most promising contenders that won't break the bank. Each year, we then purchase the most promising contenders to test side by side. We tested their waterproofness under and uniform sprinkle and spray of a hose and pooled water on zippers to see how wet the inside got. We played outside in them, testing their ability to twist and move with us as well as keep us from sweating too much during aerobic activities. We scrutinized construction methods and materials and weighed and packed up every option. Our unbiased testing methods provide the most honest and accurate picture of these jackets available today.
We tested every jacket's performance in a series of tests and evaluations across 5 mutually exclusive metrics:
Weather Resistance (30% of overall weighting)
Breathability (25% weighting)
Comfort and Mobility (20 weighting)
Weight and Packability (15% weighting)
Durability (10% weighting)
This review is led by long-time outdoor adventurers, Whitney Clark and Maggie Nichols. Whitney grew up in the Pacific Northwest, where she grew accustomed to playing outside in the rain. She never lets the weather stop her from heading out for a run, going on a weeklong backpacking trip, or having an adventure with friends. Whitney has been climbing and exploring mountains worldwide for the past 10 years and also leads our team of women's high-end rain jacket testers. Maggie originally hails from the Midwest, home of torrential summer downpours and daily severe storms in certain months. She loves kayaking, biking, and long runs in the rain when most folks head home. Maggie has guided backcountry expeditions in jungles and mountains for over 15 years and has used her scientific research background to test and write for GearLab since 2017.
Checking out the pit zips on the REI Co-op Rainier jacket.
Easily adjustable, versatile, and comfortable with its DriClime lined chin, the Marmot PreCip Eco is our favorite budget rain jacket.
We put these jackets to the test outside and in the lab to find out which budget picks are most worth your money.
Analysis and Test Results
We tested each coat across five mutually exclusive, weighted metrics to provide a complete picture of every model's performance, versatility, and appeal. In this section, we'll run through how we tested and which jackets perform the best in specific areas, helping you to find the perfect fit for your life.
What's the Best Value?
In a category of gear pulled together for its wallet-friendly nature, there are several high-value options available. The REI Trailmade strikes a near-perfect balance of functionality in mild rainstorms, comfort and mobility, and affordability. For those folks on a very tight budget, just needing a light layer of protection, the SoTeer offers that combination of features and low cost. If you have a little bit more cash at hand and anticipate needing more protection, the Marmot PreCip Eco is our favorite of the bunch and has outcompeted the rest for several years running. Even the Eddie Bauer Cloud Cap can be a great deal at times — it scores near the top of the pack in our testing and can sometimes be found available for a deep discount.
Testing the Sierra Designs Microlight 2.0 on a hike in the Pacific Northwest rainforest.
Credit: Jan Clark
Weather Resistance
The most important aspect of a good rain jacket is that it keeps you dry. However, the actual ability of each coat to adequately do that varies widely from model to model. We tested each coat in laboratory conditions to ensure consistency across the board. We used a hose to simulate varying intensities of rain and left water pooled on fabric and zippers for extended amounts of time. We evaluated all parts of each jacket, from the fabric and zippers to the coverage provided by the hood and the protection offered by the pockets. As much as we'd love to be able to report that all the budget rain jackets for women that we tested will protect you from rain, unfortunately, this is not the case.
What's DWR treatment?
DWR, or Durable Water Repellent, is a fabric treatment applied to a garment to help it repel water. It's applied to a huge variety of outdoor gear, from coats to shoes to tents. However, this is just a treatment to your garment, which will wear off over time — especially with frequent wear or laundering. Fortunately, you can easily reapply it right at home with a product like Nikwax Tech Wash. Be sure to research how your rain jacket is waterproofed so that you can extend its use for as long as possible.
The best-performing products in this metric have solid materials with DWR coating, long, protective sleeves, storm flaps to cover zippers, and great-fitting hoods. Leading the pack is the Marmot PreCip Eco. Dual storm flaps keep the water-resistant zipper away from the rain, long sleeves, and a drop hem keep you covered in all the right places, and a fitted adjustable hood with a brim keeps your face shielded. The Columbia Hikebound is also impressively waterproof with its seam-sealed construction and covered zippers. These two jackets are the only two that successfully prevented any water from getting inside the jacket through all of our testing.
The DWR treatment on the Marmot PreCip Eco, along with its active fit that lets you move while keeping you dry, make this jacket one of our favorite options to wear when the weather turns sour.
Credit: Laura Casner
The Eddie Bauer Cloud Cap is also impressively waterproof with its 2.5-layer weather edge seam-sealed construction and waterproof zippers. The REI Rainier also proved solidly waterproof. These jackets performed well during faucet testing and wearing outside in the rain.
