BACKPACKINGLIGHT · THE GREEN RIBBON · UPDATED 2026
Top Rainwear Picks
Rain gear has the greatest room for improvement in the survey. Here you’ll find tops and bottoms listed separately, with the number of responses and hikers’ ratings.
The lists are sorted by number of responses. In the event of a tie, the item with the higher average rating is listed first. If the ratings are also tied, the ranking is shared. Tied rankings at the cutoff mean that more than ten models may be displayed.
On mobile: Swipe the tables sideways to view all columns.
This Year’s Results: 2026
| Brand | Number of responses | Average rating | Number of ratings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haglöfs | 15 | 7.3 | 15 |
| Montbell | 14 | 9.1 | 14 |
| OMM | 6 | 6.5 | 6 |
| Rab | 4 | 8.0 | 4 |
| Lundhags | 3 | 7.3 | 3 |
| Rank | Model | Number of responses | Average Rating | Number of ratings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montbell Versalite | 6 | 8.8 | 6 |
| 2 | Montbell Storm Cruiser | 3 | 9.3 | 3 |
| 3 | Rab Phantom Jacket | 3 | 9.0 | 3 |
| 4 | OMM Halo Jacket | 3 | 7.3 | 3 |
| 5 | Lundhags Lo Jacket | 2 | 6.5 | 2 |
| 6 | Altus Atmospheric H30 Poncho | 1 | 10.0 | 1 |
| 6 | Exped Pack Poncho UL | 1 | 10.0 | 1 |
| 6 | Montbell Peak Shell | 1 | 10.0 | 1 |
| 9 | Haglöfs Glide Solid | 1 | 9.0 | 1 |
| 9 | Haglöfs Spitz GTX Pro | 1 | 9.0 | 1 |
| 9 | RevolutionRace Arcade 3L Lightweight | 1 | 9.0 | 1 |
| Brand | Number of responses | Average rating | Number of ratings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haglöfs | 13 | 7.2 | 13 |
| OMM | 8 | 6.3 | 8 |
| Montbell | 6 | 8.5 | 6 |
| Marmot | 4 | 7.3 | 4 |
| Skalmo | 3 | 6.7 | 3 |
| Rank | Model | Number of responses | Average Rating | Number of ratings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Montbell Versalite Pants | 4 | 8.5 | 4 |
| 2 | Rab Phantom Pants | 2 | 8.0 | 2 |
| 3 | OMM Halo Pants | 2 | 5.5 | 2 |
| 4 | Montane Minimus Nano Pants | 1 | 10.0 | 1 |
| 4 | Montbell UL Hiker Pants | 1 | 10.0 | 1 |
| 4 | RevolutionRace Arcade 3L Lightweight Pants | 1 | 10.0 | 1 |
| 7 | Houdini Ace 3L Hardshell | 1 | 9.0 | 1 |
| 7 | Inov-8 Stormshell Pants | 1 | 9.0 | 1 |
| 7 | Tierra Back Up 3L Pants | 1 | 9.0 | 1 |
| 10 | Black Diamond StormLine Stretch Pants | 1 | 8.0 | 1 |
| 10 | Lundhags Lo Pants | 1 | 8.0 | 1 |
| 10 | Tierra Back Up Gen 3 Pants | 1 | 8.0 | 1 |
Standard bottoms—even when the exact model is unavailable
| Garment/Family | Answer | Rating | Lowest–Highest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haglöfs L.I.M. pants | 13 | 6.7 | 2.0–10.0 |
| Montbell Versalite Pants | 4 | 8.5 | 5.0–10.0 |
| Skalmo Rain Skirt | 3 | 6.7 | 2.0–10.0 |
| Rab Phantom Pants | 2 | 8.0 | 7.0–9.0 |
| OMM Halo Pants | 2 | 5.5 | 2.0–9.0 |
The Skalmo family line includes three rain skirt models with different ratings. The model list clearly distinguishes between specific materials and ambiguous variants.
Collected and year by year: 2024–2026
The rain-related questions are included in the 2025–2026 data sets. There is no corresponding question for 2024. In 2025, the rating applies to the jacket; in 2026, the general rain rating applies to the entire rainwear set. Bottom layers have a separate rating question.
