Anything that you wear or carry with you should be thought of as a tool for a job. The answer to any question that starts “What’s the best…” is a very simple “It depends.” Forums and social media contain many questions like this from people who are keen to get good gear and want advice but are unaware of the considerations surrounding what they are asking about. This page will attempt to look at those considerations rather than make specific recommendations on brands or models etc. The one exception is a particular brand that functions very differently to others in it’s space. Everyone has particular preferences and indeed some of the valid considerations that will affect an individual’s choices are personal value judgements.
Decisions on what to wear and carry on any given day will be governed by a number of highly variable factors: weather, experience (both yours and the group), type of terrain, ground conditions, expected duration etc. Whilst there are a few essentials for any hike, there is no overall ‘one-stop solution’.
Waterproofing vs Breathability
One thing to be very careful of is the word ‘waterproof’. This almost never means what it sounds like it does. What it actually means is “will stop water up to a point”. Many fabric technologies make claims about being waterproof – all of these will eventually allow water to pass through them. There are some rating scales – like hydrostatic head – which are specific measurements of the circumstances under which water will breach but this is not always comparable with other approaches and technologies. The trade-off is between breathability and water resistance. The more of a barrier something is to water, the less breathable it is which means that body heat and moisture can’t escape so you become hot and wet from the inside – thus defeating the point of keeping the rain out.