Best Travel Jacket for Women – Lightweight women’s jackets for travelling in 2022

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Looking for the best travel jacket for women? We got you covered with our detailed guide, with picks that are perfect for every traveler and cover different seasons, styles, and most importantly, they are PACKABLE! Yes, these lightweight women’s jackets for travelling are packable and it will FIT into your tote, backpack, and any type of carry-on.

My MOST preferred piece of clothing is outerwear – be it a coat or a jacket. It can make you look all classy and put together. While traveling, my travel jacket makes me feel all cozy and warm and lets me be – at my comfortable BEST. 

Without further ado, let’s get started! YAY, so excited.

Best Travel Jacket for Women – Lightweight women’s jackets for travelling in 2021

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Top Picks: Lightweight Jacket for Travel Women

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In this post for ultimate travel jacket for women, we have included lightweight women’s jackets for traveling in all seasons. 

• Essential All Season Wear – We will start with the essential jackets. This is a perfect lightweight jacket for all year round and comes with water-resistant material. 
• Trench Coat Style – This type of jacket or coat is also good all year round. They are best for work, events, or for dressier outfits.
• Rain Jackets – Rain jackets are lightweight and of course, used for rain protection. Great for European city exploration.
• Winter Wear – And lastly lightweight puffer jackets for winter. They are your winter season companion, are super-insulated, and can also work a travel neck pillow. Read more to find how. We skipped the heavy winter coats (only one parka is included) are they tend to be on the heavier side and are not lightweight. 

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Best Travel Jacket Women’s by Season – Detailed Reviews 

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Arc’ teryx Beta LT Jacket – Essential All season Wear

Arc’teryx Women’s Beta LT Jacket is a lightweight travel jacket. It is made of windproof and waterproof material. It is also perfect for a variety of active pursuits. This jacket features a 3-layer GORE-TEX® Pro construction which is weatherproof and comes with a breathable membrane so the body heat generated while hiking or skiing can escape without bogging you down.

 

Arc’teryx Beta LT Jacket hood is fully adjustable and comes in a variety of colors. It is packable – a perfect jacket in a bag!

** GORE-TEX PACLITE® is what makes these jackets lightweight and packable. It’s the minimalist construction of jackets and how it is bonded to an outer shell material and covered by a durable protective layer making in water-resistant or waterproof depending on the fabric. (more of this below). Remember having GORE-TEX PACLITE® means it’s a good quality, functional and lightweight jacket.  

Marmot Essential Jacket 

For a neutral color (or an all-time favorite black color), choose this essential jacket from Marmot. The Marmot Essential Jacket is another lightweight and packable jacket – perfect for long trips abroad or nearby.

The Marmot Essential Jacket keeps you dry and comfortable. It is built for durability and the fabric is water and windproof. 

The breathable design of the jacket keeps it going fresh for a day on the go. The hood is attached but is adjustable. The stand collar provides additional warmth on chilly days. Full zip closure with hook-and-loop closes the external draft flap. There are pit zips that allow you to easily regulate your core temperature.

One of the best things about this jacket is the zippered hand pockets. The jacket also comes with adjustable hook-and-loop cuffs. I really love the longer cut of the jacket as it provides additional coverage.

Helly Hansen Welsey Insulated Travel Coat – Best Travel Jacket for Europe

Trench coat style jackets are perfect for date nights, dressier events, and pretty much everything to make you look put together. Trench coats can be dressed up or down with heels and flats to make a fashion statement. If you are traveling to Paris or Vienna and are planning to wear a lot of dresses, then definitely carry a trench coat with you.

Helly Hansen Welsey Insulated Trench Coat is such a stylish option. It is functional and great for protection against unpredictable weather while traveling. The trench coat comes with Helly Tech Protection fabric with DWR treatment, which is waterproof and windproof. It provides ample warmth without the added bulk.

It is lightweight and packable. The coat is machine washable and comes in a variety of colors. This is a perfect travel jacket for Europe during fall and spring.

