The Best Hunting Jackets for Men in 2025

Other hunting jackets, tested

The Best Hunting Jackets for Men Comparison Chart

How We Tested Hunting Jackets

The crew of hunters at Gear Junkie spans across the United States. Our team has hunted in Montana, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Tennessee, Idaho, and Washington. Once fall rolls around, the team relentlessly pursues all manner of game, whether its muleys, whitetail, elk, bear, turkey, or antelope.

With such a diverse cast, these hunting jackets were tested during hot, backcountry archery elk trips, to late-season, snowy rifle hunts. If there are conditions you plan on facing this year, chances are, someone on our team has been there and tested these products in a similar situation.

Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose the Best Hunting Jacket for Men

Hunting jackets are the final layering piece of an overall system designed to keep you temperature-regulated in any scenario. So, it’s important to consider what your personal layering system consists of and which hunting jackets will fit your kit best.

At Gear Junkie, our team looks at four different qualities to determine which jacket is best for our time in the field: warmth, waterproofness, breathability, and fit.

Warmth of Hunting Jackets

Warmth is the most crucial part of selecting a jacket. Obviously, if you don’t dress warm enough for the conditions you face, you’ll be cold. But, on the flip side, if you go too warm, you’ll end up sweating, which will ultimately get you to the same point: cold. You don’t necessarily want the warmest jacket at all times.

That’s why it’s crucial to develop a layering system. Having multiple layers in your kit allows you to maintain warmth in varying conditions. When it’s hot or you’re on the move, you can shed layers and keep your body temperature down and remain relatively sweat-free. When things get cold and nasty, or you sit down to glass or hunt in a stand, you can bundle up with multiple layers.

Here are a few of the different types of jackets you’ll encounter and the relative warmth they provide.

Base Layers, Mid-weight Layers, and Softshell Hunting Jackets

Don’t be fooled into thinking you need to stick with one brand to build a layering system. Starting with your base layers, focus on buying wicking materials that will keep you warm even if they get wet. Wool still reigns, and we have a full breakdown of the best base layers to help you here.

A mid-layer jacket like the King’s Camo XKG Pinnacle is the next step up in warmth, and is great for when things start to get chilly on September evenings, or when you’re hiking and on the move during October hunts. The best mid-layers will have merino or fleece insulation, but still be light enough to breathe well during high activity.

Softshell hunting jackets are the final layering piece for many early and mid-season hunters. Most are water repellent, which offers protection in light rain or when going through dew-covered brush. The ideal softshell is a windbreaking in-between coat that is easily stashable and durable, like the KUIU Alpine Jacket.

Our tester Morgan Nowels, finds himself perfectly comfortable with a mid-layer and a soft shell in temps around the upper 40’s. When it dips below that, you’ll need to add a jacket built purely for insulation.

Highly Insulating Jackets

These are your lightweight, insulating layers for extra warmth between the base layers and your shell in a complete layering system. Insulated with either down or synthetics like Polartec, pay attention to either down counts or synthetic weights. An 800-fill down coat like the Forloh ThermoNeutral Down Hooded Jacket is extremely warm, whereas 80 g of synthetic insulation is more of a midweight jacket.

Down has its upsides. Its warmth-to-weight ratio is phenomenal. But if down gets wet, it loses both loft and warming qualities. And it’s often much more expensive.

You’ll see that downs are beginning to be treated and marketed as hydrophobic. However, synthetics tend to outperform down in water-repellent qualities. That being said, a shell is your final layer and can protect your down from getting soaked, which takes us to waterproofness.

Waterproofness of Hunting Jackets

Just like different insulation levels for various conditions, there are also different levels of waterproofness in hunting jackets.

There are some downsides to hardcore rain gear. Fully waterproof layers, while marketed as being breathable, are not very breathable. No matter what a brand says, fully sealed jackets can make you feel clammy from sweat. They also tend to be very noisy, which isn’t ideal when stalking spooky game.

Water-resistant jackets are popular because they minimize those negatives. If you only plan on being in light rain, often all you will need is a DWR-treated jacket. However, if you want to be prepared for anything Mother Nature throws your way, be sure to pack a waterproof shell.

