HIGH-PERFORMANCE HIPSTER
Our guarantee: With this jacket you’ll either be the best-dressed guy in camp or the driest sidewalk cruiser in town. The Sray is unabashedly unlike any storm shell we’ve seen before, and that’s why we love it. With a slim cut and head-turning plaid pattern borrowed from Helly Hansen’s Japanese line, the Sray will never mark you as a backpacker separated from the trail. But, more important, it also rebuffs rain. On a wet weekend in Michigan’s Warren Dunes State Park, the two-layer jacket kept us dry during several pounding thunderstorms. 33 oz (L); hellyhansen.com
Bonus: A helmet-compatible hood and MP3 pocket make the Sray slope-ready.
Bummer: It’s too heavy (and warm) for packing on most backcountry trips—and the trim cut limits how many layers you can wear underneath.