The 5 Best Windbreakers for Men

Most windbreakers look like windbreakers. The TACVASEN reads a step dressier than anything else in this group — a clean, simple cut that passes at the office as easily as it does on a walk downtown.

That double duty is why it earns a place. This is a lightweight jacket you can wear over a shirt for work and over a hoodie when it turns cold, and the water-repellent finish shrugs off the drizzle that soaks a cotton jacket through. It's light enough that you forget it's on, which is about the highest compliment a shell can get.

The fabric is the compromise. It has a synthetic, slightly plasticky hand that you notice against a bare arm, and there are no inside pockets — the one detail we kept missing when we wanted somewhere to put a phone out of the rain. The cut also runs roomy, so a lean frame may want to size down rather than up.

If your windbreaker is going to meet a headwind at speed — a bike commute, a run, a long walk into weather — the Under Armour Rival is the one from this group we reach for. It's the most breathable jacket here: the woven shell holds the wind off without the clammy, crinkly feel of a cheaper one, and the fabric is soft enough to wear straight over a t-shirt.

It handles the light rain and moderate wind it's built for, which makes it the pick for anyone who'll be moving rather than standing around. Sizing is the catch. The Rival runs small — enough that going up a size is the safe call — and the sleeve openings are snug, which seals out wind nicely but turns into a fight if you have bigger hands. None of that rules it out for riding; it's just worth knowing before you order.

There's no hood on the MAGCOMSEN, and that's the point. A laydown collar looks sharper than a hooded shell, sits flat under a rain jacket, and reads like a jacket rather than a piece of gear — exactly what you want if the windbreaker is going to work with jeans and a button-down.

The pockets are the best thought-out part of it: two zippered hand pockets plus an inner chest pocket that swallows a passport or a phone, though the inner one doesn't zip. The cut is trim without being slim, so there's room for a sweater underneath without the jacket looking strained.

Where it gives ground to the picks above is the fabric. It's thin and has a plasticky feel, and it holds warmth in rather than letting it out, so it's happier on a cool evening than on a warm, active afternoon. The chest also runs small, so if you're between sizes, go up.

The London Fog Auburn isn't a windbreaker in any technical sense, and we won't pretend otherwise: it's a soft, lightly lined golf jacket with a zip front and a pocket for everything. That's also why it stayed on the list. On a dry, breezy morning it's a nicer thing to wear than any shell here, and it doesn't look like you're headed for a trailhead.

The pockets are the selling point — zippered hand pockets plus open ones, the kind of layout you appreciate when you're carrying keys, a phone, and a glove. The shell is a soft microfiber with a suede-ish hand, pleasant against the skin and a lint magnet on dark colors, and the light lining takes the edge off a cool start without bulk.

The fit runs large, and the body is cut wide rather than long, which flatters a broader build more than a tall, lean one. What it doesn't do is weather: there's no membrane and no rain finish to count on, and a wind-driven drizzle will find its way through. That's the deal, and it's a fair one when your days are mostly dry.