The 3 Best Rain Pants of 2023

We’re currently testing the women’s Arc’Teryx Beta AR Pant, which was not available when we previously tested. (The men’s Arc’Teryx Beta AR Pant is our upgrade pick.) We will update with our results.

Although you probably don’t need rain pants during lighter showers or warmer weather, a good pair of rain pants can help you stay dry and comfortable when you’re hiking in heavy rain or colder climates.

To find the best pair, we spent 45 hours conducting research, speaking to experts, conducting a killer wash test, and chasing rain through Oregon, Colorado, and Washington.

Based on our latest testing, we chose Marmot’s PreCip Eco Pants, which come in men’s and women’s sizes, as the best rain pants for most people. Water resistant yet breathable, these rain pants come in multiple inseam lengths, have a tailored cut, and offer features such as ankle zippers and side pockets. They’re also more affordable than many of the other pants we tested.

These lightweight, comfortable pants will keep you dry through rainy hikes. They are available in regular, short, and long versions to accommodate multiple heights.

These lightweight, comfortable pants will keep you dry through rainy hikes. They also come in three inseam lengths.

Compared with the other rain pants we tested, Marmot’s 2.5-layer PreCip Eco Pants (available in both men’s and women’s versions) will keep you dry for a lower price. In our tests the water-repellent coating on the PreCip pants held up well during Oregon rainstorms, even after five hours of continuous washing. And the fabric felt breathable during a steamy hike in the Hoh Rain Forest at Washington’s Olympic National Park. Although the PreCip pants are still roomy enough to move around in and to pull over base layers, they have a narrower cut than any other rain pants we tested and a better range of inseam lengths to fit people of different heights. (They don’t come in plus or petite sizes, however. For those options, check the Other good rain pants section.) With ankle zippers at the cuffs, these pants are easy to get on and off while you’re wearing boots. They’re also a few ounces lighter than most of the other rain pants we considered.

Advertisement

These pants are just as dry and comfortable in the rain. They come in only one length, but they have vented ankle zippers.

These pants are just as dry and comfortable in the rain. They have vented ankle zippers but come in only one length.

Patagonia’s Torrentshell 3L Pants (available in men’s and women’s versions) are similar to our top pick, but they are an ounce heavier, and they’re more expensive at this writing. The 3-layer ripstop-nylon fabric of these pants looks and feels identical to the fabric of our top pick, and the Torrentshell pairs were just as water resistant and breathable when we wore them while walking in the rain, too. They have longer ankle zippers that cool your legs when opened partially, which we loved. However, Patagonia doesn’t offer various inseam options for the Torrentshell pants (they come in a 32- to 32½-inch inseam), so they may be too long or short for many people—and if they don’t fit you well in that regard, you may end up tripping over your pants or showing some damp, chilly ankle.

At more than triple the cost of our top pick, these pants are a splurge. But they perform in rain, snow, and mountaineering conditions, plus they’re the most durable option we tested.

The women’s sizes are also a splurge. But they perform in rain, snow, and mountaineering conditions, plus they promise to be the most durable option.

The Arc’Teryx Beta pants (available in men’s and women’s versions) are the most insulating and durable rain pants we tested. If you’re just looking for a pair of rain pants to help you wait out a rainstorm, these are likely to feel too heavy and robust, but they’ll do especially well for mountaineering adventures and winter storms. The key is that they’re made with Gore-Tex Paclite material, which is totally windproof and waterproof, as well as exceptionally lightweight. The result is a 3-layer construction that breathes well but still keeps you dry. We also liked the reinforced instep patches along the calves; because of the thicker fabric, you’re less likely to rip your pants with crampons or snowshoes. And these pants are likely to stand the test of time longer than our other picks because of the fabric. Despite their wider range of sizes (up to XXL), however, Arc’Teryx clothing tends to run narrow, so you’ll probably want to try them on before you buy. If you have mountain or winter hikes coming up, they’re worth the splurge.

These lightweight, comfortable pants will keep you dry through rainy hikes. They are available in regular, short, and long versions to accommodate multiple heights.

These lightweight, comfortable pants will keep you dry through rainy hikes. They also come in three inseam lengths.

These pants are just as dry and comfortable in the rain. They come in only one length, but they have vented ankle zippers.

These pants are just as dry and comfortable in the rain. They have vented ankle zippers but come in only one length.

