The 10 Best Windbreakers for All Your Outdoor Adventures
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Is there anything more refreshing than when someone shows up exactly as themselves? No front, no facade. You know exactly what you’re getting from the moment they shake your hand. You form expectations and they meet them. With image curation and personal branding happening all the time in every medium, ulterior motives at every turn, so few things in this world can be described as “what you see is what you get.” Which is why when it comes to garments, the best windbreakers are, paradoxically, like an invigorating breeze.
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Windbreakers tell you exactly what they are and what they do with a simple compound word: wind-breaker. The chief purpose of these jackets is in their moniker—read: block the wind. They literally have one job to do and they do it. Unlike some other outerwear, windbreakers put it all on the table, heart on their nylon sleeve.
Of course, since these jackets occupy an important place in the jawnz ecosphere, they’ve taken on various forms. The best windbreakers offer bonuses beyond their utility. As with other outer coverings like their close siblings, anoraks, the definition has widened to include some styles that, frankly, don’t do much when it comes to shielding you from the wind. But then their consummate flyness usually makes up for their functional deficits.
What’s a Windbreaker?
OK, it seems silly to ask when we’ve just established how self-defining the term “windbreaker” is. But since we are evaluating the best of this particular style, we’ve got to put up some guardrails and provide some context. Generally, windbreakers are made from synthetic windproof materials, particularly like nylon shells. Most have a full zipper—as opposed to a quarter-zip seen on other pullovers, like the aforementioned anorak—and a hood. The bottom hem hits at or around the hips, although you’ll see some longer parka-like styles around, too. If they don’t have a hood, they’ll more often than not have a zip-through stand collar to help keep the wind from blowing down your neck.
A Brief History of Windbreaker Jackets
The earliest inceptions were likely related to the Inuit parka made of animal skins to keep out precipitation and frost; water- and wind-resistance go hand in hand. Since major advancements have been made in waterproof and windproof materials since the early days—two world wars resulted in innovations like gabardines, nylons, polyesters, and waxed cottons—windbreakers have become some of the lightest varieties of outerwear.
The rise of spectator sports and sportswear in the 1970s, an infusion of athletic wear into popular culture in the ’80s and the popularity of hip-hop in the ’90s all further cemented the windbreaker’s status as a style choice. Now it’s as much a form for designers to imprint their aesthetic on as it is a layer that prevents the gusts from getting in.
Here, we round up the best windbreakers on the market right now that’ll (mostly) do the job they promise up front.
BEST OVERALL WINDBREAKER
Acronym Color-Block 3L Gore-Tex PRO Hooded Jacket
Munich-based Acronym lives and breathes technical gear, specifically outerwear. Founded by Errolson Hugh in 1994, the brand introduced techwear as a new category in the fashion industry. The style became so prevalent that Hugh would eventually consult for some of the biggies (several of which you’ll see here), like Stone Island, Arc’teryx, and Nike. Acronym’s color-blocked jacket focuses on what the label does best: high functionality and Germanic precision. Flexing with Gore-Tex PRO—a totally windproof, waterproof, yet breathable material (which you’ll also see in other options listed here)—it’ll serve you well in the gustiest conditions.
Material: Polyamide and polytetrafluoroethylene.
Date of Brand Origin: 1994.
Colors Available: 2.
BEST SOFT-SHELL WINDBREAKER
Canada Goose Faber AcclimaLuxe Shell Hooded Jacket
You may associate Canada Goose with warmth. Those enveloping puffy coats seen on Arctic expeditions and posh elementary school drop-offs. In fact, the company, founded by Sam Tick in Toronto in 1957, started out producing an array of sportswear, including woolen vests, raincoats, and snowmobile suits. In the 1970s, Tick’s son-in-law veered toward down-filling and outfitting venturesome cold-seekers. While down parkas are still its calling card, Canada Goose produces some excellent lighter outerwear, too, like this Faber hooded jacket. It’s made from AcclimaLuxe, a nylon fabric with a soft hand feel that, according to them, “no gust of wind is too strong for.” Given the company’s outdoor inclinations, we’ll believe it.
Material: Polyester.
Date of Brand Origin: 1957.
Colors Available: 5.
BEST PADDED WINDBREAKER
Snow Peak Gore Windstopper Padded Jacket
When the weather hasn’t fully committed to the in-between seasons, you need a jacket that’s going to do some heavy lifting—a nimble style that can handle whatever’s blowing through. A padded windbreaker is just the thing, providing some warmth (without going full-down puffer), some heft, while also blocking the sudden gusts. Snow Peak, where thoughtful Japanese design meets outdoor gear, produces the ideal version with its Gore Windstopper. Gore-Tex makes another appearance, here in an integrated fabric membrane that’ll keep you warm and dry, whatever the fickle skies bring.
