Guide 3 min
Windproof or waterproof? The weather rule
The rule is binary: waterproof the moment the forecast can turn, windproof only in dry weather. And a rain jacket packs to 3.5 L/kg.
Windproof or waterproof, the question comes up every time you pack. The answer is binary, and it depends neither on the season nor on your level: waterproof the moment the weather can turn, windproof only in dry weather. A forecast that reads "changeable" counts as "it could rain": in that case, it's the waterproof. And since a rain jacket takes up almost no space (3.5 litres per kilo), choosing it by default costs you next to nothing.
The windproof keeps one use: properly dry, settled weather, when you want to cut the wind without sweating under a membrane. WildKit applies this rule on its own, and it extends it the same way to your footwear and your rain cover. Here's how to read it.
The rule fits in one question: can the weather turn
Don't start from what you fancy, start from the forecast. Three cases, only one jacket possible for each.
| Weather forecast | Your jacket | Rain cover |
|---|---|---|
| Dry and settled | Windproof | Stowed |
| Changeable | Waterproof | Out |
| Rain | Waterproof | Out |
The only case where the windproof wins is the first row. The moment the forecast hesitates, you switch to the waterproof. One shower on a windproof, and you walk wet until nightfall.
The windproof only earns its place in genuinely dry weather
A windproof cuts the wind, not the rain. It's lighter, more breathable, and it has its place on the days when the sky is clear and stays that way. But it has no margin: the first shower soaks you.
That's why it only comes out when the weather is settled, not just "fairly mild". Mixing up the two jackets is the classic trap of gear lists: they make you pick one without ever tying that choice to what the sky is announcing. Here, it's the forecast that decides, not habit.
Footwear and rain cover follow the same logic as the jacket
Consistency is what stops the gaps. Your jacket reacts to the weather; so do your shoes and your rain cover.
- Waterproof footwear the moment it can rain, or the moment it's 5 °C or less: cold and damp gets in through your feet before anywhere else.
- Rain cover the moment the weather isn't dry: a wet sleeping bag is a ruined night.
If you take the waterproof, take the rain cover in the same breath: it's the same forecast that governs both. For a first night out, this consistency avoids the costly oversight, one to revisit in the first wild camp checklist.
Choosing the waterproof by default weighs almost nothing
The fear is carrying "too much". But a rain jacket packs to 3.5 litres per kilo: folded, it takes up little room at the bottom of the bag, and it's one of the most compact items you carry (see how much your bag should weigh). Taking it when it isn't raining isn't dead weight, it's insurance.
The real cost is never the extra jacket. It's the windproof taken instead of the waterproof on a day the sky turned.
What to remember
- Waterproof the moment the weather can turn. "Changeable" counts as "it could rain".
- Windproof only in dry, settled weather; waterproof footwear the moment it can rain or it's 5 °C or less.
- A rain jacket packs to 3.5 litres per kilo: taking it by default costs almost nothing.
A changeable day faced in a windproof, and you finish soaked with no fallback. Describe your trip and the forecast: the configurator picks the jacket, the rain cover and the footwear that go together, and tells you what you're still missing.
A guide WildKit keeps up to date. Published .