At more than triple the cost of our top pick, these pants are a splurge. But they perform in rain, snow, and mountaineering conditions, plus they’re the most durable option we tested.

The women’s sizes are also a splurge. But they perform in rain, snow, and mountaineering conditions, plus they promise to be the most durable option.

To find the best rain pants, we spent 15 hours combing through reviews of men’s and women’s rain pants, reading 11 other guides in all. We considered articles from The Adventure Junkies, Backpacker, GearLab, and Outside, in addition to many blog posts and forums. We also consulted REI’s handy rain-gear guide throughout our research and writing process.

Wirecutter’s Anna Perling wrote the first version of this guide in 2019 and interviewed several rain-gear experts, including Susan Sokolowski, an associate professor and the director of the sports product design program at the University of Oregon; Sean Michael, the program director for the outdoor product design and development program at Utah State University; and Stephen Regenold, the founder of GearJunkie, who is well known for his outdoor-gear knowledge. She also spoke with Liz Thomas, an accomplished lightweight thru-hiker and a former writer on the outdoors team at Wirecutter.

In 2022, freelance journalist Jenni Gritters updated this guide. Jenni has been writing and editing product reviews for almost a decade, with bylines in Wirecutter, Reviewed, Slate, and beyond. Previously an editor on the Wirecutter outdoors team (where she edited the first version of this guide), she now covers parenting, baby/kid, outdoor, and travel gear. She lives in Bend, Oregon, with her husband and two children. In the past, Jenni has worked with the REI Co-op Journal to create journalistic and gear-focused content; we put any REI item she tested through evaluations by a backup tester to ensure objectivity.

Avid hiker and photographer Kim Mock helped with testing plus-size rain pants for this guide in 2022. She has lived in Colorado for six years.

Rain pants are a just-in-case item that you’ll rarely need to take out of your bag—until you really, really do. If you’re hiking in a warmer climate, you probably don’t need rain pants. In fact, rain pants could actually make you too hot in milder climates, or they could cause chafing and discomfort while you’re sweating. Most rain pants are meant to keep water out, which also means that they don’t let sweat out, so if you’re hiking only a short distance in warmer weather and you won’t be wet for long periods of time, you should probably leave your rain pants behind.

“Many hikers don’t need to bother with rain pants, especially if you hike when it’s warm,” said Stephen Regenold, founder of GearJunkie. “They are among the least important pieces of outerwear…. [If] your legs are wet, it’s rarely game over.”

However, if you’re planning to hike in colder climates or at higher elevations, if you’re in a place prone to frequent, heavy rainstorms that last for long periods of time, or if you’ll be trekking through wet, brushy areas, this guide is for you. Keeping your core warm is more important than keeping your extremities warm, but your chance of getting hypothermia increases when you’re both cold and wet. Rain pants can help solve this problem.

Rain pants are a just-in-case item that you’ll rarely need to take out of your bag—until you really, really do.

This guide isn’t for ultralight hikers, most of whom probably don’t want the added weight of a situational accessory. (Even so, we do have a lightweight option in the Other good rain pants section that ultralight hikers might consider.) Former Wirecutter writer Liz Thomas, who held the women’s unassisted speed record on the Appalachian Trail between 2011 and 2015, said she hikes with an umbrella for maximum water protection with less weight.

The rain pants in this guide are instead meant for everyday hikers and backpackers—they’re not designed for full-submersion situations like angler fishing or kayaking. However, we can vouch for using our rain pants in non-hiking situations on occasion, too: We’ll layer them over long johns to go out in the rare Portland, Oregon, snowstorm, pop them on for a shoulder-season snowshoe, don them while biking, or put them on for a messy garden job. For a quick walk through the woods or muddy outdoor chores, any of our picks will work just fine.

After reading many websites and reviews, we looked at the top-rated and best-selling rain pant models that were widely available. We took that list of top models and narrowed the group based on the following criteria:

Layers: Rain gear is categorized by how many layers it’s made from. The industry generally divides such gear into 2-, 2.5-, and 3-layer categories.

Waterproof: A good pair of rain pants should keep water out. However, your required level of waterproofing or water resistance depends on your planned activities. If you’re trekking through a cold, very wet environment or hiking in rain for extended periods of time, you should have completely waterproof pants. If you’re somewhere warmer or in a place with intermittent rain, a breathable pair of water-resistant pants might be enough.