Material: Polyester.
Date of Brand Origin: 1958.
Colors Available: 1.
BEST BREATHABLE WINDBREAKER
The North Face Novelty Antora Jacket
The conundrum: You want to keep harsh wind and rain out, yet not end up clammy and stuffy within the confines of your jacket. Luckily, there are solutions—read: innovations!—that’ll keep the ventilation going the right way, like the DryVent nylon taffeta the North Face uses on its Antora jacket. This one has a partial mesh lining and the expected windproof and waterproof features as well as reflective piping for visibility.
Material: Nylon and polyester.
Date of Brand Origin: 1966.
Colors Available: 1.
BEST HIGH-FASHION WINDBREAKER
Prada Re-Nylon Wind-Resistant Jacket
The queen of nylon strikes again. Miuccia Prada (and her companion in design, Raf Simons) have elevated the humbly functional windbreaker to fashionable new heights. Rendered in Prada’s Re-Nylon—which is created through the recycling and purification of plastic collected from oceans, fishing nets, landfills, and textile fiber waste—this jacket is wind-resistant and a prime example of Prada doing what Prada does best: subverting familiar forms. The brand has also achieved the perfect blue, evocative of ‘90s nauticalism without being nostalgic.
Material: Nylon.
Date of Brand Origin: 1913.
Colors Available: 1.
BEST GARMENT-DYED WINDBREAKER
Stone Island Crinkle Reps Jacket
Italian innovation at its gorpiest. Stone Island’s commitment to garment dyeing, the process of coloring materials after they’ve been cut and sewn into finished garments, is on full display in its Crinkle Reps windbreaker. The jacket’s light taffeta construction and press-stud tab at the hood make it highly packable, rollable, and scrunchable. Along with its wind- and water-resistance, these features make it one of the most trail-ready of the bunch. Who’s ready to hit the Dolomites?
Material: Polyamide.
Date of Brand Origin: 1983
Colors Available: 5.
BEST PACKABLE WINDBREAKER
Arc’teryx Squamish Hooded Jacket
Despite Arc’teryx’s hyped status, it’s pretty nerdy. I mean, it puts punctuation in their name for fun. And it’s Canadian. But that also means it’s obsessive about all the little design details that make outerwear fit for extreme conditions (or your morning walk to the train). From articulated silhouettes to micro-seam technology to watertight zippers, it has employed more than a few new ideas into its gear, evidenced by the many trademark symbols peppered throughout its product pages. The Squamish Hoodie, named after Squamish, British Columbia, is made with one of those—Tyono 30 nylon, an advanced, highly wind-resistant fabric that offers surprising strength for its weight, along with an adjustable Stormhood that can be stowed in a chest pocket. Genius!
Material: Nylon.
Date of Brand Origin: 1989.
Colors Available: 7.
MOST ELEGANT WINDBREAKER
Bottega Veneta Tech Nylon Zip Blouson Jacket
Oh, Matthieu Blazy, somehow you’ve created the coolest windbreaker that also sports some real utility. Technical nylon, high-acreage front flap pockets, and the best feature of all: a detachable hood. We love options. Sometimes you just want your hood out of your damn way. Of course there’s more to the construction of this fit-making jacket upon closer inspection—look at the gently curved shape of the sleeve or the exaggerated stand collar. We’d go so far as to call it elegant.
Material: Nylon.
Date of Brand Origin: 1966.
Colors Available: 1.
BEST RUNNING WINDBREAKER
District Vision New Balance Edition Jacket
Windbreakers have been integral parts of the athletic world since the ’70s. Just picture all of the U.S. Olympic teams in their matching sets. Running has been particularly fertile ground for wavy windbreakers in the lightest weights as functional gear while getting your strides in. So when two heavyweight brands—New Balance and fashion cult favorite District Vision—team up to produce a featherweight running windbreaker that’s also operating at a high drip level, we listen. And you should, too.
Material: Recycled nylon.
Date of Brand Origin: 2016 (District Vision), 1906 (New Balance).
Colors Available: 1.
BEST HEAVY-DUTY WINDBREAKER
Nike ACG Chain of Craters Storm-FIT ADV Shell Hooded Jacket
Most of the time, when you’re up against treacherous winds, you’re also dealing with some serious precipitation. That’s why many of the windbreaker options here are, by default, water-resistant, too. Nike ACG ups the dry ante with three layers of Gore-Tex and sealed zippers on its Chain of Craters jacket. It’s named after the winding road that runs through the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park that sees its fair share of monsoons—which means it should be able to handle some spring drizzles and breezes just fine.
Material: Polyester.
Date of Brand Origin: 1964
Colors Available: 1.
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