Patagonia Storm 10 women’s waterproof jacket review: a comfortable and well-featured jacket

The Women's Patagonia Storm 10 Jacket: first impressions

The Women's Patagonia Storm 10 is an ultralight, three-layer rain jacket that's one of the most ethical options you can buy. It's made from 100% recycled nylon ripstop face fabric with a soft-on-the-skin tricot backer and is Fair Trade Certified.

The alpine-helmet-compatible hood adjusts with a pull-to-tighten drawcord, and the hood has slightly elasticized sides to help it stay on without being overly tight. While its a winner for any kind of activity, these features make it one of the best women's waterproof jackets for female's who like their trails to be a little more vertical.

• Explore all the best waterproof jackets in our buying guide
• Learn how to stay dry while hiking with these tips
• Why is layering important? Let us explain...

The coated, waterproof front zipper on the Patagonia Storm 10 is reinforced with an internal storm flap and a zipper garage and the jacket’s three pockets (a left-chest pocket and two front pockets) have coated, watertight zippers welded in, all of which means its highly unlikely to spring any leaks in these typically vulnerable points. The jacket also self-stuffs into the left-chest pocket for added portability and a hidden Recco reflector helps rescuers find you if you’re lost or injured.

The Women's Patagonia Storm 10 Jacket: in the field

This is a women's waterproof jacket that felt good to put on. It’s not too loose, not too tight, not so technical that I couldn’t wear it any day, and it had plenty of room to layer underneath when it was both rainy and cold.

I loved the creative chest pocket design. Chest pocket storage extended up from the zippered entrance not down, which made it much more comfortable to carry my phone and other gear in there than most chest pockets, which typically place storage over the left breast.

The jacket is cut for movement. It extended about half-way down my butt, which was plenty of protection for most activities. The waist drawcord was one-hand adjustable when I wanted to cinch down the waist - it did, however, take two hands to release it. Tapered Velcro-close cuffs allowed me let some air in when need be and adjust sleeve length with the minimum of fuss. Fully open, the sleeves extended to the middle of my fingers.

The jacket packs into its chest pocket for storage and carrying, and I particularly appreciated the biner loop that let me clip it on a harness or onto my backpack where I could grab it fast when need be. While the chin didn’t have a fuzzy protective patch, a handy zipper garage kept the zipper away from my chin when I had this jacket fully zipped up.