The Best Snowboard Jackets

Snowboarders generally divide into two groups. Ones that want to look as if they’ve been dressed by a professional stylist, and others that want to keep their colors more muted and earthy. Both these groups want the same thing, though, and that is a good protection against all the elements. Still, some need mild isolation that will keep them warm and dry in the sunny and temperate days at the slopes. Others will need a shell that will regulate their body heat and at the same time keep snow, wind, and water out when going down the backcountry paths. The one sure thing about every snowboarder out there is that they aim to get the best snowboard jacket for them.

It doesn’t matter if you are now starting to learn how to snowboard or you are already an expert, you will need a jacket that is waterproof, windproof, warm, and looks flush. The jackets market is perhaps the true paradise for any fashion lover who also enjoys extreme sports. There are literally tons of models to choose from which makes it both hard and easy to find the perfect match for your gear. In case you want to know what to look for when selecting other parts of your equipment, such as gloves, goggles, helmets, and boots, check out our articles on these topics.

Brands nowadays cater for both functionality and design, so it is almost sure that whatever jacket you’ll be buying, it will have all the bells and whistles of a good, comfortable winter equipment. That is why we’ve handpicked some of the best jackets both for men and women to showcase some good examples of what to look for when getting your new jacket.

Things To Consider When Buying A Snowboard Jacket

Before going forward with your decision, here are a few things of which you should be considerable:

• Windproofing. Going down the slope at 20-30mph you will feel the effects of the wind all over your body and if you don’t have a good wind isolation, you will most likely find it hard to warm up. That is why a good snowboard jacket must have nice windproofing.
• Waterproofing. Snow is frozen water, so when it gets on your warm body the first thing it does is melt. Once it melts you will get wet and it’s up to your jacket to protect you from all that moisture coming in. It is measured in “mil rating” where most modern jackets have a rating of 10,000ml. Look for this number or higher in your new jacket. Anything less than that is good just for spring conditions.
• Breathability. We have the same measuring here – 10,000 (how much moisture escapes through the fabric for one hour). If you are the sweaty type, a higher rate of breathability would be ideal for you.
• Various features such as: Vents, Hoods, Pockets. This may seem obvious, but some jackets do not offer enough functionality for most people. Vents help the jacket to have a better aeration when you’re riding. Hoods and pockets keep you warm and keep your possessions safe, so do not overlook such features. These, as well as features such as avalanche safety systems, can affect the price significantly, so keep it in mind.

Types Of Snowboard Jackets

What snowboarders often do, is that they spend all their money at the latest and greatest boards, bindings, and boots. What they do not realize is that the jacket they’re wearing can be the thing to determine how their day at the slopes is going. For example, if you are wearing a softshell jacket in a blizzard, you will be nothing but a popsicle in half an hour. On the other hand, if you wear a puffy warm jacket on a sunny day at the slopes, you will end up having it around your waist in no time. This is why you should consider all the different kinds of jackets and the weather you will be riding in.

We will introduce you to the key feature and basic differences between the five different type of snowboard jackets. They are:

Insulated Jackets

These are ideal for cold climates and harsh environments such as the Northeast and the Midwest. They use either synthetic fills or down. Primaloft or Thinsulate are the main types of materials used in these jackets. Down jackets, on the other hand, use goose or duck down to tackle even the coldest temperatures. These jackets are incredibly warm and super lightweight, even though they look puffy and big. They also come at a hefty price if you want to get a quality one.

The down type is especially great for riding in cold and dry areas (ex. Colorado, Wyoming). If you want to take this jacket to a more wet area, though, have a look at its waterproofing index.

Shells

This is the most common type of snowboard jacket. Almost everybody wears these, so you’ve seen them a lot. They are very versatile in terms of conditions that they can handle. Most have a decent waterproofing and often have vents for better breathability. If you get the right size, you will also be able to put some more clothes beneath them when the temperatures are freezing. This type of jacket is the perfect one if you are planning on having just one multi-purpose jacket.

Technical Shells

These type of shells are the best for when searching for new slopes to ride. They are lightweight, highly breathable, and have amazing waterproofing. Price can be an issue here, though, as they are on the expensive end of the spectrum. Materials such as Gore-Tex and eVent are often used. Overall, if you are a backcountry explorer, the quality and performance these jackets bring will be all you need.

