Mountain Hardwear Quark Rain Jacket

Mountain Hardwear Quark Rain Jacket – Highly packable rain jacket.

Since I will be moving to Costa Rica shortly, I have been on the look out for a quality rain jacket. Because Costa Rica has such an intense rainy season, not just any rain jacket will do. I had three main criteria when looking for a rain jacket; it needed to be breathable, packable, and 100% waterproof. My final decision was the Mountain Hardwear Quark Rain Jacket.

Because Costa Rica has random rain storms through out the year, I wanted something that was packable enough to carry around in a daypack without taking up much space. The Mountain Hardwear Quark Rain Jacket can easily pack up to a very manageable size, leaving me with plenty of extra room inside the pack. Not to mention the Mountain Hardwear Quark Rain Jacket only wieghs around 10 ounces.

During the rainy season there is a good chance I will be wearing this jacket on a daily basis for extended periods of times. Because of this, I wanted something that I wasn’t going to sweat bullets in and was highly breathable. The Mountain Hardwear Quark Rain Jacket is made with a Conduit layer that promotes breathability.

The quick & dirty:

Where you can get one:
Amazon: $199

Why they rock:

• The Quark is made from Incite™ printed nylon tricot with a Conduit™ waterproof, breathable 2.5-layer laminate
• zWeld construction eliminates stitching and taping, which reduces weight and allows seams to stretch and still maintain waterproofness
• Laminated front stormflaps keep wind and rain out, while microchamois-lined chin guard protects from zipper abrasion
• Attached hood features a stiff, welded brim and single-pull drawcord to dial the fit
• Superlight pit zippers are welded and water resistant
• Features a welded drawcord hem, adjustable cuffs, chest-high hand pockets and an interior stash pocket
• Articulated sleeves ensure no-tug comfort
• The Quark is compressible enough to tuck in a corner of your pack and is indispensable for backcountry activities

Seat-of-the-pants rating: 9 out of 10

I gave the Mountain Hardwear Quark Rain Jacket a 9 simply because I haven’t had a chance to test it out in any Costa Rican rainstorms just yet. If it performs as well as I think it should, the Mountain Hardwear Quark Rain Jacket may be the ultimate, packable, rain jacket.

Looking to buy? Check out these sites:
Amazon: $199