Please note: This jacket is good for all genders.
See all products together in our guide: Best Waterproof Rain Jackets for Hiking
Pros / Reasons to Buy
- Extremely comfortable to wear, all day long
- Great pocket positions
Cons / Reasons to Avoid
- Expensive
- Breathability may be an issue in hotter environments
See the Mammut Crater IV HS Hooded Jacket in more detail:
Verdict
The jury is in and I’m LOVING the Mammut Crater IV HS Hooded Jacket. I LOVE hiking and backpacking, but there are two things that will keep me off the trails: I don’t like being cold or wet.
Fortunately, I live in southern California in the winter/spring and chase the sunshine for the rest of the year through various National Parks and other public lands in the Western US. Good news for me – this jacket keeps me warm and dry and is a key to unlocking new adventures I’ve previously avoided due to rain.
Group comparison table:
Mammut Taiss HS | Arc'teryx Beta LT (2024 version) | Mammut Crater IV HS | Black Diamond StormLine (now Fineline Stretch Shell) | Outdoor Research Helium Rain | Cotopaxi Cielo Rain Jacket | Marmot PreCip Eco | Arc’teryx Beta | Marmot Minimalist | Rab Firewall Waterproof Jacket | Rab Downpour Plus 2.0 | The North Face Venture 2 | Columbia Watertight II | The North Face Dryzzle Futurelight | |
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Buying Options | ||||||||||||||
Our Awards | Best Wind Protection | Best Women's Performance | Best Stretchy | Best Ultralight | Best Men's Performance | Best Womens | Best Overall Versatile Women's Jacket | Best Mens | Best Budget | |||||
Catergory | Performance/Hiking/Mountaineering | Performance / Hiking | Performance/Hiking | Daily Use / Hiking | Hiking | Hiking/General | Daily Use / Hiking | Performance / Hiking | Daily Use / Hiking | All round outdoors use, extreme conditions | Performance / Hiking | Daily Use / Hiking | Daily Use | Daily Use / Hiking |
Weight | 15.3 oz. | 13.9 oz. | 12.5 oz. | 11.3 oz. | 6.3 oz. | 10.6 oz. | 10.6 oz. | 13 oz. | 16.8 oz. | 13.2 oz. | 11.6 oz. | 13 oz. | 12 oz. | |
Waterproof | 3L | 3L Gore-Tex | 3L | 2.5L BD.dry | 2.5L Pertex | 2.5L | 2.5L NanoPro | 3L Gore-Tex | 2.5L Gore-Tex | 3 L Pertex | 2.5L Pertex | 2.5L Dryvent | 2L Omni-Tech | 3L Futurelight |
Pockets | 5 | 2 zippered hand | 5 | 2 zippered hand | 2 zippered hand | 3 | 2 Zippered Hand | 2 Zippered Hand | 2 zippered hand, 1 zippered chest | 3 pockets (2 hand) | 2 zippered chest | 2 zippered hand | 2 zippered hand pockets; 2 internal drop-in pockets | 2 zippered hand, 1 zippered chest |
Pit Zips | 2 | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
Packable | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Price | $366.60 | Price not available | Price not available | Price not available | $101.97 | $145.00 | Price not available | Price not available | $220.00 | $235.00 | Price not available | $154.80 | Price not available | $199.99 |
Analysis and Test Results
My favorite features are the front pockets – they’re positioned in such a way that they are accessible with a backpack on versus being stuck underneath a hip belt. The hood is super secure on my hat with the various bungee cords to tighten it.
As a buyer, I think you’ll come for how well it fits and how sharp it looks, and then fall in love with the comfort and durability of this jacket.
Performance Comparison
Type and Style
This jacket is designed to be multi-purpose, and is a 3 layer construction. It’s also sustainably produced, making use of a reduced ecological footprint. It’s bluesign approved, which is great to see.
It’s suited to trekking, mountaineering, hiking and climbing. It also makes use of inner and outer pockets, ventilated underarms and a helmet compatible hood.