Softshells

These jackets are soft, stretchable and have decent waterproofing properties, although hardshells are more resistant to water. In other words, these are hoodies that won’t get soaked as soon as you touch the snow. They are cheap compared to the other types and are great for sunny days such as the early spring.

3-in-1

Last but not least, these are the most versatile jackets out there. They feature an outer shell and a fleece that zips to it. This brings two options to the table: either wear both of them in cold temperatures, or either one of them if the weather is warmer. If you know you will be riding in various conditions, this type of jacket is perfect for you.

Make Your Choice

It is really important to know where you will be going to ride and what the weather will be. Of course, you can’t always have a separate jacket for each type of weather, but if you will be traveling around, perhaps the 3-in-1 and Shell types of jackets are the best for you. If you snowboard only at one resort or where you live, you can choose according to the local conditions. Either way, make sure the jacket is well-built, looks nice with the rest of your gear, and has a good warranty period in case something happens to the fabric.

Besides jackets, there are other parts of your equipment you need to consider (or maybe even try matching the styles of each). Taking your time when picking your full snowboard gear can be kind of nerve-wrecking but it will also pay off once you go down the slopes in the best possible gear for you. Here are some of the main components you need to check out apart from your jacket:

The Board And The Bindings

One good advice can be to rent your first snowboard and bindings in order to see what fits you best and what kind of board you find the most comfortable. Once you are sure what you want in terms of shape, length, weight, design, and color, you can move forward with buying your own snowboard with bindings.

There are three main types of snowboards:

The freestyle boards are the easiest to start snowboarding with so we recommend getting one of these the first time you go down the slopes. They are noticeably shorter and therefore – really easy to control.

Bindings are the part which fastens your boots to the snowboard. There are different designs and sizes. It literally depends on just how big your boots are. In case you will be renting those, there will be employees to help you out with choosing which ones fit you best.

The Boots

Along with the jacket, the boot is the most overlooked part of your winter equipment. People think that there isn’t a lot of difference from boot to boot but they are really wrong. A good quality boot can make your ride feel godlike. Furthermore, if you walk around in these and/or ride all day you’ll need the best snowboard boots possible, as your feet will get destroyed if you have cheap, stiff boots.

These can also be rented from the resort you are in, but we suggest purchasing these from a shop as you can try them out in a matter of minutes and decide whether they are good for you. The rules with boots are that the stiffer the boot is the more control you will have over the board. Softer boots usually are better for going to the snowboard park.

You can read more about snowboard boots on our article on the topic.

Snowboard Socks

This is something most people forget about. You need good socks in order to enjoy your day on the slopes. Furthermore, as your feet will most likely sweat once they heat up, you need your socks to also wick moisture. Synthetic ones work the best in these scenarios since your snowboard boots already have insulation. If the socks are too tight, your feet will start sweating and quickly lose heat. One more thing worth mentioning is that your socks must be higher than your boots otherwise the boots will run against your skin.

Helmets

Your head and what’s inside are perhaps the most important parts of your body, so you should always protect them the best way you can. This is why a good helmet is almost certainly a must in snowboarding. This is specifically important for beginners who fall a lot. If you don’t own a helmet the first time you go snowboarding you could get one from the resort rental store.

Learn more about snowboarding helmets here.

Snowboarding Pants

As with the jacket, the pants need to be waterproof for you to stay dry throughout the day. Apart from that quality, what you need to look for is material strength (durability and quality) and, of course, style.

Snowboard Gloves

For the gloves, the most important thing is them to be waterproof and well insulated. Your hands are in almost constant contact with cold air and snow so you need to keep them warm. There are various types of gloves and they all have different qualities and purposes. You can learn more about snowboard gloves here.

Durability is also something you should want in your gloves. The ones which are leather plated have amazing durability and even look good. There are plenty of additional gloves features explained in our article, so head there and find out what type of glove is the best for you!

Snowboard Goggles

Last on our list of equipment are the goggles. These help you in all sorts of ways ranging from reducing glare to restrict wind blowing into your eyes and drying them out. There are also plenty of other protective qualities that snowboard goggles possess. Find out which are the best snowboard goggles here.

If you’ve checked everything from this list, you are ready to go.

Now, let’s get back to jackets and compare some of the best both for men and women.

