It’s Rain Week at the Strategist

Best Umbrellas

Ten members of the Strategist team — armed with top-reviewed contenders, from compact and motorized to steel-framed and maple-handled — waded into some of the gustiest corridors of the city in the rain, and after some extensive testing, decided that the Davek Elite Umbrella was our favorite. But if you don’t like stick umbrellas, or just want to see if your umbrella made the list, read our full rankings here.

Writer Dominique Pariso found the best umbrellas for kids, as well. Several editors (and parents) recommended this colorful, clear option from Totes.

Once you’ve got a favorite umbrella, you need a place to put it — like in one of these sweet, rounded, almost modular indoor umbrella stands.

As writer Karen Iorio Adelson explains, the term umbrella stroller “does not refer to strollers with a built-in umbrellas to protect little ones from the rain, but rather a compact stroller that folds up into a stick-umbrella-like shape for easy transport.” However, that lightweight build makes umbrella strollers great for the rain, as well, and this one from Nuna — with all-terrain wheels and an included rain cover — is especially handy in wet weather.

Best Rain Boots

Karen also spoke to “five stylists and stylish women (from rainy locales)” to find the most stylish rain boots for women, including these modern-looking clear rubber boots.

We also found the best rubber rain boots for women on Amazon, according to hyperenthusiastic reviewers. “The area I live in gets pretty swampy whenever it rains so I needed a pair of comfy rain shoes that I could just slip on quickly to keep my feet dry,” says one reviewer of these lace-up rain boots. “They fit like a glove and as long as I’m not in any puddles that are deep enough to come up to the laces, my feet stay nice and dry.”

Finding stylish waterproof boots can be tricky, so writer Liza Corsillo surveyed some stylish men about their footwear for rainy weather. Jeremy Smith, owner of menswear store Standard and Strange in Oakland, California, is a fan of these French waterproof Chelsea boots from Aigle.

We also went through and found the best men’s rain boots on Amazon, according to hyperenthusiastic reviewers, like these knee-high rubber rain boots that have over 1,700 reviews and cost just $25.

Kids need rain boots, too, and these insulated ones from Bogs come highly recommended by a dad of three kids.

Best Raincoats and Rain Jackets

Writer Lori Keong interviewed stylish women who live in rainy cities and outdoors-y women who like to hike to find the best women’s rain jackets for every occasion and budget — and this classic-looking Stutterheim was recommended by two of her city-slicker experts.

A taxonomy of lightweight raincoats — for men, women, and in unisex styles — that won’t make you sweat, including this translucent one from Levi’s.

We found out that our resident Cool Guy Chris Black hates the rain, and as a result, has a rotation of go-to rain gear that still looks stylish, including this waterproof coat from Patagonia that he calls, “a hard-wearing classic.”

This men’s rain jacket from Everlane comes recommended by stylist Brandon Garr, who likes it because it’s made of recycled polyester and looks “sleek and sophisticated.” Just be warned that it’s water-resistant, not waterproof.

One of the best rain jackets for men that you can buy on Amazon is this Helly Hansen raincoat, which is fully waterproof. As one reviewer explains, “I work on a barge in all weather and needed something rugged, as most other store-bought coats ripped or fell apart after a few uses. Had this for a few months and is good as new.”

We also found the best rain jackets on Amazon for women, including this trench-style raincoat that one reviewer, bought for a vacation in Scotland, and raves, “I absolutely adore it. It has enough room to add a fleece underneath for extra warmth, but it also serves as a great light coat on mild or windy days.”

There’s also some surprisingly stylish, and functional, rain ponchos out there, and this one from Canada Goose was recommended by both a fashion stylist and a gear expert at Backcountry.

For those looking for even more coverage from the rain, we also found the best rain hats on Amazon, like this “classic yellow Gorton’s Fisherman–style option.”

We even found the best dog raincoats, according to dog walkers, and discovered that rubber-ducky patterned rain jacket is the Amazon coat but for dogs.