Marmot Essential Women’s Lightweight Waterproof Travel Rain Jacket 

It is a lightweight women’s rain jacket, great for casual everyday wear and outdoor events or trips, where the potential of rain is a concern. 

The jacket comes with GORE-TEX PACLITE technology which provides optimal waterproofing, breathability, and pack-ability. The attached hood can be adjusted for better facial coverage as well. 

You can also regulate the garment’s internal temperature by increasing airflow a feature you can use when you are hiking or in outdoorsy activities. Velcro cuffs block drafts and zippered hand pockets provide additional storage options.

Arc’ teryx Zeta SL Rain Jacket – Lightweight Rain Jacket for Women

Arc’ teryx also manufactures great rain jackets that are perfect for travel. TheArc’teryx Zeta SL Rain Jacket is great for all year round – rain, wind, or light snow. It is lightweight and dry. It is equipped with waterproof and breathable GORE-TEX Paclite. 

Move with confidence as the gusseted underarm construction allows you to move your arms without your jacket riding up, making it perfect for outdoor activities. This is a staple for spring travel.

North Face Women’s Venture 2 Jacket – for Rainwear

Other popular rain jackets include the North Face and Columbia. Check out some of my other rain favorites below.

I own a North Face Rain Jacket – North Face Women’s Venture 2 Jacket – it comes in a variety of colors. I have it in bright blue and still looks like new, it was bought in 2012. It is super light and packable. The jacket length, however, is not long. It sits at the waist. Love the zippered pockets.

Columbia Women’s Arcadia II Waterproof Rain Jacket

Columbia Women’s jackets are another great option as well for regular (waist length) jacket. Columbia Women’s Arcadia II Waterproof Rain Jacket also comes in a variety of colors. And it is super light and packable. I own one in black. But let me show another color that I admire and I might get it soon. LOVE the raw honey color!

Tip: For waterproof jackets, use  – Grangers Cleaning Solution – to keep jackets clean. This will ensure the jacket stays in good condition for long. It also helps to refresh the jacket colors.

Patagonia Nano Puff Hoodie – Winter Wear

Patagonia Nano Puff Hoodie is a GREAT lightweight travel jacket for women. It is warm and is windproof. The jacket is made up of incredibly lightweight and highly compressible water-resistant—the 60-g PrimaLoft® Gold Insulation Eco.

 

The sleeves are long and provide comfort and warmth. There are two zippered handwarmer pockets with cleanly finished zipper garages. There is a zippered internal chest pocket with a reinforced carabiner clip-in loop which is perfect for extended periods of travel or outdoor activities.

It is available in a variety of colors. The Nano Hoody is warm and the draw-cord is adjustable. The jacket is warm, without being down filled. When completely packed in, you can use the jacket as a travel neck pillow – aka the perfect jacket in a pouch!

Patagonia makes great outdoor products, as well as their products, are environmentally responsible. Their customer service is helpful too.

Mountain Hardware Ghost Whisperer Down Jacket – Winter Wear

Mountain Hardware Ghost Whisperer Down Jacket like the name is a down-filled travel jacket (different from the recommendation above).  This travel jacket comes with 800-fill down and has a weight of only 8 oz – making it the lightest warm (down-filled) jacket. So yes this jacket is super warm and ultra-lightweight. It zips into its own pocket for compact storage (wow, a superstar right there and for the price it should be!). 

It is a windproof and water repellent jacket. The down fibers are infused with a permanent water repellent, that helps maintain insulation when exposed to moisture or water. Stow pocket has a loop to clip the jacket to your harness. The jacket (alpine style) is slim fitting and the zippered hand pockets keep you warm. 

The Mountain Hardware Ghost Whisperer Down Jacket comes with a lifetime warranty and is super durable at the same time.

Nautica Reversible Packable Down Coat – Moderate Winter Wear

This jacket comes with a bag or sack to carry the packable puffer jacket in. It is reversible. The jacket is polyester filled and is lined with fleece inside. The hood is attached, with a full zipper at the front for closure and of course long sleeves. 