“[The term] waterproof [means it’s] a complete barrier to water, and water resistant means that some water will get through,” said the University of Oregon’s Susan Sokolowski. “Usually it’s a cost decision, so if you get pants that are fully waterproof, they’re more expensive. They’re also typically less breathable, so you have to consider your conditions.”

Though water-resistant pants are available, for this guide we reviewed only rain pants that were 100% waterproof.

Materials: Most of the pants in this guide are coated with a DWR film and made from materials ranging from nylon to polyurethane to polyester. We also tested Gore-Tex options; however, we found that a basic DWR coating did just about as good of a job of keeping most people dry in most normal hiking situations for around half the price (except for the materials used in our upgrade pick, which contains Gore-Tex Paclite and proved to be the most waterproof and breathable option in the mix). “I think Gore-Tex is a great solution,” said Sokolowski. “[But] there are other membranes that are out there that do the same thing…. It’s not the end-all and be-all.”

If you’re hiking in rain for extended periods of time, you should have completely waterproof pants.

Mobility: You’ll probably be moving around a lot in your rain pants, so it’s important that the pants move with your body. Some rain pants are made from stretchy fabrics that allow for greater mobility; these may be more expensive, but spending more can be worth it for the comfort. Designers also add gussets—pieces of fabric shaped like a triangle or diamond—to the crotches of rain pants to reduce the stress on the seams. But our experts noted that some pants are stretchy enough not to need gussets.

“The fabrics have gotten [stretchy enough] that a gusset isn’t as imperative as in the past,” said Utah State University’s Sean Michael. “With a quality cut and the relative stretch of the fabric, the gusset starts to become secondary unless someone is really doing bouldering or face climbing.”

Ease of use: Ankle zippers are important because they let you easily don and shed your rain pants as you hike. “Maybe you’re hot or it stops raining,” said Sokolowski. “You want to make sure the leg opening is easy for a shoe to get underneath and out so you don’t have to take your shoes off.”

Because rain pants often have ankle zippers or snap cuffs that would make alterations difficult, it’s important to find a pair with the right size and cut for you.

Almost all of the pants we tested for this guide are half-zip, though we did include a few pairs of full-zip pants, such as our upgrade pick. Half-zip pants, which have zippers running from about knee height to the pants’ cuffs, allow you to pull your pants off over hiking boots more easily. Full-zip pants unzip from the ground all the way to the waistband. Full-zip pants are easier than half-zip pants to get on and off, and they unzip to keep your legs cool, but our experts were concerned about the added weight of full zip pants and the risk of zipper failure. That is, if your zippers break or get stuck on a pair of half-zip pants, you’re still mostly covered. But if zippers break on a pair of full-zip rain pants, your entire leg is exposed, defeating the point of the rain pants altogether. You’re also likely to get water on your base layers when you remove full-zip rain pants. Plus, full-zip pants are often more expensive than half-zip options. Most of the half-zip pants we considered also come in full-zip versions if you’re set on having extra venting.

Fit: Most rain pants are made in both men’s and women’s sizes; choosing the right fit for your body helps with your mobility. Excess, bunchy fabric can get in the way, and pants that are too big are uncomfortable and noisy. We also looked for pants that offered petite, plus size, and multiple inseam-length options. Because rain pants often have ankle zippers or snap cuffs that would make alterations difficult, it’s important to find a pair with the right size and cut for you. You’ll be able to get a more customized fit if you opt for pants with an adjustable waist, too, whether the pants use a drawstring, elastic cord, or belt.

Weight: Even if you consider yourself more of a weekend warrior than an ultralight hiker, rain pants shouldn’t take up a lot of weight in your pack, because they’ll probably be in there most of the time. For this reason, we eliminated any pants that weighed more than a pound. We also decided to look at a few highly reviewed rain kilts as ultralight options. Rain kilts shed water off of your body—they’re like an umbrella, in skirt form—but they don’t provide as much coverage as rain pants because they don’t encapsulate your whole leg. Some ultralight hikers prefer kilts for their versatility (you can also use them as ground cloths, because they unfold into squares) and their lighter weights.

Features: We looked for pants with pockets because they’ll be a top layer and you may want to keep some items readily accessible there. Good rain pants should have taped or sealed zippers and seams, too, to keep water out.

In 2019 and 2022, we first tried on all the rain pants to observe how easy they were to move around in, how comfortable they were, how loud and swishy the fabric was, how easy they were to get on and off, and how well they fit.

