Men's Raincoats Guide

A men's raincoat - traditionally a slicker - is a waterproof or water-resistant coat worn to protect the body from rain. Styles include the anorak, the mackintosh, oilskin, ponchos and the trench coat, and 'rain jacket' usually means the waist-length version of the same idea. This guide takes the coat itself: the fabrics and coatings that shed water, the classic patterns, and how a raincoat should fit over everything from a T-shirt to a suit. This guide covers the styles worth knowing, the fit points that decide comfort, the fabrics and construction that separate a good buy from a regret, and the simple care that makes the garment last.

Styles and Fabrics: Macs, Trenches, Oilskin and Modern Shells

Raincoat fabrics divide by method. Rubberized cotton is the original mackintosh technology - cloth proofed with rubber, fully waterproof and traditional, but heavy and not breathable. Modern shells use woven synthetics or cotton blends with a durable water-repellent (DWR) finish, taped or sealed seams and, in better coats, a waterproof-breathable membrane; oilskin - cotton densely woven and treated with oils and waxes - remains the rugged, re-proofable option. Style follows the same split: the trench coat (double-breasted, belted, born in the First World War trenches) dresses up; the single-breasted mac is the minimal city coat; the slicker and the poncho are pure function. Whatever the style, audit the seams (taped beats merely stitched), the closure (a storm placket over the zip or buttons), and cuffs and hem that can be cinched against driven rain.

Outerwear value hides below the surface: taped versus merely stitched seams, a zipper whose slider runs true under one hand, cuffs and hems that adjust to seal weather out, and a lining slippery enough to glide over the layers beneath. Shoulder build decides the hang over knitwear or a jacket, and pocket engineering decides whether hands and kit ride where your body expects them. Specify for the worst honest day, not the brochure day.

Fit and Sizing

Fit a raincoat over the bulkiest layer it will honestly cover - for most men, a suit jacket or a heavy sweater - and fasten every closure while sitting and reaching. The coat's shoulders should echo yours, the body should close without strain over layers, and length should reach at least mid-thigh for real protection; a knee-length coat keeps trousers dry in a way no waist-length jacket can. Sleeves should cover your shirt cuffs with arms extended. If you will wear it mainly over tailoring, size for the jacket beneath, not for the T-shirt you tried it on in.

Fit outerwear over the bulkiest layer it will honestly cover, and test the working range: arms forward as if driving, arms overhead, sitting with every closure fastened. The coat's shoulders should echo yours rather than extend past them, closures should meet without strain, and the hem must reach the coverage the garment exists to give. A coat fitted over a T-shirt alone belongs to a climate you may not live in.

Wearing and Care

Hang a raincoat on a broad hanger and let it dry fully before it goes back in the closet; most rain shells need washing rarely - spot-clean first, then wash by the maker's method when a full clean is due. Refresh the DWR finish when rain stops beading on the surface (wash-in or spray-on reproofing restores it), re-wax oilskin when it dries out, and never store any raincoat dirty or compressed. Store rubberized and vintage coats away from heat, which perishes the proofing.

Hang outerwear on broad hangers that carry the shoulders, rest it between wears, and resist washing it often - spot-clean first, and wash by the maker's method with the detergent the fabric demands when a full clean is due. Refresh water-repellent finishes when rain stops beading, never store a coat dirty or compressed, and send leather and tailored pieces to professionals rather than experimenting at home.

The Raincoat Family

A raincoat or slicker is a waterproof or water-resistant coat worn to protect the body from rain, and the term rain jacket is sometimes used to refer to raincoats that are waist length. The family of styles includes the anorak, mackintosh, oilskin, ponchos and trench coats. See also our coat and trench coat guides, the rainwear manufacturers directory, and our fashion influence section’s raincoat page. Whatever type of coat you are wearing, we hope it keeps you warm and dry when the rain arrives.