We’re here to report that jacket season is not over. It’s just changed. While the big down jackets and high-loft coats have been sent for back-of-the-wardrobe hibernation for a couple of months by now, there’s a new kind of jacket that has just awakened – the lightweight, technical kind.
You know what we mean, the thin, breathable numbers that you can throw into just about any outfit to make it at least 50% more interesting. We’re into lightweight technical jackets that are bright, have a good amount of zip pockets, and an interesting hood. Perhaps even a two-way zip if we’re feeling fancy.
Lightweight jackets in the UK, specifically in the North, aren’t simply a stylistic choice; they’re a necessity. Up here, the weather can flip on its head in a matter of seconds, and venturing out of the house without some form of water resistance is a death wish, plain and simple. Nobody knows this better than our Merseyside mates at SEVEN STORE, whom we’ve collaborated with to give you seven of the best lightweight technical jackets on the market right now.
What a jacket. What a colour. This Mellow Clo lightweight jacket looks like the kind of thing you’d end up wearing day in, day out. Only washing it when you get apprehended by a fragrantly-offended family member. Genuinely the nicest shade of green/yellow we’ve seen in a hot minute.
Purple Mountain Observatory Heat Reactive Breeze Jacket
If you don’t know already, we’ve got a bit of a thing for heat-reactive stuff around here. It appeals to our inner child in a way that light-up shoes did when we were eight years old. It’s just fun, isn’t it? So yeah, it goes without saying we’re big into this Purple Mountain Observatory jacket, although if you get really sweaty pits we’d probably advise against it…
Hiking Patrol Lightweight Technical Jacket
Hiking Patrol coming with the epitome of a lightweight technical jacket. This thing looks like it weighs next to nothing, and they’ve gone mad on the technical fabrics too. Shiny nylon panels have been mixed with translucent panels, and then they’ve even added laser-cut vent panels. Very techy stuff indeed.
It was only right for us to include an ON jacket from a Liverpool retailer, wasn’t it? Besides it making you repeat phrases like ‘Yes now!’ and ‘Blert!’ in a bad faux scouse accent, this jacket is also going to keep you protected from light showers, thanks to its water repellent polyamide make-up. Boss tha!
For no good reason, a seldom talked-about brand on Proper, KARMA8A has been quietly carving out a niche in boulder-ready clothing for a little while now. As you can see from the jacket pictured, the company has quickly developed a knack for combining breathable fabrics and tasteful colourways – pretty important characteristics when it comes to making lightweight technical jackets.
Hiking Patrol 2.5L Shell Jacket
This Hiking Patrol jacket is treading the line between comprehensive hard-shell and lightweight technical jacket, but we’ve decided to throw it in anyway. This won’t just get you through a light bit of rain, it’ll also easily manage a monsoon (of the British variety)
The North Face North Dome Wind Jacket
This is that good TNF. None of that JD Sports nonsense you see far too much of. The Duck Green colour of this jacket is top notch, and so is the subtle tonal logo – but the best bit of all is the central back pocket, but you’ll have to click on the link to see that.