Then we tested for water resistance. We conducted an eyedropper and spray test (per Sokolowski’s advice) to see whether the water soaked through or beaded on pants. Water didn’t soak through any of the pants, so they were all baseline waterproof. Even so, this test illustrated that some pants were more effective at repelling water than others: Water droplets practically jumped off several pairs of pants while clinging to the fabric of other pairs.

We also conducted a wash test to mimic long-term wear and tear on DWR coatings. While researching how outdoor-clothing brands test their rainwear, we came across Patagonia’s Killer Wash tests and reached out to Matt Dwyer, Patagonia’s director of materials and development, to learn more; Dwyer told us that Patagonia’s initial wash tests involve running rain gear through continuous five-, 12-, or 24-hour cycles. After reading the labels on all of the pants and kilts in our test group to make sure we followed the manufacturer’s instructions, we used powder detergent, washed the pants in cold water for five hours, and air-dried them. Then, we repeated the eyedropper and spray test to observe any differences (there weren’t any).

Anna Perling tested rain pants in Portland, Oregon, a city notorious for its rain. Jenni Gritters tested rain pants in Bend, Oregon, during the late winter and early spring seasons. Kim Mock took rain pants out into the Colorado wilds during the spring months, as well. When the rain turned out to be sparse in Portland, Anna also took the finalists to the Hoh Rain Forest in Washington’s Olympic National Park, which receives 12 to 14 feet of rain per year.

We wore all of our picks for at least an hour’s worth of hiking to test for mobility and breathability and to see how easy the pants were to get on and off. We lunged, jumped, rolled around in wet grass, splashed ourselves with river water, knelt in puddles, and rubbed our butts against mossy trees and gravel.

Ultimately, because all of our candidates proved to be waterproof enough, we made our picks based on sizing options, price, fit, and features. We combed through reviews on multiple retail sites to look for reports on long-term wear, too.

These lightweight, comfortable pants will keep you dry through rainy hikes. They are available in regular, short, and long versions to accommodate multiple heights.

These lightweight, comfortable pants will keep you dry through rainy hikes. They also come in three inseam lengths.

Marmot’s PreCip Eco Pants (available in men’s and women’s versions) will keep you dry just as well as the competition for a lower price, and they’re available in a wider array of inseam lengths. These 2.5-layer, ripstop-nylon pants are made with 100% recycled fabric and have ankle zips to help you get them over your boots. They also have zippered side pockets. Where the PreCip pants stand out is in their cut: They ranked among the best-fitting pants we tried, and they come in short, regular, and long inseam lengths. More of our testers found that this cut, of all the pants we tested, fit them the best. The women’s version tightens at the waist with a drawstring, while the men’s version tightens with Velcro.

On our Hoh Rain Forest hike and around town, the PreCip pants felt breathable.

Marmot’s pants kept us dry while we walked for several miles in heavier-than-usual rain and wind in Portland, Oregon. During our eyedropper and spray tests, we saw no signs of wetting through—both before and after putting the pants through five hours of continuous washing. Water didn’t bead up and jump off the PreCip pants quite as well as it did off the Arc’Teryx Beta pants, but neither did the water cling to the Marmot pairs’ fabric.

On our Hoh Rain Forest hike, the PreCip pants felt breathable. (The temperature was around 48 degrees Fahrenheit in the rain forest.) We felt noticeably sweaty and clammy after only an hour of hiking in the Columbia Storm Surge pants in the rain forest—but that wasn’t the case in the PreCip pants.

Tripping over pants isn’t fun, and neither is feeling like you’re wearing a couple of trash bags. We experienced that feeling while wearing many of the rain pants in our test group—but not when we wore the PreCip pairs. Instead, the PreCip pants fit well and were easy to move in; we also found their legs roomy enough to pull on over layers and then walk in. The PreCip pairs still look and feel like rain pants, of course, so they don’t get many style points. Their fabric isn’t as soft and stretchy as that of the sleeker Mountain Hardwear Stretch Ozonic pants. However, these pants feel sturdier than the others we tested because of their gusseted crotch, which, according to our experts, can help reinforce an easy-to-rip area.