We tested the jackets by pooling water to see how the fabric responded. The Eddie Bauer Cloud Cap was a disappointment as the 'waterproof zipper' was not waterproof at all and the water quickly seeped through.
Credit: Whitney Clark
However, they both let us down slightly on their main zippers. During our water pooling test, the waterproof zipper on the Cloud Cap did not prevent water from leaking through, and in a matter of minutes, the inside of the jacket was soaked. The REI Rainier was a similar story, and once the water got under the storm flap, it soaked right through.
The Columbia Hikebound uses Omni-Tech waterproof technology to keep the water from penetrating through to your inner layers.
Credit: Whitney Clark
Breathability
The ability of your jacket to breathe while still protecting you from the wind and rain is essential. After all, if you didn't care about breathability, you'd be happily wearing your plastic poncho right now rather than reading this article. But breathability is more than just zippers and vents (though the right vents can make a massive difference). We wore these jackets in light to moderate exercise to see which ones let off steam and which collected sweat. We also tested them from the opposite direction, examining how windproof they were in front of our laboratory fan.
Understanding Your Layers
The number of “layers” listed in a rain jacket is a confusing specification. Whether the coat is made of 2, 2.5 (yes, really), or 3 layers, all of these options are comprised of some combination of an external waterproof layer and a breathable inner layer. These layers are typically fused to appear to the eye as a single layer — meaning you can't tell how many layers are in your rain jacket just by looking at it.
2-layer jackets are made in two different ways. The lower-budget version adds a waterproof layer to a separate mesh lining to increase breathability. More technical jackets fuse these layers together (think of GORE-TEX), increasing the price and required upkeep but cutting down on weight and bulk.
2.5-layer jackets are one of the most common budget options and achieve that “half-layer” by spraying on a protective coating over the inner membrane. This strategy used more affordable materials like polyurethane, offering a middle ground between protection, breathability, and cost.
3-layer jackets are robust and durable, combining a waterproof outer layer, breathable middle layer, and protective inner layer (protecting the jacket from the oils of your skin). They require slightly less upkeep than 2-layer jackets and offer some of the best and most consistent protection in harsh weather.
A handful of the jackets we tested have zippered armpit vents - but the Marmot PreCip Eco and the Eddie Bauer Cloud Cap stand out from the rest. These perfectly placed pit zips make a massive difference when it comes to exercising in the rain, and these two ended up being our favorite choices for precipitous hikes and drizzly bike commutes.
The Marmot PreCip Eco has pit zips to help with breathability.
Credit: Taylor Lyon
The PreCip also has a hood that can be packed away to get them off your back when you're sweaty (and it's not raining). Both jackets also feature mesh-lined pockets, effectively making the hand pockets an additional set of vents for your torso.
Pit zips help you stay cool in the Eddie Bauer Cloud Cap Jacket.
Credit: Landon Roark
Using a different strategy, The North Face Hydradrenaline 2000 employs FlashDry technology which is extremely effective at moisture management and helps accelerate evaporation to keep you dry while sweating. It also uses flexible fabric with a higher level of permeability that keeps you cooler even as your activities start to heat up. The SoTeer uses a similar thin-fabric strategy to help your torso breathe but doesn't have the extra features to go the distance, like vents or the ability to stow the hood. You can push the sleeves up, but that's true of many elastic-cuffed jackets.
A look at the mesh liner inside The North Face Hydrenaline 2000 rain jacket.
Credit: Whitney Clark
Comfort and Mobility
Any garment you wear must be at least moderately comfortable. As we all have different ideas and needs when it comes to exactly what makes something comfortable to wear, we tested some of the most obvious factors that we can all agree on. We wore them over our skin and over other layers of clothing to see what they felt like and how happily we could put them on over warm clothes and tank tops. We moved in them to see how they twist, if they rise up and leave torsos or wrists exposed, and if you can still see with the hood up. We considered their overall style — are they slim and trim or boxy and loose? And we considered how easy they are to use — do the zippers catch on storm flaps? Are the pockets useful?
The Marmot PreCip Eco is one of our favorites to wear. Despite being impressively waterproof, it's more flexible and less crinkly and plastic-feeling than many others. It has long enough sleeves to keep us covered and moves as we move. It is on the slim side, though, so if that sounds small or harder to layer, consider sizing up.
The Marmot PreCip Eco is a slim-fit coat that's less crinkly than others and has all the right features to move with you while you play.
Credit: Laura Casner
The North Face Hydrenaline 2000 and SoTeer are also quite comfortable to move and be active in, though they're much closer to windbreakers than rain jackets.
