Best Gore Tex Jacket in 2023 (Dry as a bone)

Arc'teryx Beta SL Hybrid Jacket

Arc’teryx is one of the best manufacturers of outdoor gear the world over and the Beta SL Hybrid Jacket is one of their most popular products.

The Beta SL Hybrid is made from a combination of Gore-Tex Paclite with a Gore C-Knit backer and a 40-D nylon face. These materials combined not only make this jacket durable, breathable, and weather-proof but it’s also incredibly light and packable.

Gore-Tex Paclite is specially designed to reduce the overall weight of clothing by replacing the normal backer used with Gore-Tex Active with an oleophobic (oil-hating) substance that protects it from dirt and damage.

The Beta SL Hybrid is the ideal jacket for a life in the outdoors. It’ll keep you protected from wind and rain while also ensuring you stay exceptionally cool during activities thanks to its excellent breathability. The jacket comes with a helmet-compatible hood for skiing and/or climbing and two harness-friendly deep zippered pockets.

Being so light, you’ll also barely notice it in your backpack and it stuffs down to a tiny size for packability.

The only downside to the Beta SL is how expensive it is, but it is one of the best Gore-Tex jackets on the market.

Outdoor Research Foray Jacket

The Outdoor Research Foray Jacket is made for anyone who spends a lot of time being active in the mountains while it’s raining. It’s designed to provide exceptional weather protection while being breathable with great ventilation features that allow you to dump heat quickly.

The Furio is made with a 50D Gore-Tex Paclite outer shell for durability and weather protection along with a double layer of GORE-TEX in places that suffer from wear and tear the most like the hood, shoulders, and the top of the arms. It’s exceptionally breathable to help keep you dry on the inside and it also features TorsoFlo hem-to-bicep pit zips that allow you to cool down quickly when you need to.

The jacket features 4 zippered pockets, two at the chest and two at your side. The side pockets are designed to be accessed while you’re wearing a harness or using the hip belt of your backpack.

The downsides to so many zips and using a slightly thicker fabric are the weight gain, and the Foray is quite bulky and heavy. But, if you want serious weather protection, you’ll have to accept a bit of extra weight.

Arc'teryx Norvan SL Hoody

The Arc’teryx Norvan SL Hoody was made, for one thing, keeping you cool and dry while you’re being very active in the outdoors. It’s the ideal jacket for trail-running in the wind and rain as it’ll give you ample protection from the elements while making sure you don’t overheat.

The Norvan is made of Gore-Tex Pro with ShakeDry technology that removes the need for a face fabric (usually nylon), making the jacket very thin and form-fitting for running around those mountain slopes.

It’s exceptionally breathable, windproof, and waterproof, so you’ll be able to venture onto the trail no matter the weather. The Norvan fits beautifully with a focus on freedom of movement so you don’t feel restricted at any point.

It has been stripped of any pockets to remove any additional unneeded weight and it weighs just 4 ounces, so you’ll barely even know it’s on. But, they did keep the hood, so you can slip it on during a down-pour.

The Norvan is a little light and cold for anything but very active outdoor fun plus being so light, it’s also very thin, and you’ll want to be careful not to rip it.

Outdoor Research Foray Jacket

The Outdoor Research Foray Jacket is a rugged option for those who need ample weather protection and is similar to the Furio we mentioned above but a little lighter.

It’s made from two layers of Gore-Tex Paclite with a 100% polyester face fabric that will keep you dry and warm in a serious storm, and even in sleet while keeping you cool thanks to its breathability and ventilation options. 

The fabric not only makes it great in weather but in regards to durability too. It’s quite rugged and will survive many a scrape more than other lighter jackets. It’s a bit heavier than other jackets but it’s fine for a day hike and tough enough for when you have to go a little off-piste.

The Foray features pit zips that run from the elbow to your hip. This allows you to completely open the side of the jacket to remove any excess heat very quickly.