The PreCip Eco Pants come in three inseam lengths (short, regular, and long) in both men’s and women’s versions, and they were among the few pants in our pile that proved to be true to size. The men’s pants come in S to XL (30- to 42-inch waist, 34- to 48-inch hip, 30- to 35-inch inseam), and the women’s pants come in sizes XS to XL (24½- to 38½-inch waist, 35- to 39-inch hip, 30- to 33-inch inseam). The men’s version of the regular-inseam pants weighs 8.9 ounces and the women’s version weighs 8.1 ounces, about an ounce lighter than our runner-up and several ounces lighter than most of the other rain pants we considered. Both the men’s and women’s models come only in black.

The two zippered mesh side pockets let you stash whatever you need to keep accessible. These pockets have a protective fabric shelf, and Marmot’s most recent update to the PreCip design added fully taped seams, which means you can trust that your phone will stay dry during a true downpour. Ankle zippers at the cuffs made pulling the pants over our boots easy, and we liked that the men’s pants had a full zipper, from the waist of the pants down to the ankle. (The women’s version unzipped only to the calves.) Unlike other rain pants, however, the PreCip pairs have an effective ankle cinch (an elastic drawstring) to help you taper and shorten them after you put them on.

As for the price, the PreCip Eco Pants are at the lower end of the high-end rain pants we tested and at the higher end of the cheaper options. At this writing, they’re $40 less than our runner-up, the almost identical Patagonia Torrentshell pants. For the cost, these pants offer the best value of all the pants we tested.

You need to wash the PreCip pants with powder detergent, not liquid; you can dry them on low. If your pants do wear out, you can file a warranty claim with Marmot. The company’s site doesn’t provide a time frame for warranties, which suggests that you can swap the pants out at any time if something breaks down.

Because the PreCip Eco Pants are made from ripstop nylon, they still feel somewhat like trash bags. They aren’t the quietest pants, either. However, that complaint extended to most of the pants we tested. And although the zippers on the women’s PreCip pants are plenty long, they’re not as long as the zippers on Patagonia’s Torrentshell pants.

These pants are just as dry and comfortable in the rain. They come in only one length, but they have vented ankle zippers.

These pants are just as dry and comfortable in the rain. They have vented ankle zippers but come in only one length.

If Marmot’s PreCip Eco Pants are unavailable, Patagonia’s Torrentshell 3L Pants (available in men’s and women’s versions) are nearly identical to our top pick. They’re basic, waterproof pants with a few standout features: They have long ankle zippers that make them easier to get on and off than the PreCip pairs, as well as articulated knees, and they’re more breathable than many of the other options we tested. But the Torrentshell pants don’t offer any inseam-length variations (they come in a 32- to 32½-inch inseam), so if you’re shorter or taller, these pants may not fit you quite as well as our top pick. They are also more expensive than our top pick, depending on the retailer.

The fabric looks and feels identical to that of the PreCip pants. Both are made from ripstop nylon, although Patagonia recently updated its design to be 3-layer, in contrast to Marmot’s 2.5-layer design. Because of that extra layer, these pants are slightly heavier than the PreCip pants, with a pair of men’s regular pants weighing 10 ounces and a pair of women’s regular pants weighing 9.3 ounces.

The Torrentshell pairs did just as good a job as the PreCip pants when it came to keeping us dry in Portland, Oregon, rain and staying breathable on our hike in a rain forest. The ankle zippers on the Torrentshell pants come up higher on the leg than on most of the other rain pants we tested, which makes getting them on and off over boots even easier than with our top pick. The Torrentshell pants have two zippered side pockets covered with a fabric shelf, and the pants fold and zip into one of the mesh pockets once you’ve taken them off, in case you’re looking for an option that you can easily stuff into a backpack. Articulated knees on the pants help with mobility.

The biggest drawback with these pants is their fit: If you’re shorter or taller than their inseams accommodate, you may be tripping over these pants or finding that they don’t cover you adequately. The men’s version comes in XS to XXL (26- to 44-inch waist, 32- to 51-inch hip), and the women’s version comes in XXS to XL (24½- to 35½-inch waist, 33½- to 44½-inch hip). They come in black and gray in the men’s version and navy and black in the women’s version.

At more than triple the cost of our top pick, these pants are a splurge. But they perform in rain, snow, and mountaineering conditions, plus they’re the most durable option we tested.

The women’s sizes are also a splurge. But they perform in rain, snow, and mountaineering conditions, plus they promise to be the most durable option.

The Arc’Teryx Beta rain pants (men’s and women’s) are more than three times as expensive as our top pick, but they’re tough enough to keep you dry during mountaineering adventures or in heavy rain, snow, or sleet. Compared with the other pants we tested, the Beta pants don’t just cause water to bead off—they repel water with force. The key lies in their Gore-Tex Paclite materials, which breathe well but keep you dry, and in reinforced instep patches along the calves, which prevent you from catching and ripping your pants with crampons or snowshoes.

