A hiking jacket is an important thing to have if you spend a lot of time in the outdoors. Hiking in the summer, when you don’t need a jacket, is fun, but there are three other seasons in the year, most of which require that you have a hiking jacket to really enjoy. Hiking jackets for men and women come in a variety of different shapes and sizes, with all kinds of different features, but the most versatile kind of jacket to take hiking is likely going to be a soft shell jacket.
Hiking Jackets for Men
What to look for when reviewing hiking jackets for men.- Waterproof – It can be good, depending on where you live and what time of the year you’re going hiking, to have a waterproof hiking jacket. A jacket usually means it’s cold outside, and you definitely do not want to be cold and wet. Even a water resistant jacket is a great deal better than nothing.
- Hood – When it comes to jackets, many have hoods, though there are some without. If it’s cold out, or if you expect to be getting wet, a hiking jacket with a hood can make a lot of sense, both to trap body heat escaping from your head and to protect your head from getting wet.
Best Hiking Jackets for Men
Some of the very best hiking jackets for men, in a few different varities.- Patagonia R1 Hooded Fleece Pullover - The R1 is more sweater than jacket, but it definitely gets the job done, and is a great piece of gear for hiking in. The zipper is half length, and there's a hood, for a maximum range of temperatures. The outside of the fleece is hardened, to make it wind resistant, but it also uses the thinner 100 weight fleece, and has a grid cut in to the fleece on the inside, so you get a nice mix of breathability and warmth. And features like a zippered chest pocket and thumb holes in the sleeves don't hurt either.
- Arc'teryx Gamma MX Jacket - A soft shell jacket often makes for an ideal hiking jacket. This particular jacket from Arc'teryx has a durable water repellent finish, to shrug off light amounts of rain with ease. It's also great in a windstorm, and breathes well, and has plenty of pocket space. It's the kind of jacket that doesn't do any one thing extremely well, but does everything fairly well. A perfect hiking jacket if you want something versatile.
- Marmot Super Mica Jacket - If you're looking for something waterproof, on the other hand, the Super Mica is a fantastic choice for hiking, especially if you like to carry a backpack. The shoulders and waist both have reinforced patches, so that your backpack straps wont damage the jacket with too much rubbing. It's also waterproof, but uses Marmot's waterproof membrain, which is lightweight and folds down well, so that you can stuff this in to a backpack and take up a minimal amount of room doing it. And features like pit zips and extra high pockets, for easy access when your hip belt is done up, are just a few more things that hikers and backpackers will appreciate.