| Brand | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haglöfs | Not asked | 5 answers · 8.8 (5 ratings) | 15 answers · 7.3 (15 ratings) | 20 answers · 7.7 (20 ratings) |
| Montbell | Not asked | 5 answers · 8.2 (5 ratings) | 14 answers · 9.1 (14 ratings) | 19 answers · 8.9 (19 ratings) |
| OMM | Not asked | 0 replies · – (0 ratings) | 6 answers · 6.5 (6 ratings) | 6 answers · 6.5 (6 ratings) |
| Rab | Not asked | 1 answer · 8.0 (1 rating) | 4 answers · 8.0 (4 ratings) | 5 replies · 8.0 (5 ratings) |
| Lundhags | Not asked | 0 replies · – (0 ratings) | 3 replies · 7.3 (3 ratings) | 3 replies · 7.3 (3 ratings) |
| Model | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | Total number of responses | Overall average rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montbell Versalite | Not asked | 1 reply · 8.0 | 6 replies · 8.8 | 7 | 8.7 (7 ratings) |
| Montbell Storm Cruiser | Not asked | 1 reply · 10.0 | 3 replies · 9.3 | 4 | 9.5 (4 ratings) |
| Rab Phantom Jacket | Not asked | 0 replies · – | 3 replies · 9.0 | 3 | 9.0 (3 ratings) |
| Montbell Torrent Flier | Not asked | 2 replies · 7.0 | 1 reply · 8.0 | 3 | 7.3 (3 ratings) |
| OMM Halo Jacket | Not asked | 0 replies · – | 3 replies · 7.3 | 3 | 7.3 (3 ratings) |
| Montbell Peak Shell | Not asked | 1 reply · 9.0 | 1 reply · 10.0 | 2 | 9.5 (2 ratings) |
| Klättermusen Allgrön | Not asked | 1 reply · 9.0 | 1 answer · 5.0 | 2 | 7.0 (2 ratings) |
| Lundhags Lo Jacket | Not asked | 0 replies · – | 2 replies · 6.5 | 2 | 6.5 (2 ratings) |
| Altus Atmospheric H30 Poncho | Not asked | 0 replies · – | 1 reply · 10.0 | 1 | 10.0 (1 rating) |
| Exped Pack Poncho UL | Not asked | 0 replies · – | 1 reply · 10.0 | 1 | 10.0 (1 rating) |
| Haglöfs ROC GTX | Not asked | 1 reply · 10.0 | 0 replies · – | 1 | 10.0 (1 rating) |
| Brand | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haglöfs | Not asked | 8 answers · 7.9 (8 ratings) | 13 answers · 7.2 (13 ratings) | 21 answers · 7.5 (21 ratings) |
| OMM | Not asked | 0 replies · – (0 ratings) | 8 answers · 6.3 (8 ratings) | 8 answers · 6.3 (8 ratings) |
| Montbell | Not asked | 1 answer · 8.0 (1 rating) | 6 replies · 8.5 (6 ratings) | 7 replies · 8.4 (7 ratings) |
| Marmot | Not asked | 1 answer · 8.0 (1 rating) | 4 answers · 7.3 (4 ratings) | 5 answers · 7.4 (5 ratings) |
| Skalmo | Not asked | 1 answer · 6.0 (1 rating) | 3 replies · 6.7 (3 ratings) | 4 answers · 6.5 (4 ratings) |
| Model | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | Total number of responses | Overall average rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montbell Versalite Pants | Not asked | 0 replies · – | 4 responses · 8.5 | 4 | 8.5 (4 ratings) |
| Rab Phantom Pants | Not asked | 1 reply · 10.0 | 2 replies · 8.0 | 3 | 8.7 (3 ratings) |
| OMM Halo Pants | Not asked | 0 replies · – | 2 replies · 5.5 | 2 | 5.5 (2 ratings) |
| Haglöfs L.I.M Proof Pant | Not asked | 2 replies · 4.0 | 0 replies · – | 2 | 4.0 (2 ratings) |
| Haglöfs L.I.M GTX Pant | Not asked | 1 reply · 10.0 | 0 replies · – | 1 | 10.0 (1 rating) |
| Montane Minimus Nano Pants | Not asked | 0 replies · – | 1 reply · 10.0 | 1 | 10.0 (1 rating) |
| Montbell UL Hiker Pants | Not asked | 0 replies · – | 1 reply · 10.0 | 1 | 10.0 (1 rating) |
| RevolutionRace Arcade 3L Lightweight Pants | Not asked | 0 replies · – | 1 reply · 10.0 | 1 | 10.0 (1 rating) |
| Houdini Ace 3L Hardshell | Not asked | 0 replies · – | 1 reply · 9.0 | 1 | 9.0 (1 rating) |
| Inov-8 Stormshell Pants | Not asked | 0 replies · – | 1 reply · 9.0 | 1 | 9.0 (1 rating) |
| Tierra Back Up 3L Pant | Not asked | 0 replies · – | 1 reply · 9.0 | 1 | 9.0 (1 rating) |
How to Read the Results
The rain-related questions are included in the 2025–2026 survey forms. There is no corresponding question for 2024. In 2025, the rating applies to the jacket; in 2026, the general rain rating applies to the entire rainwear set. Sub-sections have a separate grading question. The same person may be surveyed in multiple years. The year refers to the survey data, not the verified hiking year.
Ratings 1–10 are included. Overall averages are calculated from the valid original ratings, not as an unweighted average of annual averages. A model may be mentioned without having received a rating. Ambiguous model versions are included in the brand results but are excluded from the model leaderboards.
A single top rating represents one person’s experience. The data is self-reported and does not constitute a comparative product test. Backpackinglight conducts the survey and also sells equipment, including its own brands.
Read the experiences behind the numbers →