Outdoor Research Helium Rain Jacket
Pertex Shield, ~180 g, packs into its own pocket
3.4 on Amazon
Light enough that you actually carry it, which is the only property that matters in a shell — the trade is a thin fabric that will not survive being dragged across rock.
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Do not buy this if: Monsoon-season trekking where you will be in rain for hours daily. Take a heavier three-layer shell with pit zips.
Not every route needs it. These are the ones where our guides would put it on your list.
Everything else we recommend in waterproof & wind shells, including the ones we think suit a different trekker.
Best in sustained rainArc'teryx Beta Jacket
Keeps working after six hours of rain when lighter shells have wetted through; you carry the extra weight every dry day too, and the price is genuinely hard to justify for one trek.
