The only predictable thing about weather conditions in the wild is that they’re going to change. That’s why a good waterproof jacket is an essential piece of kit for any outdoor enthusiast, and the Alpkit Gravitas is not only great value for money, it’s one of the best lightweight jackets on the market.

At just 150 grams and packing down into a pocket-sized stuff-sack, the jacket won’t take up much room in your backpack and adds little to no weight. For comparison, the average apple weighs 100 grams. This means that whether it’s rain or shine, you can take the Gravitas along on your walk, run or ride without bogging yourself down, and not let a flash of unexpected weather ruin your day outdoors.

Alpkit’s state of the art lightweight three-layer fabric is the primary reason the Gravitas weighs so little. It uses a PU membrane, 7D face and backer fabrics and is one of the lightest three-layer jackets on the market.

“The Gravitas can keep up with jackets designed for the same purpose at twice this price.”

It’s perfect for maintaining your manoeuvrability while you’re on the go, but it doesn’t feel flimsy, despite the light weight. The stitching is out of sight and the cuffs use bonded construction, meaning it’ll last that bit longer too.

The jacket is incredibly waterproof with a hydrostatic head of 20,000mm and a moisture-vapour transfer rate of 30,000 g/sqm/24hrs translates into layman’s terms as competitive breathability.

The hood puts into effect a bunch of small details – a single cord-pull to tighten, stiffened and wired peak to protect the face and a semi-elasticated opening – to produce a fantastic end result and full practicality with no annoyances or awkward negotiating along the way.