I like my hiking jacket to be a little longer than most it would appear, as most waterproof jackets I tried on seemed to stop short of my backside. I like the fabric to extend a little further than that.
The Berghaus Mens Cornice jacket seemed like a contender when I tried it on, but while the length and fit of the jack was lovely it suffered from the same problem as other jackets I tried - there seemed to be no way to close down the hood so only a small eye slit (experience tells me I'd miss that feature on my old jacket if new one didn't have it!).
Besides the Cornice the only jacket I found that had a hood I liked and the fit/length I was after was the Páramo Alta Jacket ii
jacket. A lovely fit, nice hood and good size pockets made this jacket a contender I had previously overlooked due to price. At a purchase price of £210 it, like most of my walking gear purchased recently it seems, was way more than I planned to pay.
jacket. A lovely fit, nice hood and good size pockets made this jacket a contender I had previously overlooked due to price. At a purchase price of £210 it, like most of my walking gear purchased recently it seems, was way more than I planned to pay. I've had my Paramo Alta ii for a couple of years now. It has proven itself to be invaluable both as a jacket to have the rucksack when hiking but also day to day use.
It's a lovely snug jacket that provides a reasonable amount of insulation. It's not the lightest of outer waterproof jacket, but it is certainly one of the warmest so the tradeoff is that I find I can leave my mid layer at home and just use a baselayer and this jacket when on the hills.
I've been on top of the Peak District hills tramping through snow in the cold (below 0C) with just a light baselayer under my Paramo Alta ii and felt comfortable.
In my kitbag this Paramo jacket is lighter than a jacket + midlayer.
In terms of waterproofness. I've used it plenty in the rain, only once have I been wet inside, that was when I think because it was raining hard and not cold I was getting wet inside from sweatiness rather than rain ingress. I've only experienced that the once with this jacket, it would happen quite frequently in my old waterproofs.
I've now reproofed the jacket a couple of times as waterproofness was fading.
Wash with Nikwax Techwash and waterproofing solution. Each time I do this wash process the Alta ii is brought back to behaving as if new in the rain.
I'm still very happy with my Paramo Alta ii and am becoming a big fan of the brand, I've also purchased their Torres Light Gilet too which is proving a fantastic insulation layer.