Best Windbreaker Jacket Ultralight & Lightweight 2024
Last Updated: February 29, 2024
Ultralight windbreaker jackets for hiking & backpacking
This guide will help you find the best lightweight windbreaker jacket for your hiking, backpacking, climbing, and running needs. We’ve scoured the internet and are confident that this is the finest crop of ultralight wind shirts, all of which weigh less than five ounces. The average windbreaker in our guide weighs just three ounces, likely the lightest assortment among all online gear reviewers.
The lightweight windbreaker jackets in this guide were selected based on a mixture of meticulous product info comparisons, backcountry testing, and decades of outdoor industry and gear review savvy. We know a good wind breaker when we see one, and we’re confident you don’t need something heavier than what’s right here in this buyer’s guide.
Jump to the bottom to read our buyer considerations and pro tips. And while you’re shopping for a windbreaker jacket, why not complete the set with our guide to wind pants. Or polish off your layering system with our guides to rain jackets, fleece jackets, down jackets, and sun shirts!
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Wind Shirt Quick Picks
- Best All-Purpose: Patagonia Houdini
- Top Ultralight Pick: Zpacks Ventum
- Top Ultralight Pick: Katabatic Gear Crest
- Top Value Pick: REI Co-op Flash Jacket
- Best Water Resistance: Black Diamond Diamond Distance
- Best Hiking Features: Montbell Tachyon
- Best Durability: Arc’Teryx Squamish
- Best Custom: Enlightened Equipment Copperfield
Wind Shirt Comparison Table
Windbreaker | Weight (oz) | Price ($) | Denier |
Zpacks Ventum | 1.8 | 100 | 7 |
Katabatic Crest | 1.8 | 119 | 7 |
EE Copperfield | 2.1 | 120 | 10 |
Montbell Tachyon | 2.5 | 139 | 7 |
BD Distance Wind | 3.4 | 140 | 15 |
Patagonia Houdini | 3.7 | 109 | 15 |
REI Flash | 4.3 | 100 | 15 |
Arcteryx Squamish | 4.9 | 160 | 30 |
*denier estimated when not provided by manufacturer
Best All-Purpose Windbreaker Jacket
Patagonia Houdini Jacket
3.7 oz | $109
Patagonia Houdini is perhaps the most classic ultralight windbreaker of all time, and it’s still the most well-rounded, well-regarded, most trustworthy option today. Features include a single chest pocket/stuff sack, hood cinch, drawcord hem, and half-elastic cuffs. Houdini is now fair trade certified, and made with 100% recycled ripstop nylon. Weighing in at 3.7 oz, it’s right in the sweet spot for ultralight windbreakers.
Top Ultralight Windbreaker Jacket
Katabatic Gear Crest Windshell
1.8 oz | $119
We really like the new Katabatic Gear Crest Windshell. The 7d Pertex Quantum Air fabric lands on the more breathable side of the wind breaker spectrum, and utilizes textured yarns for a less clammy skin-feel. This windbreaker is literally featureless, aside from elasticized cuffs, which is a smart design choice, and the only way to come in at less than two ounces. While true to size, it runs a bit trim, so size up if you’re in between or prefer a looser fit.
Top Ultralight Windbreaker Jacket
Zpacks Ventum Wind Shell
1.8 oz | $100
At only 1.8 oz for a M’s medium, the Zpacks Ventum Wind Shell stood out to us as one of the very lightest windbreakers on the market. It’s constructed with 7D Ventum ripstop nylon fabric, which is soft, breathable, and water/wind resistant. And in fact, it’s the same performance fabric they use on their high quality ultralight sleeping bags. The hood, hem, and wrists are elasticized to keep drafts out.
Top Value Windbreaker Jacket
REI Flash Jacket
4.3 oz | $100
The REI Co-op Flash Jacket is a no-frills, 4.3 oz fair-trade certified windbreaker made of recycled nylon. This one stands out to us in that it one of the only lightweight windbreakers with a full set of two hand and one chest pockets. Flash’s diagonal chest pocket opening is configured at a 45 degree angle which prevents contents from slipping out. For a hundred bucks, this tied for the least expensive windbreaker on our list, but it is also the least fancy in terms of performance and 15d fabric composition. It exhibits average breathability for a windbreaker.
Windbreaker Jacket – Best Water Resistance
Black Diamond Distance Wind Shell
3.4 oz | $140
We nod to the Black Diamond Distance Wind Shell for its ultralight weight and water resistance thanks to a fancy DWR. This is the GTT Empel Breathable Water Protection Technology, and water resistance treatment that claims to beat out C-6, C-8, and C-0 DWRs in terms of performance and durability. However, it is definitely not waterproof. The Distance Wind is built with a 15D nylon, and has elasticized hood, cuffs, and an adjustable hem. The whole thing packs down into its one zippered chest pocket. We’d recommend this wind breaker if you’re expecting very, very light rain but don’t want a full on waterproof jacket. Our only complaint is that the hand feel is a bit plastic-y, but so are many of the lightest weight windbreakers. Read more in our full-length Black Diamond Distance Wind Shell Review.
Best Windbreaker Jacket For Hiking
Montbell Tachyon Hooded Jacket
2.5 oz | $139
We love the Montbell Tachyon Hooded Jacket for its ultralight weight and the fact that it’s the only ultralight windbreaker with a set of hip belt-compatible hand pockets and underarm vents. Constructed with 7D ballistic airlight nylon ripstop, it’s durable for its weight but a bit on the plastic-y spectrum. This is a great shell for hiking and backpacking because it works so well with a hip belt.
