I’ve worn a lot of rain gear over thirty-plus years of hunting, and most of it falls into one of two camps. Either it’s truly waterproof and about as breathable as a garbage bag, or it breathes fine and starts wetting out the first time a real storm rolls through.
So when Leupold sent over their new Storm Warden Rain Jacket and Rain Pant, I wasn’t expecting much beyond another optics company dipping a toe into apparel. I was wrong. I put this set through three very different tests over the last several months: a soggy morning coyote hunt, a day chasing bass in a off and on rain showers, and an afternoon at the range in weather that would send most shooters home. Here’s what I found.
First Impressions and Fit
Straight out of the bag, the Storm Warden set feels more like technical mountaineering gear than typical hunting rain wear. The 70D nylon-spandex face fabric has some heft to it without feeling stiff, and the four-way stretch is immediately noticeable when you move your arms overhead or take a big stride over a downed log.
I run a medium in most brands and the medium jacket fit true, with enough room underneath for a midweight layer without feeling like a tent. The pants run the same way. Nothing about the cut felt like an afterthought, which honestly surprised me from a company better known for glass than garments. Leupold has been stepping up their game with their apparel line, and this gear further validates that fact.
Late Winter Coyote Hunt in a Downpour
My first real test came on a late winter coyote hunt where the forecast called for scattered showers and instead delivered a genuine downpour by mid-morning. I set up on a fence line overlooking a cut cornfield expecting to be miserable within the hour. Instead, the StormShield membrane in the jacket did exactly what Leupold claims it does.
Water beaded and ran off the shoulders and hood rather than soaking through, and I stayed dry through nearly four hours of calling and glassing. The two-point adjustable hood was a nice touch, since I could cinch it down enough to keep rain off my face without losing peripheral vision, which matters a lot when you’re watching the tree line for a coyote working in on a call.
The raised hand pockets are a detail I didn’t think I’d care about until I was wearing a pack harness with a call and rangefinder inside it. They sit high enough that the pack belt doesn’t ride over them, so I could actually use the pockets instead of just admiring them from a distance. The fabric is also quieter than a lot of hardshell rain gear I’ve used, and if you’re easing along a fence line or repositioning between stands you’ll appreciate that quality.
Fishing Through Intermittent Showers
A few months later I wore the full Storm Warden setup on the water, kayak fishing a small lake for largemouth bass through on and off showers that lasted most of the afternoon. This is where the pants earned their keep. The elastic waist with the built-in belt kept everything locked in place even while I was paddling and standing to fish, and the boot hook at the cuff did a good job keeping the pant leg cinched down tight so the water couldn’t work it’s way in.
I also made heavy use of the full-length side zippers, popping them open when the sun broke through for a few minutes and the temperature spiked. Being able to vent without stripping the whole layer off and starting over is a really practical feature for a day where the weather can’t make up its mind.
The YKK AquaGuard zippers on both pieces held up well too. I didn’t get a single drop working through the main jacket zipper even in a hard sideways rain, and they operated smoothly the entire day without any of that gritty, sandy feeling you sometimes get from cheaper waterproof zippers after they’ve been wet and dried a few times.
At the Gun Range in Foul Weather
The last test was less about survival and more about function. I wore the jacket and pants to an outdoor range session in a steady rain to see how the gear handled the specific demands of shooting rather than just standing around. Shouldering a rifle in a stiff, bulky rain jacket is a common complaint, and it’s a legitimate one.
The Storm Warden jacket flexed enough through the shoulders and back that I could get a proper cheek weld and consistent mount without the fabric bunching up or pulling across my chest. The strategic venting zippers also helped here, since shooting practice stages and obstacles in full rain gear can get warm fast even when it’s forty degrees out. The pants performed just as well kneeling and sitting for different shooting positions, with the stretch panels flexing instead of restricting movement.
Final Verdict
At $299.99 for the jacket and $274.99 for the pants, this isn’t budget rain gear, and Leupold isn’t pretending otherwise. But after three very different tests in truly bad weather, the Storm Warden set backed up its price tag. It’s dry, quiet enough for hunting, moves well for shooting in various positions, and vents well to handle the version of “cold and wet” that turns into “hot and wet” the moment the sun peeks out. If you spend real time outdoors in weather most people would rather sit out, this is gear worth putting on your short list.