 The jacket comes in a variety of colors (you can see the blue and green color in this post) and is machine washable. 

The North Face Women’s Thermoball Hoodie – Winter Jacket

The North Face Thermoball hoodie is another GREAT puffer travel jacket from a great brand name. Their jackets come in so many colors and they are my favorite – I own a rain, puffer, and softshell jacket from them and it has lasted me years.

This particular jacket is equipped with Thermoball technology – a down fill rating of 600 and super lightweight – this jacket will keep you warm and toasty in European winters or if you come home to Canada!

The North Face Thermoball jacket also comes without a hood. Check out the jacket here.

North Face also carries winter wear in plus-size options. 

The North Face 1996 Retro Nuptse Jacket – Winter Wear

This North Face jacket is packable and super warm. It is stuffed with 700-fill goose down insulation. Not only super warm it is also SUPER packable and stows the whole jacket in a pocket when you can go completely without it. Talk about unpredictable weather in some places (Iceland, did you hear?).

Note: This jacket has no hood.

The North Face Arctic Down Parka II

The North Face Arctic Down Parka II is a warm jacket filled with 550-fill-power goose down which is certified to the Responsible Down Standard. This parka is perfect for winters – it is windproof and waterproof. The waterproof material is a 2-layered fabric that is fully seam-sealed for the ultimate in weather protection.

I love its covered, zippered handwarmer pockets – they are handy if you ever forget your gloves. It also comes with an internal, zippered, media-compatible pocket.

The hood is lined with faux-fur ruff, which is super handy with cold winds. It is removable though and fully adjustable if you don’t want to wear the hood. This is good for cold weather up to – 15 degrees Celsius.

Nautica Women’s 3/4 Hooded Stretch Packable – Mild Winter Wear

Nautica Women’s 3/4 Hooded Stretch Packable jacket is a stylish travel jacket. Lightweight and packable, this jacket is fitted, yet is stretchable for extra comfort and mobility. It is machine washable and comes with a sack to stow your jacket in. 

Columbia Mighty Lite™ Hooded Jacket – Lightweight travel jacket

Columbia Mighty Lite is a hooded insulated travel jacket for women. This lightweight travel jacket is composed of Omni-Heat thermal reflective lining with insulation to keep you warm when the wind-chill drops. The length of the jacket is perfect – it is not too short nor too long – it does cover the bum, and you can wear it minus any thermal layers (depending on your cold threshold). 

 

It is more of an autumn or early winter jacket (early winter for Canada and winter for western European countries). It makes the list of this lightweight travel jacket for its packability and weight.  

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Choosing the right types of jackets for women

Materials of Jackets 

Most of the jackets mentioned in this post are made up of  GORE-TEX PACLITE®. This is what makes these jackets lightweight, packable, and functional. 

Another prominent material is PrimaLoft, which is used in Patagonia Nano Puff Hoodie. PrimaLoft produces sustainable synthetic insulation products. It is made from 30% PrimaLoft fibers, and 70% goose down, which is also treated to be water-repellent. 

Other jacket materials include

• Wool blend – This material is made up of blended natural and man-made fibers, which gives a superior fabric quality. They are usually placed in the interior of your jacket to provide warmth. The wool blend is a little high maintenance and it requires dry cleaning 1-2 times a year. 
• Fleece – Fleece is another common (and a cheaper) option to add warmth to a jacket, without bulky weight. It is an easy-care option (as compared to wool blend) and can be machine washed. My rain jackets have a light fleece lining to keep me warm when it is windy or chilly outside. 
• Cotton – Cotton is a natural fabric and is highly breathable. They are also good for winter as it adds warmth for the cold-weather wear. This type of jacket lining is good for general every day and long day wear. They are extremely smooth and allows jackets to easily slip on over other clothing.  
• Down Fill – These jackets are insulated with soft and warm feathers from duck or geese. It is a good insulator that traps warm air and retains heat. Many companies will mention their down fill rating including acquiring responsible down. 
• Water repellent or waterproof –  Jackets especially designed for rainwear comes with a thick coating that makes it waterproof during a downpour. Non-rainwear comes with a water-repellant fabric covering which is perfect for light snow showers (parka) or light rains like the essential jackets. I have worn my parka in heavy snowfall and walked several blocks without having water/snow swept into my clothing. So unless if you have planning to work or dance in the rain for hours, a water repellent jacket is fine. 

