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The 4 Best Waterproof Running Jackets for Autumn 2026

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The 4 Best Waterproof Running Jackets for Autumn 2026

Author: Running Style    |    Published: 21 August 2026    |    Updated: 21 August 2026

In this article, you can click on words in orange to obtain an explanation of the term.

The dry spell is over. Once the autumn rain sets in, the jacket you grab on the way out the door either earns its place in the kit bag or gets abandoned on a peg by October. We tested the market rather than one price bracket, and picked a jacket for four distinct jobs: the cheapest way in, the one that does most days without a second thought, the one you carry and forget about, and the one built for a full day out in proper weather.

One thing worth flagging before the individual picks: every jacket here carries a 20,000mm Hydrostatic Head (HH) rating, from the £85 budget option to the £210 premium pick. HH alone will not tell you which jacket to buy. What actually separates them is weight, breathability testing method, durability, and how the fit and features hold up over a season of real use.

Budget: Decathlon Kiprun 900 Rain — £84.99

182g (men’s M), 20,000 Schmerbers HH, RET 7, 2.5-layer membrane, taped seams and zips.

Decathlon uses RET (Thermal Evaporative Resistance) rather than the g/m²/24hr MVTR figure most other brands quote. It is a different but equally valid scale, and the lower the number, the more breathable the fabric; a RET of 7 sits comfortably in the "very breathable" band under the industry-standard test. In practice, that translated to a jacket that kept up in sustained downpours without the wearer overheating on effort.

The trade-offs are honest ones for the price: no adjustable hood, a fairly minimal visor, and a cut on the roomier side that some runners will find baggy rather than snug. Two large side pockets double as a built-in stash pocket, which is a useful touch not always found even on pricier jackets.

Best for: runners who want genuine 20,000mm waterproofing without committing to a premium price before they know how often they will actually use it.

Lightweight all-rounder: Montane Minimus Lite — £125

Around 210-215g depending on size, 20,000mm HH, 20,000g/m²/24hrs MVTR, 20-denier Pertex Shield 2.5-layer fabric, fully taped seams.

This is the jacket that does most days without a second thought. It has consistently been well reviewed across several years and multiple outlets, which counts for more than a single glowing write-up: a jacket that still earns praise three or four seasons on has proven it holds up rather than just photographing well on day one. The three-point hood adjustment is a particular strength, staying secure in strong wind without restricting side-to-side visibility.

Where it shows its limits is in sustained, heavy rain over a long period. Multiple testers found the DWR eventually overwhelmed on the longest, wettest days, at which point the fabric starts to wet out at the wrists and shoulders. For the average UK autumn training run, that is rarely the scenario you are dressing for.

 Best for: the jacket that lives in the pack all winter and gets worn more often than any other on this list.

Ultra/race-day packable: Rab Phantom Waterproof Jacket — £175

116.5g (men’s M), 20,000mm HH, 20,000g/m²/24hrs MVTR, 7D Pertex Shield 2.5-layer fabric, PFAS-free DWR.

Light enough to carry and forget, built for mandatory kit lists rather than actual wear. The Phantom packs into its own hood to a pack size that genuinely disappears into a running vest pocket, and Rab’s own testing rates it 5/5 for lightness, breathability and pack size. Fluorocarbon-free across the fabric as standard, which matters if you are choosing kit with one eye on the regulatory picture covered in our waterproof technology guide.

The trade-off for that weight is durability and comfort over long wear: Rab’s own rating puts it at 4/5 for durability, and this is not a jacket designed to be worn hood-up for six hours in a proper mountain storm. It is designed to sit in a race vest satisfying a kit check, then get used exactly when you need it and not before.

Best for: ultra racing, mandatory kit lists, and anyone who wants the lightest jacket that will still pass a kit check.

Premium: OMM Kamleika — £210

265g (men’s M), 20,000mm HH, 20,000g/m² MVTR, 4-way stretch nylon/spandex fabric, PFAS-free membrane and PFC-free DWR (6th generation).

Built for a full day out in proper weather, not just packed away for emergencies. OMM invented stretch-waterproof fabric with the original Kamleika in 2005, and the sixth generation is still widely regarded as one of the best mountain-running shells on the market: soft, quiet in the wind, and rated by multiple reviewers as comparable to Gore-Tex Pro-level protection despite being lighter and cheaper than most Gore-Tex Pro jackets. The two zippered hand pockets and fully adjustable, wired hood are genuine mountain-shell features rarely found on a jacket built specifically for running.

At 265g it is the heaviest jacket on this list, and deliberately so: this is not a “stash and forget” shell but one you put on expecting to wear it. Some owners have reported pocket seams wearing over several years of heavy use, which is worth knowing given the jacket’s price, though it does not appear to be a widespread fault.

Best for: runners who want a jacket built to be worn all day in genuinely bad conditions, not just carried in case of one.

The Verdict

If you only want one jacket and cost is no barrier, the Kamleika is the one to actually wear. If you are stocking a kit bag rather than buying a single jacket, the Minimus Lite is the one that gets worn most, and the Phantom is the one that lives in the vest for race day.

 

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This review reflects our independent assessment of each jacket at the time of publication, based on published manufacturer specifications and reviewer testing. Running Style has no commercial relationship with any of the brands featured and received no free products or payment for this piece.