Article by Sally Reiley and Sam Winebaum
Hurricane Waterproof 10/10 Jacket (M&W) ($200)
Features
Sam: The Hurricane is clearly designed as the lightest possible jacket to meet UTMB race requirements. It is tested as having 10K breathability/ 10K water resistance, the minimum required for the race’s kit.
Compressport describes the Hurricane as follows:
‘100% waterproof and breathable thanks to 10'000 Schmerber water-resistant fabric, sealed seams and zip combined with efficient sweat-wicking fibers
Ultralight and packable: the lightest fully-waterproof jacket on the market today, which folds up and disappears into the smallest of pockets
Incredibly comfortable and ergonomic thanks to the 4-way stretch fibers, which adapt seamlessly to the body for a race-oriented fit and total freedom of movement.”
The jacket fabric is 56% Polyester (PES) and $46% Polyurethane (PU). The fabric can be described as somewhat “plasticky” in texture to the touch and is very, very thin, stretchy (the PU) and very soft. The Hurricane is manufactured in Lithuania.
This is not, despite its ultra light weight one of those billowy flapping in the wind ultra light windbreaker type jackets. Even partially unzipped, it stayed quiet and well planted on my shoulders in fairly stiff winds, credit to the snug stretch arm fit and the structure provided by the zipper and its bindings.
It has an excellent stretch hood with no draw cords and none required, a surprisingly stout zipper and bindings (I suspect the stiff binding to help more easily zip such a light jacket up and keep it from flapping around if partially unzipped.
If I have one con for the jacket it is that if not zipped down below the chin or all the way up the stout zipper and side bindings are a bit rough and rigid on the chin and neck
It has no pockets, not even one to stuff the jacket into but I found this is not a problem. It stuffs into pretty much any pocket or into the waistband of shorts or tights.
Sally: Sam details the features of the jacket well. It is truly a beautiful simplistic piece of engineering of the finest stretchy opaque fabric, uncomplicated by pockets or extra features. My initial impression of the fabric was that it is similar to a latex surgical glove, thin and stretchy and possibly delicate and subject to tears, but that analogy was quickly dismissed when I discovered how tough the fabric is.
My jacket fits looser on me than I think it should be if sized correctly. The asymmetrical zipper is unique, and zips high enough to keep any drafts out at the neck and becomes almost one with the stretchy hood.
There are no thumb holes nor any pockets. I even cut out the tag sewn in the front zipper because I feared it ruined the clean aesthetic of the jacket (plus you could see it, so perhaps it is meant to be removed?).
Fit:
The fit is slim with plenty of stretch in my usual medium. I am 5'9" / 175 cm and weigh 163 lbs / 74 kg . I was able to comfortably get the Compressport HZ Trail (a light thin fitted baselayer) and a light insulated vest under it with no binding given the stretch of the fabric.
When I wore a light puffy type jacket under it, the arm fit got a bit more awkward and snug, in fact, Compressport says the arms are “extra fitted” to not get in the way of poles, arms or branches. If you plan to wear lots of layers underneath it you might size up.
The Hurricane weighs a remarkable 112g in my men’s medium and packs down extremely small, easily fitting in any race vest pocket not to speak of short pockets.
Sally: I heeded the sizing advice of a fellow RTR reviewer with a lot of experience with Compressport and I sized up to a Women’s Small; I should probably have stuck to my usual size W XS.
This jacket was not a slim fit on me, and I had plenty of room for layers. It runs nice and long on the body. When I did heat up on a run, I lowered the zipper for some ventilation and had an issue with the fabric slapping me on the face (this may have been caused by the sizing), but that was easily remedied by tucking the fabric under itself.. Sleeves are nice and long, and loose enough so that you can expose your watch.
The hood fits easily over a winter hat (my choice of Skida) or a brimmed hat.
Performance
Sam: I have taken it on several runs below freezing temperatures with fairly stout winds along the coast.
All that I needed underneath was a baselayer and the HZ Trail from Compressport was a perfect match. Also very thin, the HZ plus Hurricane combination absorbed very little sweat (the key to warmth) keeping me dry and never chilled.
While Compressport does not call out the breathability specifically I suspect in practice it is above its 10K lab rating due to very, very thin fabric make up. It's excellent!
Wind resistance has been near total. I have not yet been able to test in heavy rain or snow. I suspect it will provide decent but not total water resistance given its 10K rating, the “Waterproof” naming maybe a bit of an exaggeration in practice in heavier precipitation , but we’ll see.
Sally: As I mentioned, this featherweight jacket (my women’s small weighs a mere 84 g) is warmer than one would think. Yes, it would not be warm enough without a nice merino or comparable baselayer, but I was warm enough on some cold windy days in it. I tend to run cold, but I was warm enough on a day when temps were in the 20s (fahrenheit) with a very thin merino base layer and merino midlayer (Tracksmith Brighton underneath a Tracksmith downeaster).
Light as a Feather!
Minimal is the essence here and even if you are not racing an ultra this is the kind of jacket you can take on any run where the weather might just change along the way or you need wind resistance and light water resistance.
Comparisons
ASICS Fuji Trail Jacket
At 164g light but pocket, adjustable hood, hem drawcords. Still thin but a 2.5 layer membrane construction I found it more water resistant "over time", that is under sustained rain. The Fuji Trail Jacket has a roomier fit so will accommodate somewhat heavier layers underneath.
Shop for the Hurricane Waterproof 10/10 at Compressport
Tester Profiles
Sally is a lifelong runner and mother of five who agreed against her better judgment to run her first marathon at age 54; she has since run the past eleven Boston Marathons, three NYC Marathons, two Chicagos, and one London with the WMM Six Star Medal now in her sights (Berlin in 2025). With a Boston PR of 3:25:55 in 2022 (9th place in AG) and three consecutive 2nd place in Age Group awards in NYC, she has competed in several Abbott WMM Age Group World Championships and placed 6th in the world in W 60-64 when she ran an all-time PR of 3:24:02 at age 63 at the 2022 London Marathon. She also competes in USATF races of all distances with the Greater Lowell Road Runners team. To add meaning to her Boston Marathon races she runs with Team Eye and Ear and has raised over $320,000 for Massachusetts Eye and Ear Hospital. Sally stands tall at 5’2’’ and 105 pounds, and lives in Marblehead, MA where she trains outdoors year round. She blames her love of skiing out West for any and all Boston Marathon training challenges.
Sam is the Editor and Founder of Road Trail Run. He is in his 60’s with 2024 Sam’s 52th year of running roads and trails. He has a decades old 2:28 marathon PR. These days he runs halves in the just sub 1:40 range if he gets very, very lucky. Sam trains 30-40 miles per week mostly at moderate paces on the roads and trails of New Hampshire and Utah be it on the run, hiking or on nordic skis. He is 5’9” tall and weighs about 160 lbs, if he is not enjoying too many fine New England IPA’s.
Europe only: use RTR code RTR5ALL for 5% off all products, even sale products