The SoTeer is soft and flexible, with wide cuffs that make the sleeves comfortable to wear pushed up your arm.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
The REI Rainier and Trailmade are also pretty pleasant to wear for casual activities without the “crinkly” noise that often comes hand in hand with a waterproof rain jacket. The Trailmade, especially, has soft material that feels nice against the skin, and the jacket doesn't restrict mobility when hiking and moving around.
We struggled with the hood on the REI Trailmade jacket. It was too large, fell over the eyes, and didn't have a bungee or velcro tab for adjustment in the back.
Credit: Tad McCrea
The feel of the super-light Sierra Designs Microlight 2.0 is an excellent choice when you want a layer that moves well with your body while hiking and is almost unnoticeable.
Thumb loops on the Sierra Designs Microlight 2.0 keep the sleeves snug on the wrist and prevent water seepage.
Credit: Landon Roark
Weight and Packability
If your rain jacket lives in your closet rather than in your backpack or suitcase, this metric may be of little importance to you. However, the jackets we tested represent a wide range of weights and packed sizes that can be easily felt just by wearing them. We weighed every coat we tested (all size medium), packed them up into pockets or hoods, and compared their overall sizes and the ease at which we could bring them along with us.
The lightest rain jackets are the SoTeer (6.6 ounces) and the Sierra Designs Microlight (7.9 ounces). Although neither of them pack away into their own pocket, they compress down and are easily shoved into a backpack without much notice. The Eddie Bauer Cloud Cap was our favorite for weight and packability because, at 8.1 ounces, it was the lightest of all the budget rain jackets that we tested that could be zipped into its own pocket and clipped to the outside of a backpack.
Several of the jackets we tested can be packed up into their own pocket (or an included pouch), including the pictured, Marmot PreCip Eco.
Credit: Maggie Brandenburg
Many of the jackets in our lineup can be packed up into their own pockets and easily tossed into or clipped onto a bag. This is a nice feature when you encounter intermittent storms and want to have the jacket easy to grab and throw on at a moment's notice. The Marmot PreCip Eco, REI Rainier, Eddie Bauer Cloud Cap, and The North Face Hydrenaline 2000 all stuff into their pockets and zipped closed to become a small portable package.
A side by side comparison of the Eddie Bauer Cloud Cap (left) and the REI Co-op Rainier (right) while packed into their pockets.
Credit: Whitney Clark
Durability
Even when you're saving money on your new gear, you still want to know that it's going to last a while. We didn't have years to test each budget raincoat, but we spent significant time scrutinizing and comparing building materials, design flaws, and the minute details of every jacket. We looked for weak spots and made note of places that seemed likely to fail through long-term use. And to broaden our pool of input, we also scoured the internet for frequently reoccurring complaints from other users to see if we found the same issues in our jackets.
Don't Let it Die!
No matter what rain jacket you ultimately choose, none of them will be waterproof forever (unless you buy a plastic poncho and never tear a hole in it). Every coat has different treatments to actually be waterproof and requires different upkeep to extend the life of that treatment. Some require the reapplication of a DWR treatment, tossing it in the dryer to reactivate a layer, or periodic upkeep on your seams. Your rain jacket is one garment you should keep the tags on to adequately provide the care it needs and keep you dry for as long as possible. For more tips and tricks on caring for DWR-treated fabric, the most common type of waterproof treatment, check out this article from REI.
Once again, the Marmot PreCip Eco, the REI Co-op Rainier, and the Eddie Bauer Cloud Cap are at the top of the pack when it comes to durability. They may not be as sturdy as some super-thick (and super expensive) options out there, but they're solidly built. Simple construction with good designs and quality materials make these recycled-nylon coats ready to go the distance.
The REI Rainier has a velcro storm flap to cover the zipper.
Credit: Whitney Clark
The Columbia Hikebound displays above-average materials and construction. It is the thickest jacket we tested and stood up to our repeated tests of rubbing the fabric against rocks to simulate the wear and tear that occurs when wearing these jackets outside. This coat, as well as the Marmot PreCip, the Eddie Bauer Cloud Cap, the REI Co-op Rainier, and the Sierra Designs Microlight 2.0, are all made with ripstop material, adding to our confidence in their ability to hold up to adventuring.
Keeping everyone dry during a sudden thunderstorm in Bishop, California.
Credit: Tad McCrea
Conclusion
We spent a lot of time attempting to stay dry to tease apart the differences between models in this lineup of promising women's budget rain jackets. No one wants to get caught in a storm unprepared, and we hope that our rigorous, intensive testing brings you honest, unbiased results to help you choose the best raincoat for your outdoor adventures.
