Outdoor Research Foray 3L Jacket: Weight, Price and Alternatives
The Outdoor Research Foray 3L Jacket has a published weight of About 16 oz, which is about 10 percent of a 10 lb ultralight base weight.
The Outdoor Research Foray 3L Jacket is our expert tier pick in rain shells, with a published weight of About 16 oz . A genuine three layer waterproof shell with pit-to-hem side zips, which is the only way a rain jacket vents fast enough to matter while you are still walking. It weighs roughly two and a half times the Helium and it survives seasons of pack straps and brush.
What is the Outdoor Research Foray 3L Jacket actually good at?
A genuine three layer waterproof shell with pit-to-hem side zips, which is the only way a rain jacket vents fast enough to matter while you are still walking. It weighs roughly two and a half times the Helium and it survives seasons of pack straps and brush.
Best for: Sustained rain, the Pacific Northwest, and anyone who has already worn out a minimalist shell.
No rain jacket at hiking weights breathes fast enough to keep you dry from the inside while you are working, so the real question is how quickly it dumps heat and how long the fabric survives pack straps and brush. Rain gear is never the place to save weight, because wet plus wind plus a stopped hiker is how hypothermia starts in 45 degree weather.
What does it do to your base weight?
At About 16 oz this item accounts for roughly 10 percent of a 10 lb ultralight base weight and about 5 percent of a 20 lb traditional one. That framing matters more than the raw number: an ounce saved on a headlamp is noise, and a pound saved on a shelter is a category of its own. Put your real figures into the gear list builder and the same item will show you what it costs against your list rather than against an average one.
Published weights are taken in the manufacturer's favour: usually the smallest size, usually without the stuff sack, stakes or guylines that come in the box. Expect a real-world figure an ounce or two heavier and weigh it once when it arrives. A $9 kitchen scale is the cheapest useful upgrade to any gear list, because it stops the spreadsheet lying to you.
How does it compare with the rest of the rain shells?
Every item below has been verified against the retailer listing, and every weight is the manufacturer's published figure for the configuration named. Sorted lightest first, so the trade between weight and everything else is visible in one pass.
| Model | Published weight | Listed price | Tier | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outdoor Research Foray 3L Jacket | About 16 oz | Varies | Expert | Backcountry, Amazon |
| Outdoor Research Helium Rain Jacket | 6.3 oz | $165.00 | Intermediate | Backcountry, Amazon |
| Frogg Toggs Ultra-Lite2 Rain Suit | 12 oz for the set | $22.74 | Beginner | Backcountry, Amazon |
Lighter alternatives: Outdoor Research Helium Rain Jacket at 6.3 oz, Frogg Toggs Ultra-Lite2 Rain Suit at 12 oz for the set. Weight alone never decides this. The lightest option in a category is usually the one with the narrowest window of conditions it works in, which is exactly the trade the roundup spells out tier by tier.
What a rain jacket can and cannot do
No rain jacket at hiking weights breathes fast enough to keep you dry from the inside while you are working hard, so you will end up damp from one side or the other and the real questions are how quickly the jacket dumps heat and how long the fabric survives pack straps and brush. Hydrostatic head ratings describe water column resistance rather than durability, and a light shell that wets out has not failed, it has reached the limit of the specification. Rain gear is never the place to save weight: wet plus wind plus a stopped hiker is how hypothermia starts at 45 degrees Fahrenheit, no winter required.
Who should skip it?
Anyone buying their first version of this item. Expert tier gear is specialised, and specialised means it is better at a narrower set of conditions rather than better at everything. Buying it first usually means discovering an expensive preference rather than confirming one.
Going lighter must not mean going unprepared. Shelter adequate to the actual conditions, insulation, rain protection, water treatment and a way to call for help are fixed costs on any list. If a lighter version of this item means cutting into one of those, it is the wrong purchase however good the spec sheet looks. You are responsible for what you walk into, and the forecast is not the conditions.
Related reading
- Our full rain shells roundup, split into beginner, intermediate and expert tiers
- Layering by temperature chart
- Layering system guide
- Gear list builder: see what this item does to your own base weight
- Base weight calculator
- Six complete example gear lists, every item priced and linked
- All verified gear specs, A to Z
Frequently asked questions
How much does the Outdoor Research Foray 3L Jacket weigh?
The published weight is About 16 oz, which is 16.0 ounces or about 454 grams. That is roughly 10 percent of a 10 lb ultralight base weight on its own. This figure is the manufacturer's for the size and configuration named, not a weight we measured, and published figures run light often enough that it is worth putting your own scale under it.
Is the Outdoor Research Foray 3L Jacket worth the money?
A genuine three layer waterproof shell with pit-to-hem side zips, which is the only way a rain jacket vents fast enough to matter while you are still walking. It weighs roughly two and a half times the Helium and it survives seasons of pack straps and brush. Pricing on this one moves with configuration and retailer, so confirm on the product page rather than trusting a figure here.
Where can you buy the Outdoor Research Foray 3L Jacket?
Backcountry carries this category and is the first link on this page, because it is where this audience shops and it pays us a higher commission than Amazon does. Amazon is the second button. Stock and pricing differ between the two often enough that checking both is worth the extra thirty seconds.
What does the Outdoor Research Foray 3L Jacket compete against?
On the same shelf: Frogg Toggs Ultra-Lite2 Rain Suit, Outdoor Research Helium Rain Jacket. The comparison table on this page lines them up by published weight and price so the trade is visible rather than argued. Our full ranking of the category, split into beginner, intermediate and expert tiers, is in the roundup linked below.
Are the weights on this page measured or published?
Published. We compare manufacturer specifications and verified owner reviews, and we do not test gear in person or run a gear lab. Manufacturer weights are usually taken from the lightest size, without stuff sacks, stakes or guylines, so a real-world figure is often an ounce or two heavier. Weigh your own kit and put the real numbers into the gear list builder.
How we choose: we compare published manufacturer specifications, listed weights, and verified owner reviews across retailers. We do not test gear in person, and every weight quoted here is the manufacturer's figure unless we say otherwise, so weigh your own kit before you trust a total. Going lighter also means carrying less margin, so treat insulation, navigation, water treatment and an emergency plan as fixed costs rather than places to save grams.