When we tested these pants in 2022, there were two versions of this model available: the Beta and the Beta AR, but the Beta AR was out of stock in women’s sizes. We like both versions of this pant; they are similar in fit and performance. However, the AR has some additional features that are handy in the snow, including higher-denier Gore-Tex, draw cuffs, and a stronger water repellant treatment. The AR is also more expensive. We are currently testing the Beta AR in women’s sizes and will update with our results.

During our water and wash tests, the Beta pants felt hardier than competitors. And although you’d be wise to layer long johns underneath them in a snowstorm for additional warmth, they should offer more water and wind protection than our other picks. They also weigh about 5 ounces more than our top pick. Like many of the other rain pants we tested, the Arc’Teryx Beta pairs have zippers on the sides—but their zippers fully extend from hip to ankle, allowing for the easiest on-and-off we experienced, as well as the best ventilation.

You can find the Beta pants in regular (31½- to 33-inch inseam) and tall (34½- to 36-inch inseam) models of men’s sizes S to XXL, and regular (31- to 32-inch inseam), short (29- to 30-inch inseam), and tall (33½- to 35-inch inseam) models of women’s sizes XS to XXL, all in black or blue. Most Arc’Teryx items run narrow, so you should try on both your usual size and one size up to see which one you prefer. To tailor the fit of your pants around your hips, use the belt and cinch strap. You can also adjust the ankle portion, which has a cinch and buttons at the ankles, plus lace hooks for hiking or alpine boots.

If you’re looking for extended sizes in rain pants: Consider the Outdoor Research Helium Rain Pants (currently available only in women’s sizes XS to XXXL). Our plus-size tester reported no chafing and loved the drawstring waist, which allowed her to tailor the fit to her shape. These pants caused water to bead off well enough, and our tester said that she didn’t feel wet even after a long slog in the rain. Most of all, she preferred the style of the Helium pants; many plus-size pants are boxy, but these allowed enough room for layering without looking baggy. They also have zippers at the ankles that allow for breathability, and they weigh just 5.5 ounces.

The standard-size Helium pants were less well-loved among our testers, simply because they did not measure up to the comfort and durability of our top pick and runner-up pick. If you are looking for extended-size options, the Helium pants are the best of those.

If you want extended sizes in short or tall lengths: Consider the Eddie Bauer Cloud Cap Rain Pants (men’s and women’s stretch). The Cloud Cap pants come in sizes XS to 3X for women, in regular, petite, and tall inseams, and that variety makes them worth considering. However, they don’t have some of the features we like on other pants, such as ankle zippers or elastic cinches. Our plus-size and petite women’s testers both found the waist a bit snug, and our legs got cold during rainy hikes because the fabric was fairly thin. Overall, the women’s version felt more like hiking pants than rain pants, and the men’s option (which comes in regular or tall, S to XXL, non-stretch) was boxy.

If you’re looking for an ultralight option: Consider the Montbell Versalite Pants (men’s and women’s). These pants weigh 3.2 ounces, and though they're likely to blow away in the wind because they’re seriously as light as a feather, they kept out the rain surprisingly well in our tests. “If these were truly waterproof, they’re all I would pack,” said one tester upon trying the Montbell pants for the first time. And his request was granted: During our eyedropper and spray tests, and our hikes in the rain, these pants repelled water just as well as our other picks did, and they’re available for a similar price. They feel like crepe paper and can’t keep you warm or protected from the wind, but they do the job well during a rainstorm.

If you want a rain kilt for warmer weather: If you’re traveling somewhere warm or going to a place with lighter rain, a rain kilt may work for you, but we don’t think a rain kilt is the best rainproofing option for most people. If you do want to buy a kilt, we like the Zpacks DCF Rain Kilt. Made of ultra-durable and lightweight Dyneema fabric, the kilt has a zipper to seal it and a cinch waist. In contrast, the other kilt we tested, the ULA Rain Kilt, uses three pieces of Velcro as closures, which leave several slits where rain can get through. Though the Zpacks kilt is more rigid than the ULA kilt, you can still move around in it.