Snowboard Jackets Comparison Table And Review

Product	Sizes	Waterproof	Warranty	Quality	Price
Arcteryx Alpha SV Check Price	S, M, L, XL	10/10	1 Year	10/10	$$$$$
Dakine Smyth Check Price	M, L, XL	10/10	2 Years	9/10	$$$$
North Face Thermoball Snowboarding Jacket br> Check Price	XS, S, M	10/10	1 Year	10/10	$$$
Outdoor Research Trickshot Check Price	XS, S, M, L	9/10	1 Year	10/10	$$$$$
Outdoor Research Skyward Check Price	S, M, L, XL	7/10	1 Year	8/10	$$$$

Best Men’s Snowboard Jackets

Arcteryx Alpha SV

This is perhaps one of the best gore-tex jackets out there right now. As we mentioned, these jackets come at a very high price and this one is no exception. It is ideal for almost any sort of environment, as it is super breathable, extremely well waterproofed and lightweight. It can benefit a lot from an extra layer of insulation, as it isn’t as warm as some other jackets in this price bracket, but nonetheless, it is a very nice all-rounder.

When buying a jacket with the gore-tex technology, you are getting a solid product which can withstand any type of weather. The type of gore-tex here is N80p-X which is even better than regular gore-tex in terms of waterproofing.

There is plenty of functionality behind this jacket as well. Lots of pockets, a nice helmet -compatible hood, although it lacks a powder skirt to keep snow away from your waist. To compensate that, there is a decent amount of venting here. Gore-tex is usually breathable enough, but more vents are always welcomed. The only thing these vents kind of ruin is the heat isolation, but this is why this jacket is perfect for more wet conditions, rather than extremely cold ones.

We’d really recommend getting this on a sale (if there is any) as the price is just a bit too high for our taste, considering what it offers.

Lastly, the style of the jacket is rather dull, and might not appeal to many snowboarders out there, even if it has four color options. Nonetheless, if you’re into simple, cleaner designs, you might like it.

Pros

Cons

• A little too expensive
• Not much attention to the design
• Just 1 year of warranty
• Not very warm in extremely cold environments
• No jacket-to-pants connection system

Final Words On The Arcteryx Alpha SV Snowboard Jacket

If you are going to snowboard in a really wet climate, this is the perfect jacket for you, although if it gets colder you won’t exactly be loving it. The price isn’t helping either. If you find a deal on this jacket, then go all in on it. Otherwise, it is a really specific choice only if you know where you’ll be riding.

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Dakine Smyth

The gore-tex technology on this jacket will block wind and water like nothing else out there. It is a 2L technology compared to the 3L of the previous jacket, but it still works wonders. The Dakine Smyth has fully taped seams and a two-way adjustable hood. You also get a detachable powder skirt. All these features make it extremely flexible for all kinds of weather and conditions.

There is a collar venting system here which will keep you cool under the collar. This will also enable you to breathe freely when being bundled. There are a set of vents under your arms as well.

Features

Basically, this jacket gives you all the features of the previous one we review, but costs significantly less. Not to mention that it has more personality to it as well.

It lacks jacket-to-pants connection system, as does the Quicksilver jacket, but that isn’t necessarily a deal breaker. For a gore-tex jacket, this one is a great value for money.

There is a benefit of having 2L gore-tex instead of 3L, though. The 3L will have slightly better waterproofing, but will sacrifice some of the breathability. This means that if you want better ventilation and less moisture, get this one.

Pros

Cons

• Not many sizes offered
• Just 1 year of warranty
• No jacket-to-pants connection system
• Not ideal for colder climates

Final Words On The Dakine Smyth Snowboard Jacket

If you want a good gore-tex jacket, but don’t want to sell a kidney to get one, this is the perfect choice. It offers tons of functionality without sacrificing quality. It is nicely waterproofed and has amazing venting systems combined with good breathability. The colors in which you can get it aren’t bad either.

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Best Women’s Snowboard Jackets

The North Face Thermoball Snowboarding Jacket

This is one of the top women’s snowboard jackets. It is a 3-in-1 type of jacket that consists of an insulated midlayer jacket and a lightweight storm shell. If you’ve ever been in the mountains, you’d know how quickly the weather conditions can change. That is why The North Face gives you a weatherproofed main jacket which comes with a separate storm shell. This jacket has got you covered. If the weather changes, you can react to it in an instant.

The midlayer is the main jacket, but cannot really be used as such in 100% of the snowboarding days. Either way, it handles different conditions in a pretty impressive manner. This jacket is designed for extreme sports and allows you to bend and/or stretch in different locations of your body without the jacket getting in the way.

