Mountain Hardwear Exposure/2 Gore-Tex vs Outdoor Research Helium UL Rain Jacket

Weight and specs compared for 2026 — and which one to choose.

Outdoor Research Helium UL Rain Jacket is the lighter option — 199 g lighter than the Mountain Hardwear Exposure/2 Gore-Tex (55% less weight). If grams matter to you, that is the one to beat.

Spec	Mountain Hardwear Exposure/2 Gore-Tex	Outdoor Research Helium UL Rain Jacket
Weight	360 g · 0.360 kg · 0.79 lb	161 g · 0.161 kg · 0.35 lb
Brand	Mountain Hardwear	Outdoor Research
Category	Clothing - Outer Layer	Clothing - Outer Layer

Mountain Hardwear Exposure/2 Gore-Tex

360 g

Packable Gore-Tex 2.5L jacket for variable mountain weather.

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Outdoor Research Helium UL Rain Jacket

161 g

2.75-layer ultralight rain jacket with 15-denier Pertex Shield shell. Packs into its own chest pocket. Rated for sustained heavy rain.

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Mountain Hardwear Exposure/2 Gore-Tex vs Outdoor Research Helium UL Rain Jacket: which should you buy?

If saving weight is your priority, the Outdoor Research Helium UL Rain Jacket wins — at 161 g it is 199 g (55%) lighter than the Mountain Hardwear Exposure/2 Gore-Tex (360 g). That said, the heavier option may justify the extra grams with more capacity, durability or comfort, so weigh the trade-off against how you'll use it.

See where both rank against everything else in this category on the lightest clothing - outer layer page, or browse the full gear weight database.

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