Mountain Hardwear Stretch Ozonic Pant (men’s and women’s): Light, soft, and stretchy, the fabric on the Stretch Ozonic pants makes them feel and look more like hiking pants than a traditional rain layer. During our spray tests, water practically jumped off this fabric. But when we took these pants out on a windy, rainy night, they started to wet through after just an hour. These pants have thigh-high zippers, which make them easy to get on and off. They also have a more tailored cut than many rain pants we tested; the men’s version has a cinching buckle, and the women’s version has Velcro tabs at the sides. We tested them both in 2019 and 2022, and although we know they’re popular, we don’t think they offer the guaranteed waterproofing that most people need.

Columbia Men’s Rebel Roamer Rain Pants: Though the Rebel Roamer pants have two snaps at the ankles to help taper the legs, they lack ankle zippers, which makes them difficult to get on and off. They come in 30- and 32-inch inseams.

Columbia Women’s Storm Surge Rain Pants: The Storm Surge pants come in plus sizes in the women’s version. But during our testing, they weren’t breathable (likely due to their shell and their mesh lining). These pants also lack ankle zippers and are difficult to get on and off over shoes.

The North Face Venture 2 Half Zip Pants (women’s): Although the Venture 2 pants come in three inseam lengths for the women’s versions, the long and short versions are harder to find in stores. These pants are attractive, but they have a wider boot cut, which makes them feel like snow pants.

REI Co-op Essential Rain Pants (men’s, women’s, and plus): The boxy fit on these budget pants prompted lower reviews from all of our testers. Although we didn’t experience any chafing, the material felt cheaper than that of our top pick, and the pants had just one pocket. The ankles had only shin zippers and Velcro (no buttons), and one tester reported that the REI pants stuck to her legs during a rainstorm, even though they initially repelled water. We like that these pants come in extended sizes, but we recommend turning to the Outdoor Research Helium pants for a plus-size option before you try these.

ULA Rain Kilt: You close this rain kilt with three Velcro pieces, a design that creates gaps. This kilt is less structured than the Zpacks kilt we tested, and it’s easier to move around in, but during our tests the fabric swished around our legs—when Anna walked, the kilt kept getting stuck between her legs. Also, it’s loud.

Care and maintenance instructions depend on each pair of pants, according to our experts. And we found that to be true during our testing. “Every product will have a sewn-on care label…. The company that’s made them has probably wash-tested them,” said the University of Oregon’s Susan Sokolowski. “Usually, [you should] follow the suggested manufacturer’s care [instructions].” For our wash test, we looked at the care label on each pair of pants. A few labels, including that of our pick, specified powder detergent. That’s because compounds in liquid detergent can impede DWR and prevent it from repelling water. When the DWR membrane starts to visibly flake off, that’s a sign that your rain gear is failing. “A membrane like a Gore-Tex membrane is actually laminated to the outside fabric. If you wash or put these products in the dryer, the membrane will start to fall off,” said Sokolowski.

You can re-treat your pants to maintain them. Utah State University’s Sean Michael recommended looking into company-specific washes or treatments. (He likes Nikwax, which adds DWR to rain gear through a spray or wash, and said that the brand’s Tech Wash and TX.Direct “are coupled together as a one-two punch for cleaning and re-treating.”) Dirt, sweat, and grime on pants all impede the effectiveness of DWR, so washing or rinsing your rain pants between uses can help extend their longevity. Drying your pants on low for a short time can help reactivate the DWR, too. You’ll know whether a DWR coating is intact if water beads on the pants (this is a good sign). If water soaks through the fabric, you’re out of luck, and you need to reapply the coating.

This article was edited by Ria Misra and Christine Ryan.

Susan Sokolowski, associate professor and director of the sports product design program at the University of Oregon, phone interview, July 12, 2017

Sean Michael, professor and program director for the outdoor product design and development program at Utah State University, phone interview, July 13, 2017

Stephen Regenold, founder, Gear Junkie, email interview, July 17, 2017

How to Choose Rainwear, REI, April 7, 2016

Jenni Gritters

by Eve O'Neill

An easy at-home wash and re-waterproofing can make an old raincoat work like new.

by Kit Dillon

This is the gear we’d use during—and after—a rainy-day outing.

by Jackie Reeve

After testing 30 rain jackets and raincoats, we found six we liked in a range of sizes, lengths, and styles to keep you dry.

by James Austin, Daniel Varghese, and Sarah J. Robbins

Through rain, wind, and snow, we tested 48 umbrellas until we found the six best.