Staying warm and dry is essential during the winter months and a good waterproof jacket can be the difference between embracing the elements and being beaten by them! We've been out on the bike in all sorts of weather putting various coats through the wringer to bring a list of the best mountain bike jackets we've tested. 

• Buyer's Guide to Waterproof Jackets
• The best mountain bikes for under £1,000 - the best budget buys ridden and rated
• The best mountain bikes you can buy for under £1,500 - full sus and hardtails

The best waterproof mountain bike jackets

• Endura MT500 Waterproof Jacket II
• Madison Roam waterproof jacket
• Cube AM WS Storm jacket
• Dakine Arsenal 3L women's jacket
• Morvelo Winter Attack Exile jacket
• ION 3 Layer Women's Scrub Amp jacket
• Alpkit Gravitas jacket
• ION 3 Layer Shelter jacket
• Altura Five/40 (540) Waterproof jacket
• Altura Mayhem 2 Waterproof jacket
• Madison DTE Women's Waterproof jacket
• Gore C5 Gore-Tex Shakedry 1985 Viz jacket 
• Endura Women’s MT500 Waterproof Jacket II

If you want to know more about what features go in to making an excellent waterproof jacket for mountain biking, we've also written a Buyer's Guide to mountain bike jackets so you know what makes a good waterproof riding coat and you can get to know your breathability ratings from your taped seams. Read on for our top-rated coats, a link to the review of each will be located below the text.

[Updated 6th January 2022]

Endura MT500 Waterproof Jacket II

£230

The Endura MT500 Waterproof Jacket II is jam-packed full of features that make it a truly brilliant jacket for wet-weather riding. There’s almost nothing wrong with it – just be prepared to part ways with a heap of cash.

• Read the full review of the Endura MT500 Waterproof Jacket II here

Madison Roam waterproof jacket

£80

Madison’s Roam waterproof jacket is built to feel exactly as at home on the trails as it is in the pub with its low-key, casual styling. It’s heavy-duty, capable of keeping you comfy in the worst weather and does a great job of keeping you warm, but it can get toasty on slow climbs.

• Read the full review of the Madison Roam here
   

Cube AM WS Storm jacket

£141

The new Cube AM WS Storm jacket is a vast improvement on the previous version. It's superbly waterproof, breathes really well and offers a female-specific cut that's spot on. It lacks hand pockets and the hood could be a bit bigger, but aside from that, it's hard to find fault with this little gem. We've also been testing some of the men's gear and are equally as impressed, reviews to follow. 

• For the full review of the Cube AM WS Storm click here

Dakine Arsenal 3L women's jacket

£160

The Dakine Arsenal 3L women’s waterproof jacket is a hardy coat for the worst weather. It’s super waterproof, pretty breathable and great for deepest winter. It's hard to keep those lighter parts clean, but it is pretty packable for such a thick jacket and it keeps you dry in the grip of a storm.

• For the full review of the Dakine Arsenal 3L click here

Morvelo Winter Attack Exile Jacket

£200

The Morvelo Winter Attack Exile is a Durable Water-Repellant finish (DWR) treated jacket made from an award-winning P4Dry fabric that uses recycled ground coffee. The fabric claims to resist odour, and continually wicks away moisture whilst reducing condensation - so far, so good. The cut has a fairly casual yet functional bias - offering the unique Morvelo look, backed up with some well thought out technical features.​ 

• For the full review of the Morvelo Winter Attack Exile jacket click here

ION 3 Layer Women's Scrub Amp Jacket 

£210

The ION women’s Scrub Amp jacket is a waterproof coat built to protect the rider from the worst element. It’s got a ‘softshell’ look but the three-layer waterproof fabric is anything but, keeping out the very worst of the elements. It is a bit pricey though bearing mind there are no hand pockets and there is no way to stow to tuck away the hood.​ 

• For the full review of the ION 3 Layer Women's Scrub Amp Jacket click here

Alpkit Gravitas Jacket

£140

The AlpKit Gravitas jacket is an ultralight waterproof with a minimalist build, perfect for fast moving outdoor sports. It certainly managed to deliver the goods out on the bike. We were impressed with the level of breathability, helped by the thin fabric it is made from. The jacket is also is properly waterproof - our tester spent three hours in heavy rain checking this fact out. The seams held up and the only place water found a way in was through the neck, as it crept down from his head. In a range of temperatures, it kept its breathability, and it has been fine up to around 12 degrees, which is about as warm as it got while raining in the test period. With a pack on, there was a degree of sweaty back, but nothing to get upset about, and it soon dried out. Good job Alpkit! 