Types of Jackets & Styles

We have already highlighted the types of jackets we have included in the post, here are further details

The Essential Lightweight Travel Jacket for women

Wherever you are traveling, it is a GREAT idea to pack one light jacket. They are super useful in flight, evenings, or overnight trips – even during summers. These essential lightweight jackets are a MUST if you are traveling during the shoulder season (off-season).

Each time we have traveled to Europe in the spring and autumn months, it had rained. A jacket like this – comes in so handy.

When you choose travel clothes, select a lightweight jacket in a bright shade to add that pop of color in your pictures – orange, magenta, pinks, yellows. Or go neutral colors – black, white, or navy blue. Team dark color jackets with a bright scarf. Also super handy in flight or in overnight trains in Europe.

The Trench Coat Style – Best Women’s Travel Jacket for Europe 

Trench coats match up with all kinds of outfits – pants or dresses. They are classy, long, and graceful. They are the perfect jacket for Europe travel in 3 seasons, except for severe winter. If you prefer a blazer, check out Eddie Bauer women’s departure blazer, I don’t own this jacket, but have heard good reviews. 

Best Women’s Packable Rain Jacket for Travel

A staple for Europe travels or closer to home – Seattle and Vancouver, don’t worry about the rain – with these essential rain jackets. The material of these rain jackets is water repellent or water-resistant.

Ensure they come with a hood and are LONG enough to cover the bum. So it should essentially fall just above or below the knee. I am 5.2 and I prefer them just above the knee (so that I don’t look as if I am drowning in the jacket, you know what I mean).

Anyhow, bright colors in rain jackets are FUN. They can really brighten up a gloomy – overcast day!

Puffer Packable Travel Jackets for women for Winters

Now we move on to the puffer jackets section. Puffer jackets can be packed into a backpack quite easily. Many jackets come with a bag to carry the jacket in. Or if the jacket doesn’t come with a bag, it is easy to roll the jacket inside the hood to save space. Ensure the zipper is closed and sleeves folded and then rolled inside the hood. Viola! It’s smacked and packed.

There are 2 types of puffer jackets – short puffer and 3/4 length. Both are lightweight and packable. (both styles were highlighted in the post)

I find the short puffer jackets to be trendy and perfect for fall and spring months, where I don’t mind my bum being exposed to the cold! It is bearable. But short puffers are super cute and smart looking. Make sure you carry warm travel pants for winter. 

Tip: Try to buy short puffer true to size, don’t size up. A fitted look – looks much better than a loose-fitting (because you thought you will layer on, leave that for the long puffer). The fitted jacket will also keep you warm and cozy.

Now you MUST layer on and if you are heading to super COLD countries or traveling during winter, then the long puffer jackets are an option to consider.

Let me share this, if you are going skiing or winter hiking, you SHOULD opt for parkas or specially designed jackets for winter activities to keep you protected against the elements.

These jackets recommended here are good for winters and are perfect layering pieces (and winters you should LAYER on), but for specific winter activities (like skiing) this may or may not fit the bill.

So, that’s a wrap. I hope you enjoyed my list of lightweight travel jackets’ recommendations. If you have further questions don’t hesitate to ask!

SHOP Deals – Stylish Travel Jacket Womens Edition

Additional Resources link and travel tips 

• Read the 25 travel essentials for women
• Need makeup tips? Read our post on best travel makeup kits essentials 
• Looking for gift inspiration – Here are our best travel gifts for women ideas
• Perfect gifts for outdoorsy women
• Read our long haul flight essentials here
• Packing cubes, water bottles and more – Get MUST have travel essential items here
• My review of the minimalist travel wallet here

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