Category hub
Type is a better starting point than brand. It tells you what a jacket was designed to do, and therefore which specifications matter and which are noise.
An uninsulated waterproof-breathable shell, usually 3-layer, built for sustained bad weather and mountain use. Most durable and most protective per gram, and the most expensive. It is a weather layer, not a warm layer.
What to check · Look for a helmet-compatible hood, taped seams throughout and a face fabric of 40D or heavier for pack use.
A 2.5-layer or light 3-layer shell designed to be carried more than worn. Packs small, weighs little, and trades abrasion resistance and next-to-skin comfort for that.
What to check · Check the packed size honestly, and expect a printed backer rather than a fabric one at 2.5 layers.
A waterproof outer with synthetic or down insulation bonded into the garment. Simple in cold, wet, low-output conditions; inflexible as soon as your effort level changes.
What to check · Insulation cannot be removed, so venting and fit over a baselayer matter more than usual.
A shell plus a zip-in midlayer sold together. Versatile on paper and often good value, but the midlayer is usually the weakest component and the combined fit can be bulky.
What to check · Judge the shell on its own specification: if it wouldn't be worth buying alone, the system isn't a bargain.
Stretch-woven, highly breathable and comfortable, usually water-resistant rather than waterproof. Excellent in dry cold and light drizzle, unsuitable for sustained rain unless membrane-backed and seam-taped.
What to check · Only treat a softshell as waterproof if the manufacturer states taped seams and a membrane.
Longer cut, quieter fabric, city styling, often with a stowable hood. Protection is real but venting is usually limited, which shows on an uphill walk with a rucksack.
What to check · A longer hem and generous cuff coverage matter more here than the last increment of breathability.