• For the full review of the Alpkit Gravitas Jacket click here

ION 3 Layer Shelter Jacket

£225

Ion’s aesthetically cool and ergonomically hot products are forging quite a name for themselves in the bike world. The 3 layer waterproof Shelter jacket continues this foray with a host of features and performance highlights although minor issues with fit and shape could question the high-end price tag.  That said, our tester reported that the lightweight and flexible material is superbly unobtrusive on the bike, feels great against the skin and is outstandingly breathable, one of the best he's ever tested. During the test period it got covered it in muck time and time again and been out in some truly biblical downpours where it never missed a beat, never leaked and always kept the rider comfortable. It looks uber-cool, oozes quality and performs with some of the very best, you’ll have to save some pennies mind!​ 

• For the full review of the ION 3 Layer Shelter Jacket click here

Altura Five/40 (540) waterproof jacket

£170

Altura’s flagship waterproof jacket, the Five/40, oozes quality and performs well but a few ergonomic woes and a leaky zip mean you’ll have to love its aesthetics to part with your hard-earned. Aesthetically is where the Five/40 shines, its uber cool, especially in the burgundy colour we tested with its fluro green accents. Altura has worked really hard to improve their mountain bike image and the Five/40 is a prime example of that achievement. The adjustable dropped rear hem and hood work well and can easily be cinched in with one hand, should you want to do so on the move. The Five/40 oozes quality in its construction, feel and cool aesthetics, at £169.99, it does promise good value when similar jackets are priced a fair bit higher but its technical bloopers must be a consideration. 

• For the full review of the Altura Five/40 (540) waterproof jacket click here

Altura Mayhem 2 waterproof jacket

£120

With several technical acronyms, the Mayhem 2 is Altura’s all day waterproof trail riding jacket. With a waterproof and breathability rating of 20k/20k, it offers high end protection and comfort, packaged into a well priced piece of kit at £119.99. All in all, the Mayhem 2 proved to be quite a jacket, especially when you consider its humble price tag which could have potentially been a boil-in-a-bag-rice-sack. A good performer for the wonga and with what appears to be a very durable construction. Altura is certainly a brand worth keeping your eyes on, new things are a’coming so they tell us. 

• For the full review of the Altura Mayhem 2 waterproof jacket click here

Madison DTE Women's waterproof jacket

£190

Part of its new Defy The Elements range, the Madison DTE waterproof jacket is just the kind of garment you want when heading out into the worst winter weather, it's both protective and robust. It stood up well to some very wet, exposed rides in Snowdonia, and UK weather doesn’t get much worse than Wales! There are a couple of niggles though, it has a cut that is a little unflattering and there is no hanging loop at the rear but other than that the DTE is a very good winter jacket well worth considering. It comes in black too if turquoise clashes with your bike!​ 

• For the full review of the Madison DTE Women's waterproof jacket click here

Gore C5 Gore-Tex Shakedry 1985 Viz jacket 

£250

Gore's C5 Shakedry jacket uses an ultraminimalist version of the Gore-Tex waterproof material to produce a very lightweight, hugely breathable jacket that still offers real foul-weather performance. Water really does bead off it amazingly well and as with all waterproof membrane jackets, keeping it clean is key to the best performance and this is easily achieved with regular liquid detergent, though at this sort of money, it probably makes sense to treat it to a specific wash. The quality of construction is second to none and it's put up with less than gentle handling and washing very well. The athletic cut is best suited to drop bar bike use and being both fragile and expensive, it's not for anyone that regularly parts company with their bike. ​ 

• For the full review of the Gore C5 Gore-Tex Shakedry 1985 Viz jacket click here

Endura Women’s MT500 Waterproof Jacket II

£200

The Endura Women's MT500 Waterproof Jacket II is, hands down, the most breathable jacket I have ever worn. It’s kept us warm, dry and well protected from the ‘Beast from the East’ enjoying sub-zero snow riding as well as milder wet rides without sweating our own body weight in fluid. Despite the small hood and short collar niggles the Endura MT500 is at the top of our list of essentials when the weather is inclement, the fit and performance of the fabric far outweighs the other annoyances. It would be near on perfect with a couple of inches added to the front of the hood and a slightly taller, looser collar.​ 

• For the full review of the Endura Women’s MT500 Waterproof Jacket II click here

We will be updating this list as we test more kit receiving a score of 3.5 and above - check back again for more!

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