A real waterproof that weighs almost nothing
Outdoor Research Helium Rain Jacket
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.
Skip it ifMonsoon-season trekking where you will be in rain for hours daily. Take a heavier three-layer shell with pit zips.
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The rest of the shelf
Best in sustained rainFor monsoon walking and long wet passes
Arc'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.
Skip it ifAn October or November trek in the Khumbu, when it barely rains. The Helium is the better buy for that season.