It comes with 3 pockets, 2 at the sides, and one on the chest. There’s an elasticized hem to give you a tight fit, adjustable wrist cuffs, and a helmet-compatible hood. Plus you can stuff it into the left-hand pocket to store it neatly in your backpack.

Marmot Knife Edge Jacket

The Marmot Knife Edge Jacket is a little thicker than a specialized running jacket to keep you protected from the elements while being thin enough to keep the weight down for packability.

It’s the ideal middle-ground and is great if you’re looking for something light to keep in your backpack and use when you’re being active in the outdoors.

The Knife Edge is made of two layers of Gore-Tex Paclite and is fully seam-sealed, even along with its zippers. It’ll keep you dry as a bone in the rain, protect you from wind, and ensure you don’t overheat.

It features large pit zips for dropping heat quickly and comes with 3 zippered sealed pockets that’ll keep your valuables dry. The hood does a good job of keeping you protected but it’s not helmet-compatible.

It has a regular fit which provides great freedom of movement and stops any internal pooling of moisture too. Some people find the fit a little slim though. Another great thing about the Knife Edge is that it doesn’t look too technical and you can get away with wearing it around town.

Arc'teryx Zeta LT Jacket

The Arc’teryx Zeta LT Jacket is their premium rain jacket and it does something that most rain jackets can’t quite manage. While being a lightweight rain jacket the Zeta LT offers almost as much protection as a hard shell, which is unheard of at 11.8 oz weight.

The Zeta LT is made from a triple layer of Gore-Tex with a thin inner C-Knit backer which is one or half a layer more than your usual rain jacket. This is how they managed to reduce the weight while upping weather protection.

The jacket will keep you dry and warm in serious winds and rain while being light and very packable. It’s also soft and comfy on your skin and the awesome breathability means you won’t have to deal with any clammy moisture inside.

It comes with two pockets, water-resistant zippers, and a storm hood. The hood fits amazingly well to give you ample protection and the zipper makes sure you and your packets stay dry no matter the weather.

The only downsides are the pit zips and the fact it’s quite expensive at over $400. But you do get what you pay for with the Zeta LT.

Marmot Minimalist

The Marmot Minimalist is an awesome way to get a durable weatherproof Gore-Tex jacket while on a budget.

The Minimalist is made from Gore-Tex with Paclite technology to make it windproof, waterproof, light, breathable, and packable. The internal membrane of the Gore-Tex has 9 billion pores per square inch to allow moisture and heat out making sure you don’t overheat. If you do overheat, there are pit zips so you can ventilate and dump heat quickly.

The outer shell is durable and it’s designed for a life on the trail. It’s made with fully taped seams so no pesky leaks can find their way in and there is a storm flap that protects the front zipper.

The Minimalist is described as having Marmot’s Angel Wing movement but when you’re having to reach for things, you’ll notice it riding up at the hem and on the cuffs, so it might not be the best choice for activities like climbing.

Overall it’s an excellent jacket for the price and you can’t really go wrong with it.

Read our full Marmot Minimalist review.

Outdoor Research Helium Rain Jacket

If you’re looking for a rain jacket for emergencies that’ll live in your backpack most of the time, then the Outdoor Research Helium Rain Jacket is the one for you.

Weighing just 6.3 oz and compressing down to a tiny pack size you’ll barely notice that this jacket has found its way into your backpack. It packs down into its own pocket, so you’ll be able to tuck it anywhere, even into a very full backpack.

It comes with just one pocket, a pretty solid hood, and YKK aqua guard zippers. It does an ok job of protecting you from adverse weather while being so thin, which is all you need from an emergency rain jacket.

But, if you’re caught out in poor weather often, there are better jackets to choose from that will provide you with better weather protection. it’s also not the best in terms of breathability either. Another thing it’s lacking is any kind of ventilation options like pit-zips.

Being so thin, it does fall down in the durability department. If you were to accidentally trip on a sharp stone or clip a branch, it could get damaged quite easily.