Construction & Features

We were pleasantly surprised to discover the hybrid-mapped nature of the Outdoor Vitals Tushar Rain Jacket. That is to say, gray-colored panels on the shoulders, upper-arms, and hood are optimized for max waterproofness with standard breathability, while red panels on the chest, back, and underarm are optimized for max breathability with standard waterproofness.

Stats-wise, Tushar boasts 28.5k hydrostatic head, and 20k breathability in the gray panels (roughly similar to Gore-Tex, but more breathable), and 15k HH on the colored panels with 29k breathability. Pretty impressive for a jacket in this price range!

Arguably, the most important built-in feature in a hiking rain jacket are its pit zips, and the Tushar checks that box. That being said, we wouldn’t have mind slightly larger pit zip vents, these are sufficiently functional, but would have benefitted from about 50% additional zipper length to dump more heat.

Features-wise, it also has a waterproof chest zipper, chest pocket, and elasticized cuffs. One area for improvement though would be the hood, which lacks any adjustability and doesn’t have a structured bill. Wear it with a cap and you should be fine though. Not a major con, plus the lack of adjustability saves manufacturing cost and weight.

An interesting element to the Tushar’s construction is the 3D printed interior, making it a 2.5L rain jacket. The additional half layer protects the waterproof-breathable laminate from scuffs and skin oil, and prolongs the lifespan of the garment. However, it still has something of a plastic feel to the touch, and the result is overall inferior to a true 3L build, albeit more economical.

We also want to call out the exceptional seam taping, which upon handling, immediately looks and feels high quality. These seams are unlikely to be failure point.