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Super Speedy Summary Review

The Raidlight Hyperlight Jacket is incredibly lightweight at only about 3oz. Its a very stripped down jacket designed to take up as little space with as little weight as possible whilst still being waterproof and breathable enough to meet the criteria for any long trail race or hike. The material is strong and stretchy to make it comfortable and has the highest breathability and waterproof rating I’ve ever seen on a jacket. The zip is rubberized too to keep the rain out.

The jacket packs up small inside a pocket in the hood and it comes with a clear area on the sleeve so you can (in theory) still read your watch. I would suggest buying this one size larger than normal as it comes in ‘european’ sizing and you may want to wear more than one layer under this in winter.

PURCHASE $220

In Depth Review

This Jacket is the ‘alpinist’ approach to being on the trail. It delivers the best possible waterproofing and breathability with the best quality materials whilst taking up the least space and weight as possible when packed up .

Fabric

The slightly see through fabric has a little bit of stretch to it which makes it more comfortable to wear. It has a DWR water reppellent finish which means that the rain or water simply ‘beads’ and rolls off the jacket and it means you can shake it nearly dry when packing it away.

Waterproof Jacket Care

Its sensible if you wash this garment on low temperatures WITHOUT detergent. Its why I try pick all my technical gear in black if possible. It hides the dirt and stains. I strongly suggest using a mild soap based cleaner instead or a specialist tec gear wash such as Nik Wax tec wash. If you do this and leave the garment to hang dry you will massively increase its lifetime of breathability and water repellency. I also suggest using Nik Wax waterproof spray on it from time to time to keep the garment beading properly.

Taped Seams and Stretchy Cuffs

The jacket has taped seams which means that all the points where the fabric meets another section of fabric has a second layer of waterproof tape running under the join to make doubly sure no water seeps in through stitches or joins. The cuffs are flexible and stretchy to help keep water out too.

Zip

The zip works well and is a different color to the jacket which helps you find it easily in the dark. Its rubberized so that water does not seep in easily through it either.

Packupyness

The Hood has a small sleeve inside it that you can stuff the whole jacket into for storage so that it doesn’t take up much space in your pack and can even be stowed in your pocket on showery days in the summer.

Reinforced Shoulders

Another nice feature I noticed was the reinforced lattice on the shoulders which provides a bit of grip when wearing a backpack and also means a pack is unlikely to wear through the material at these heavy wear points.

Gripes

Its important I don’t moan about a lack of pockets or features because this jacket is minimalist and all these features would add weight and bulk.

The hood has a small pocket in it so that you can stuff the jacket inside itself into a small bundle, but I wonder if this pocket could have been placed by the chest area so that it could also be used to store keys or a phone when wearing the jacket.

The clear area round the left sleeve to allow viewing a sports watch is a great idea, but in reality it steams up almost immediately in the rain and when sweating so its basically pointless.

Closest Contender

I reckon the closest jacket to this that’s similar in features but less money would be the Topo Designs Ultralight Jacket which comes in at under half the price but has an inferior zip and material performance.

Verdict

The Raidlight Hyperlight Jacket is incredibly lightweight at only about 3oz. Its a very stripped down jacket designed to take up as little space with as little weight as possible whilst still being waterproof and breathable enough to meet the criteria for any long trail race or hike. The material is strong and stretchy to make it comfortable and has the highest breathability and waterproof rating I’ve ever seen on a jacket. The zip is rubberized too to keep the rain out.

The jacket packs up small inside a pocket in the hood and it comes with a clear area on the sleeve so you can (in theory) still read your watch. I would suggest buying this one size larger than normal as it comes in ‘european’ sizing and you may want to wear more than one layer under this in winter.

PURCHASE $220

Specs and Details

Waterproofing: 20kmm Rating
Breathability: 25K Rating
Membrane: 4-Way Stretch MP+ Membrane
Zipper: Water Resistant Zipper
Hood: Pretensioned Elastic Hood with Peak
Waist: Pretensioned Elastic Waist
Cuff: Left Watch Window and UltraLight Thumb Loops
Pocket: Storage Pocket on Hood

Weight: 3 Ounces (85grams)
Fabric Content: Membrane: 100% Polyurethane, Outer Fabric: 100% Polyamide
Finish: DWR Treatment

About Raidlight

Since 1999 RaidLight has served the trail running community with the best products to enhance your ability to connect with each other, nature, and to share the trail running experience. Born in the French Alps they continue to blaze new trails through innovation and community building. Helping you find your limits on and off the trail is what drives them to create award winning products.

Deep in the French Alps in the town of Saint Pierre de Chartreuse is their headquarters and their INO FAB Rapid Production Lab. In the lab their designers can create and test products in the same day. With endless single track outside their front door they bring products to life faster and more efficiently. 

Their headquarters are open to all of the trail running community to learn, play, test gear, and see the latest technology in the outdoor and trail running industry.

They don’t just make trail running gear, they live the life style of trail runners and adventurers. They are next to you when you toe the line at your local race and they follow the same footprints on the trail. They work tirelessly to support the community we are all a part of. Whether you cross a finish line first, last, DNF, or have never started a race you are a part of their family.