How Trail Jackets Have Evolved To Be So Amazingly Lightweight

From giant military-style ponchos to nearly weightless shells that fit in the palm of your hand, trail gear has come a long way since its inception

BY RACHEL CAVANAUGH

Once upon a time, if you wanted to go trekking into the woods and stay warm or dry, you had to wrap yourself in military ponchos or drape your body in thick, heavy jackets made from bulky materials. Nowadays, however, rain shells are so lightweight that you can barely tell you’re wearing them. Not only that, they’re getting even lighter. So why did this happen? And how did science make it possible?

The Origins of Trail Gear

Early outdoor gear had its roots in the military where coats were primarily made out of wool and natural fibers. Prior to that, people had used animal skins, relying on a system of trapping air to keep themselves warm. If you wanted to stay warm outside, you needed to pile on lots of thick layers and bulky garments.

Older rain slickers were coated in polyurethane, which was not only heavy but poorly ventilated. As technology evolved, however, brands began developing ways of making fabrics more lightweight and compact. Waterproof membranes emerged that could be put on textiles, cutting down on the weight and making the material softer and more breathable.

Columbia Sportswear CEO Tim Boyle is pictured here in the 1970s working on an early raincoat prototype.

“Over the years, we’ve been able to engineer fabrics and laminations to get a lot more lightweight,” explained Becca Johnson, senior apparel designer for Columbia Sportswear. “The game changer came when we invented OutDry Extreme technology. That took the breathable waterproof membrane and put it on the outside of the jacket, which eliminated the problem of water soaking the outer layer.”

Using membranes and laminations on fabrics allowed the textiles themselves to be thinner too. Additionally, it meant that the mesh liners that were common in most older rain jackets were no longer needed.

“With a traditional rain jacket with the membrane against your skin, it’s going to feel tacky or sticky—that’s why you put a mesh lining or a fabric on it,” Johnson explained.

“But with the OutDry, you’re able to eliminate a layer of fabric because you already have textile against your skin and you don’t have that textile on the outer shell.”

Evolution of the Sport

Part of the reason things changed so dramatically is that when people first began hiking recreationally, it was a more uniform sport. All trail gear was essentially designed for the same thing and people usually only had one jacket for the outdoors. That meant jackets needed to be more versatile.

However, trail sports today are extremely diverse. There’s weekend backpacking, day hiking, thru-hiking, trail running, adventure trekking, aerobic fast-hiking, and more, which means jackets can be targeted to more specific uses.

Aerobic hiking and multiday excursions specifically have created a demand for a more lightweight rain shell.

“You used to need to have a lot more versatility out of your jacket because you would buy one jacket to do every single activity,” Johnson said.

The most recent iteration is Columbia Sportswear’s ODX Nanolite Shell, which weighs just 7.1 ounces.

“We’ve created a very, very light textile that we were able to bind to the OutDry,” Johnson said. “And because we put it on such a featherweight textile, it’s made it incredibly lightweight and incredibly packable. It almost feels like you’re wearing nothing because of how light we were able to get it.”