A solid raincoat is your passport to the great outdoors this winter. Here’s how to make sure you don’t end up buying a dud

A well-made waterproof jacket is a beautiful thing. A miracle of engineering. It’s a barrier between human and the forces of nature, a tiny tent for your torso. It’ll keep you bone dry in inclement weather and shield you from the wind, all while allowing perspiration to escape from within. But only if you buy a decent one.

Cheap out on a poor-quality waterproof jacket and you will get wet. If not from rainwater when it eventually breaches the zips and stitching, then from sweat collecting on the inside of the garment due to poor breathability.