Mountain Hardware Premonition Jacket: The Best Ultralight Rain Jacket Alternative to Patagonia

The Premonition Jacket from Mountain Hardware seems capable of handing the toughest, rainiest days outdoors, while still feeling lighter and more breathable than a thin t-shirt. It’s surprisingly rugged, fits well, and has features hikers need, like pit vents and an adjustable, oversized hood. Its lightweight, specifically, makes it an excellent alternative to Patagonia rain jackets without having to sacrifice real-world performance. Its $430 price point makes it a premium rain jacket, but for that you’re getting a lifelong trail companion. Here’s how it held up.

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How the Mountain Hardwear Premonition jacket performs in the field

Photo: Suzie Dundas

When I first got the Mountain Hardwear Premonition UL Jacket, the person who recommended it to me was more excited about a rain jacket than anyone has a right to be. But after wearing it for a few months, I have one thought: they were right. I get it. It’s for sure the lightest weight, most ridiculously waterproof and packable rain shell I’ve ever worn. I’ve cycled through plenty of ultralight rain jackets over the years, but this one stands out for how effortlessly it shrugs off wet conditions without adding bulk or weight.

At just 6.7 ounces, this jacket feels like wearing nothing at all, and carrying nothing at all. That’s about the weight of a deck of cards, and so light that when I’m unfolding it, I’m worried that an average gust of wind may blow it away. It feels like a tissue-paper-thin fabric that surely can’t be very effective – until you realize it’s blocking every drop of rain in a torrential downpour. The Pertex Shield Diamond Fuse fabric is next-level when it comes to waterproofing (supposedly more durable and water-resistant than Gore-Tex), but also wildly breathable. I wore it on a cold, rainy morning in Oregon while building a mountain biking trail in dense forest – which means I was both cold and getting dripped on, but also sweating and doing physical work in really muggy conditions. I honestly wouldn’t expect any jacket to perform well, but the Premonition Jacket legit did. This makes it comfortable to wear for long stretches in changing, wet conditions, as I wasn’t constantly taking it on and off when the temperature (or my activity level) shifted. And perhaps more importantly, it kept me dry while hacking through dense, soaking brush in the Oregon backcountry, and didn’t snag, tear, or even show a mark in the process. That’s rare in the world of ultralight gear, where trade-offs usually mean sacrificing durability for weight savings.

Check out the performance features of the Mountain Hardwear Premonition jacket by scrolling through the below photos:

No need to frown just because it's raining. Photo: Suzie Dundas

The hood is adjustable and can fit over hats and helmets. Photo: Suzie Dundas

Pit buttons rather than zippers help to save weight. Photo: Suzie Dundas

Rain runs right off the sleeve. Photo: Suzie Dundas

For all those reasons, I’d recommend the Premonition Jacket for anyone looking for a seriously outdoor-ready jacket where packability matters – backpack missions, climbing trips where your backpack has little room for anything else beyond ropes, and even single day hikes in warm climates where afternoon downpours can happen at any time. Between the Fjallraven High Coast Jacket, which I wear as an every day around town jacket, and the Premonition Jacket, which is my failsafe on basically any wet outdoor pursuit, I think I’ll have my bases covered for many years to come. The fit is super standard: I wear a size small normally, and a size small in the jacket is the right size, even with a sweater underneath.

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