The final bastion of protection against the elements, your shell is your waterproof, windproof, batten-down-the-hatches jacket. A true shell has an adjustable hood and cuffs, some sort of drawstring at the waist, and a full zip nearly to your nose to truly snug yourself in.

It can be a raincoat in the summer months. Or it can have mapped insulation for winter months. But it can truly mean the difference between cold and wet misery (and possible hypothermia) and staying comfortable in crappy conditions. Some sort of shell should always be in your pack no matter the season. It may sit in there 95 percent of the time, but you’ll be thankful for a jacket like the KUIU Chugach TR when the skies open up.

Like its name, you’ll often shell out extra bucks for the technology of a quality hunting jacket. Where you can skimp a bit on base layers and insulation, I suggest dropping a bit more cash on a quality shell that won’t fail when you need it.

Breathability

If you’re an active hunter looking for a jacket to wear on the move, breathability should be your top consideration. Generally, as you go up in warmth or waterproofness, a jacket will get less breathable.

The most breathable jackets are baselayers and synthetic mid-layers. They’re perfect for fighting off chill, but will allow your body to breathe while you hike to the next ridge or a far-off treestand.

Soft shells also offer decent breathability, but are best reserved for when you’re hiking in temps from 50 degrees or lower. In temperatures higher than that, you may find yourself sweating.

Puffy jackets and rain shells are the least breathable jackets available. Even a breathable membrane like GORE-TEX will leave you sweaty during a strenuous hike, and it should be reserved only for when you’re stationary or hunting in the most extreme conditions.

Fit of Hunting Jackets

Fit is highly personal. No one’s body is built the same, and no manufacturer uses a standard to assign sizes. If you’re shopping online, there is one way to ensure you get the correct size: follow the sizing charts provided by the brand. If you do that, you should be all set.

However, consider upsizing on your outermost layers. That will ensure you can fit more warm layers underneath. While you may usually fit in a large rain jacket, stacking a fleece, a puffy jacket, and a softshell under it is a sure-fire way to feel like the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man and lose mobility in your arms and shoulders. For that reason, you may want to select a larger size for outer layers.

On the other end of the spectrum, archery hunters often opt for a more athletic fit, as it keeps their forearms clear of the string when executing a shot. Some jackets, even highly insulated ones like the Badlands Venture Jacket, have a fit designed specifically for archery hunting. That particular jacket has less insulation in the arms and a tighter fit, designed specifically for shooting a bow.

Price and Value

Going cheap for all of your hunting jackets could leave you headed back to the truck early rather than sticking it out in the field. Like anything in life, you get what you pay for.

Since hunting jackets are such a diverse category, it’s hard to say what exactly “budget, mid-priced, and premium” jackets will cost you. But, as a general rule, spending more money on any jacket, be it a mid-layer, insulating layer, or shell, will result in a better warmth-to-weight ratio, improved waterproofness, and increased breathability.

It goes without saying that it is nice to buy the best of the best in every jacket category. Still, you don’t have to spend big bucks on every piece in your hunting kit. Here are the areas it makes sense to save money on.

Budget

Base layers and light tops are a great place to save some coin. All they need to do is be moisture-wicking and provide some level of warmth. You won’t need to rely on these pieces in harsh conditions, so instead of forking over big money, save some cash for other pieces.

Honestly, a breathable next-to-skin layer and a drab flannel can work just fine.

Mid-Tier

Soft shells and other mid-level insulating layers can be a decent place to go into a mid-priced jacket. Many brands are offering great pieces in this bracket, like Kings Camo and Badlands. You’ll get good warmth-to-weight and water resistance, without shelling out the big bucks for the most expensive clothing on the market.

Premium

It makes the most sense to spend the big bucks on two types of hunting jackets: waterproof outer shells and highly insulated puffy jackets.

Yes, you can find budget rain gear. However, not every waterproof shell has the same level of waterproofness. In an outright downpour, a budget “waterproof” jacket can still leave you wet. A higher dollar jacket will be able to withstand the worst storms.

When you’re looking for the warmest jackets, going with a top-tier jacket also makes sense. Budget jackets need more fill to offer the same level of warmth and end up being very bulky. Often, that bulk still won’t provide the same level of warmth.

When conditions get horrible, your warmest and driest layers will save a hunt. You will not regret spending as much as you can on them.

Frequently Asked Questions