Unlike the men’s jackets, we reviewed so far, this one has a jacket-to-pant zone, which in combination with the snow skirt gives you excellent waist protection.

Let’s check out the characteristics of the inner jacket and its shell:

Inner Jacket

Shell

Our favorite feature about this jacket is how easy everything is about it. It comes ready to be used out of the box and is really well made, as well as well-styled. What we love the most are the ground-color schemes available for it (both for the female and male versions).

Final Words On The North Face Thermoball Snowboard Jacket

As we said. 3-in-1 jackets are extremely useful and super versatile for snowboarders that ride in various weather conditions. You can always put the shell on if things get rough, but staying with your midlayer on will be more comfortable, warm, and dry than ever.

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Outdoor Research Trickshot

We won’t lie to you, this is a pretty nice jacket. It brings exactly what it advertises. This soft shell jacket has a bombproof three-layer shell with added extra bonded fleece for more warmth. This brand isn’t exactly a snowboard one, but this jacket is a great all-rounder if your ride all over the mountains.

This jacket will feel warm and comfortable even if you wear a short sleeve beneath it. If you like that extra weight feel, you’d also love this jacket. The build quality here is exceptional as well. Anything we say about this jacket will be justified by its high price, so don’t get surprised when everything about it is just right – it comes at a price.

The hood is something we don’t like here, since it leaves parts of your face exposed (specifically the cheeks). This means that if it’s windy you might wanna get a balaclava or a bandanna.

This jacket is also warmer than most light insulated jackets. It deals easily with days when the temperature goes down to 0 F. In case you get too warm, there are nicely positioned vents below the armpits.

If you are sweating a lot, this jacket might not dry you up perfectly, as it has issues with breathability in the higher ranges, but it doesn’t steam up too much either.

Even if it doesn’t have the Gore-tex logo on it, it doesn’t mean that you can’t hang out in rainy days with it. The three layers on it are pretty much invulnerable to water and snow, so feel free to go anywhere with this jacket.

Features

Final Words On The Outdoor Research Trickshot Snowboard Jacket

All in all, this is the perfect jacket for anyone who rides in various terrains and in various weather conditions. This is great for the slightly colder and more wet days, as it provides excellent waterproofing and great warmth. Besides from snowboarding, this jacket is also amazing for hikers.

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Additional Review

Outdoor Research Skyward

This jacket is the example of what not to look for when buying snowboarding equipment. It doesn’t offer the quality of the previous jackets but for some reason swirls around the same price range. Furthermore, the three colors that it comes in are super dull looking and outdated.

It has all the features of a good snowboard jacket on paper, but in reality, we’ve noticed that it doesn’t have that good of ventilation, nor it is as waterproof as some of the gore-tex jackets we review. In cold and windy days, you’d definitely want to have something else on your back.

Even though this jacket is a shell, it is still on the heavy end of the spectrum, which isn’t what most backcountry snowboarders look for (apart from those that like the heavy feeling).

There are still some cool features on it, though – like its zippers. The ones at the front are bulky and durable YKK zippers. They will never fail you and let you unzip the jacket from whichever side you want. The pockets have smaller waterproof YKK zippers too.

Another somewhat good feature is the detached hood. It is separated from the collar which means that you will feel more comfortable and warm around your neck. It fits easily around a ski helmet.

You can find more information on snowboard helmets here.

Pros

Cons

• Bad overall weatherproofing for this price range
• Just 1 year of warranty
• Design colors look outdated
• Materials don’t feel on par with the price

Final Words On The Outdoor Research Skyward Snowboard Jacket

If you ignore the fact that the jacket has poor water- and windproofing, you could get it, but we really don’t see why as for this price you can literally any other top-tier jacket which will have all the top spec features, not to mention the bad color choices for this particular model.

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Conclusion

Having the right winter snowboard jacket can make all the difference in the world, especially if you are traveling around different resorts which have different climates and weather conditions. Make sure that you choose the right type of jacket for the conditions you will be riding in, or just choose a 3-in-1 jacket which deals nicely enough with all types of weather. What you shouldn’t be overlooking is the actual appearance of the jacket itself and whether it matches the rest of your gear. If you’re the type of snowboarder who lets the skills talk, though, you can go with the more “sleeper-like” equipment. Ultimately, you need to find the best snowboard jacket that fits your taste and matches your style.