Best Windbreaker Jacket – Durability
Arc’teryx Squamish Hoody
4.9 oz | $160
Another longtime heavy hitter in the windbreaker market, the Arc’Teryx Squamish Hoody is a good choice for its durability. This one is designed for climbers, but great for any activity where you may be brushing against abrasive surfaces. This is thanks to the 30D Tyono nylon, the highest denier, most durable fabric on our list. At 4.9 oz it’s also the heaviest, so we wouldn’t recommend Squamish unless you specifically need the durability. It has a zippered chest pocket, and adjustability at the hood and hem.
Best Custom Wind Shirt
Enlightened Equipment Copperfield Wind Shirt
2.1 oz | $120
Customizable with nearly 20 colorways and three fabric weights (7d, 10d, 20d), you’re sure to find the ultralight windbreaker of your dreams with the Enlightened Equipment Copperfield Wind Shirt. The 7D fabric is as light as it gets. This wind jacket has no pockets, but offers shock cord cinching around hood and hem, plus elasticized wrist. It has a good blend of weight, durability, breathability and wind resistance.
Windbreaker Jacket & Weight
Five ounces seems to be a sweet spot for windbreaker jackets. Anything more is overkill, and unnecessarily heavy. Beyond that, the lighter the better, unless you plan to take it bushwhacking or climbing. On the opposite end of the spectrum, just under two ounces seems to be the lower limit. Because a two ounce windbreaker accomplishes nearly all of the same things (in terms of wind protection) as a four ounce windbreaker jacket, you might as well save the weight.
What’s more, when considering a two ounce wind shell, it’s so light that it can almost be thought of as part of a modular system in conjunction with a fleece, as opposed to a five oz windbreaker, which is heavy enough to be its own layer. Framing it this way makes it really hard to justify a midweight windbreaker. Why would you want a 7 oz wind shell when you could have a 5 oz fleece and a 2 oz wind breaker?
Wind shirt vs wind shell vs windbreaker
All the same thing. If you see us, or others, using these terms interchangeable, that’s because they are.
Reminder – Wind shells are not waterproof
Reminder – wind shirts are not waterproof and you don’t want them to be. The expectation is that a windbreaker jacket with a tight weave and DWR treatment should be able to keep you dry in light rain for a short amount of time. That’s all. It’s okay to wear a windshirt in the rain and get a bit wet if you expect to dry out quickly after. It can also be preferable in warm rain when you would overheat in rain gear.
When Should Hikers Pack A Windbreaker
A lot of micro decisions lead up to what you ultimately pack. We would recommend carrying a windbreaker for the following scenarios:
- Obviously, when you are expecting lots of cold wind
- in conjunction with an ultralight fleece jacket to make a modular system
- In lieu of a rain shell in very dry climates when no precipitation is expected
When Not To Pack A Windbreaker
- When you are already packing a medium weight fleece, a puffy jacket, and a rain shell
- In wet environments when you’ll mostly be wearing a rain jacket
- In non-windy environments
When Can A Rain Jacket Serve As A Wind Shell?
Unfortunately for windbreaker jackets, rain jackets significantly narrow their range of viable use cases. Waterproof jackets are windproof by definition, which means that rain gear beats wind gear at its own game. The fact that most hikers carry rain jackets on most trips makes wind jackets fairly redundant in a lot of cases. And if you’re trying to shave weight, skipping the wind jacket and just committing to wearing a rain jacket in those situations is a great option. You lose out on some breathability, but it still gets the job done.
Reminder – A Wind Shirt Can Act As Mosquito Resistance
The combination of a windbreaker jacket over a knit polyester sun shirt can be as effective as a woven nylon button up. You might consider treating your windbreaker with permethrin to act as a bonus bug shirt. And you’ll be grateful for the hood!
Windbreaker Jacket Features In Order Of Importance
- Front zipper
- Hood Adjustability
- Chest Pocket
- Hand Pockets
- Armpit or back yoke vents
- Hem adjustability
- Packs into own pocket
Windbreaker Plus Polartec Alpha Direct
A growing trend with ultralight backpackers is to layer a Polartec Alpha Direct Hoodie underneath a windbreaker to create a modular puffy jacket system. For this purpose, we recommend the lightest possible windbreakers, like the Zpacks Ventum and Enlightened Equipment Copperfield. The Polartec Alpha Direct fabric, usually 90g, is like the guts of a synthetic puffy jacket uncontained by a shell. It’s like a grid of fluffy fur.
However, Alpha Direct is so breathable that you will even feel a breeze just by walking. Without the addition of a wind shell, it is incapable of maintaining heat if there is any wind whatsoever. But with a windbreaker, it becomes as warm as a heavyweight fleece or a lightweight puffy jacket. Thus, the alpha direct hoodies and windbreaker jackets go together like peanut butter and jelly.
Windbreaker Maintenance
Windbreaker maintenance is fairly simple. Double check washing instructions provided by the manufacturer, but for the most part, they can be laundered as normal. To restore its water resistant DWR coating, wash and treat the windbreaker with a 1-2 punch of NikWax Tech Wash followed by TX.Direct. Fix up small rips and tears with Gear Aid Tenacious Tape. Easy peasy!