Water Resistance
The Mammut Crater IV HS Hooded Jacket held up well during our water testing. There wasn’t a single worry about water saturation and the waterproofin and DWR are sound.
When testing, we had seasonal Santa Ana wind storms with sustained winds around 40 and gusts ranging from 50-100+ miles per hour, and this jacket kept me wind-free during tasks and cleanups during and between storms too.
If it’s this good in the wind and a solid soaking from our water testing, I’m thrilled to add this to my pack for the sporadic downpours in the Sierra mountains this summer and won’t think twice about hiking in climates that aren’t all sunshine and perfect conditions.
Breathability
By design, waterproof jackets aren’t very breathable, but this jacket has the added bonus of weatherproof two-way zippers under each arm and on the front to help regulate temperature and comfort.
Comfort and Mobility
If this jacket is any indication, I’ve been unknowingly uncomfortable in every other jacket I’ve tried for hiking and backpacking. This feels like redemption.
I didn’t realize how much I would fuss with my other jackets and how much it would distract me from the moment I was in until I went for a hike in the Crater. Since it has a great range of motion and is well-constructed, I didn’t feel as much restriction and therefore was able to enjoy the environment I was in versus focusing on the fit of the jacket.
I am also a gal in search of functional pockets in apparel, and between the interior pocket (great for ChapStick, small items you want to keep close to you) and the positioning of the front pockets to be accessible while wearing a backpack, I am one happy hiker!
Materials
This jacket is pretty much made entirely of polyester. Except the membrane is made of polyethylene. It is well made and incredibly strong and durable. It also makes use of waterproof zippers and has an Aquaguard 2 way front zipper.
Appearance
This jacket is by far the best cut jacket in my rotation right now from a style and function perspective. For a hard shell hooded jacket, it’s about as stylish as you can get.
As for function, I love that the back side of the jacket comes down far enough so that it doesn’t ride up between the bottom of my backpack and my back. No back chafing here!
Durability
It’s not often that I find myself oohing and aahing at seams, stitching, and reinforcements, but here I am, admiring my Crater jacket as if it were Simone Biles nailing her floor routine at the Paris Olympics. This jacket is a masterclass on quality construction and sleek design.
Weight and Packability
This jacket is stormproof so it’s well worth the pack weight and size, so much so that it has officially replaced my other rain gear for hiking and backpacking. I found that it fits in well with my other gear in my daypacks and various backpacking setups. Since it’s so durable, I would have no problem storing this in the mesh on the front of my backpack or in a side pocket if the interior space was limited.
Men
482 g / 17 oz.
Women
356g / 12.5 oz.
Features
At the risk of sounding like a broken record – POCKETS POCKETS POCKETS. I am also just bewildered at how this jacket performed during the recent wind storms.
The hood was secure around my hat, it didn’t flap at all! I felt like I was wearing a force field instead of a jacket, because the wind just split around me with nowhere to go but around the jacket.
Sustainability
Mammut gets bonus points for working with Fair Wear, a non-profit organization that works to ensure fair and safe working conditions around the world. I appreciate the commitment Mammut has made to reduce their carbon footprint and transition to more sustainable materials, like PFC-free GORE-TEX ePE membrane.
Conclusion
This jacket feels like upgrading to a brand new car after driving a hand-me-down into the ground. I didn’t know how uncomfortable my other gear was until I wore this jacket.
For how many thousands of miles have I been awkwardly shoving hands into pockets obstructed by a hip belt? How much sweat has soaked into my clothes under other rain jackets that didn’t have underarm ventilation?
Sometimes all it takes is a new piece of gear to reignite your love for the outdoors. I have never really enjoyed hiking in wet environments, but I would definitely go out on a soggy day in the Pacific Northwest with this jacket. Now I truly understand what folks mean when they say, “there’s no bad weather, only bad gear.”
This jacket kept me warm in raging winds, dry during the water testing, and has opened new doors to new activities now that I know I will be prepared in those conditions.
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