News + Trends

Cheap outdoor jackets tested by Kassensturz: Only four out of 12 are waterproof

28.8.2024

Translation: machine translated

Cheap and still waterproof - is that possible? The new Kassensturz test deals with this question about outdoor jackets. The answer is: Yes and no.

Outdoor jackets should be able to do one thing above all: reliably protect against rain and wind. The material should also be as breathable and abrasion-resistant as possible. Many outdoor jackets from well-known brands fulfil these requirements, but are quite expensive with a price tag of several hundred francs or euros.

The SRF consumer magazine has now tested whether even cheaper jackets are waterproof in the rain - even after five washes in the washing machine. To do this, the cash fall put 12 jackets, mainly own brands from sports and fashion store chains, through an endurance test in the laboratory. The outdoor jackets were priced between CHF 50 and CHF 160.

These are the four good ones

Of the twelve jackets tested, four were rated "good". They withstood the rain the longest and lost very little of their protective function even after washing. The test winner was the men's rain jacket from the Ochsner Sport brand 46 Nord. The women's rain jacket, also from 46 Nord, came in third place. Second place went to the Big Tramp brand jacket from Dosenbach. We do not have these three models in our range.

The "Women's Escape Light Jacket" from Vaude, which scored particularly highly in terms of breathability, was only slightly behind in fourth place. Like the jackets tested by 46 Nord, Vaude uses PFC-free impregnation.

Jackets

Vaude Escape

These jackets offer sufficient protection

We have three jackets in our range that offer sufficient protection so that you don't get wet in a downpour. According to Kassensturz, the "Weiltal 2L" jacket from Jack Wolfskin achieved balanced results in all test criteria and therefore offers a good compromise between waterproofness, abrasion resistance and breathability.

Jackets

Jack Wolfskin Weiltal

The "MH150" men's jacket from the Decathlon brand Quechua achieves the top overall score for abrasion resistance. However, you have to make compromises in terms of rain protection and breathability.

Jackets

CHF64.90

Quechua MH150

The "MH500" ladies' model from Decathlon also achieved a satisfactory score. Very good abrasion resistance and good breathability scored points here. In contrast, protection against moisture is moderate.

Jackets

Quechua MH500

Singing in the rain? Not a chance!

The three unsatisfactory models are "Cincinnati" from Manor Sport, "Storm Move" from H&M and "Classic Ikarus" from Trevolution, where the rain cover failed after just two and a half minutes. Poor Icarus, not only melting wings, but also wet underwear. What's more, the outdoor jacket that performed the worst - along with two others - was the second most expensive.

The Kassensturz test can only answer "yes" to a limited extent as to whether the cheap jackets are as good as the expensive ones. Although the cheapest model came in second place, it uses perfluorinated and polyfluorinated chemicals (PFC) for impregnation according to the Kassensturz table. Between the most expensive jacket, the "Weiltal 2L" from Jack Wolfskin (purchased in the Kassensturz test for CHF 159.90) and the second cheapest model, the Quechua "MH150" (for CHF 64.90), there are only 0.1 points in the Kassensturz final score with an overall rating of "sufficient".

This article has been adjusted retrospectively. The reference that the Quechua brand jackets were impregnated with PFC-containing agents has been removed. According to the manufacturer, this was an error in the original SRF Kassensturz table on which the article was based. The Kassensturz table has since been modified accordingly.

Header image: Shutterstock

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Siri Schubert

Senior Editor

Siri.Schubert@digitecgalaxus.ch

Research diver, outdoor guide and SUP instructor – I love being in, on and around water. Lakes, rivers and the ocean are my playgrounds. For a change of perspective, I look at the world from above while trail running or flying drones.

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Cheap outdoor jackets tested by Kassensturz: Only four out of 12 are waterproof

These are the four good ones

These jackets offer sufficient protection

Singing in the rain? Not a chance!

33 comments

33 comments

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