Black Diamond FineLine Stretch Rain Shell

A lightweight shell with all the right details. Good waterproof/breathability balance. Not especially rugged.

Weight, waterproofness, breathability, wind resistance, durability– these are some of the features to be considered when choosing an outer shell. On any kind of extended trip and even some day trips, weight is a prime consideration, the lighter the better. The waterproof/breathability (w/b) tradeoff matters too. When you’re hiking in an all-day rain, you will get at least damp, from the rain or condensation or both. Even the best w/b membranes don’t keep out liquid water or vent vapor perfectly, but they can keep you drier longer. When the wind blows, good coverage and fit and a snug hood help keep the wind out and the warmth in. And when you invest hard-earned cash in a piece of gear, you want to at least hope that it will hold up for more than a season or two.

So how’s a backpacker to choose a rain shell? Some go for ponchos that (more or less) cover both hiker and pack – not so great in wind and cold. Some go for inexpensive, fully waterproof but not at all breathable and sometimes heavy jackets and pants, which are at least warm after you’re soaked in condensation. Then there are high-end, three-layer shells with optimized w/b that will tolerate a lot of abuse but tend to be heavy and cost multiple hundreds of dollars (or thousands of kroner in my case). And there’s always three holes in a garbage bag for the real penny pinchers. Over the years I’ve tried all of those options, including, at some distant time in the past, the garbage bag.

My latest attempt at finding backpacker perfection, or at least an optimal tradeoff, is the Black Diamond (BD) Fineline Rain Shell. (My version, purchased a few years ago, is called Stormline, but BD says they just changed the name and not much else.) I’d say it’s working out pretty well.

Material matters

The Fineline jacket is made of BD.Dry 2.5L, a proprietary fabric consisting of a DWR treated outer layer, a microporous membrane, and a printed-on inner layer (which counts as a half-later, hence 2.5). It is lighter and more flexible than a three-layer w/b fabric but seems more durable that the two-layer versions that I’ve tried. BD says it is “ultra stretchy”. I don’t feel much stretch in it, but the fabric and cut of the jacket allow plenty of freedom of movement. The fabric is softer and more flexible than three layer fabrics so that it feels light on the body and OK on bare skin.

The jacket is stitched together from numerous panels. The taped seams all around seem more solid than some earlier generations of w/b jackets that I have owned, where the tape has started to peel after a few seasons of use.

The PU coated front zipper is reasonably waterproof and doesn’t have a rain flap to get tangled in the zipper ( a pet peeve of mine). The pit zips are DWR treated and extend from mid-arm to mid-chest to allow for plenty of ventilation. A pair of handwarmer pockets close with DWR coated zippers protected by a flap. There are no chest pockets.

Fit and features

The size XL is a good fit on my lanky frame (I’m about 193 cm / 6’3”), with room for a couple of layers underneath. An adjustable elastic cord around the hem keeps it snug around my butt, and the sleeves can be snugged around wrist or glove with Velcro closures.

The hood is oversized to fit over a helmet, not much needed in my case because I use other jackets for skiing, cycling and any other helmet-related activities – this one is primarily for backpacking and day hiking.

Fortunately, it has an elastic snugger on the back of the hood, easily reached and adjusted, which compensates for the overall size and looseness so that the hood moves with my head and doesn’t fall over my eyes even without a helmet. The front zipper extends to over the chin to keep wind out and the hood in place.

 Generous pit zips with DWR treated zippers allow for plenty of ventilation.

Weight and packability

My XL Stormline version weighs in at a relatively light 300 g / 10.6 oz, under the 320 g / 11.3 oz given in BD’s product description for the Fineline. It is set to stuff and zip into one the right hand pocket, but I find it easier to stow and deploy if I just fold the arms in and roll it up into the hood, which makes it compact enough to fit into the stretch mesh pocket on the back of my pack.

Performance

I have worn the jacket in all-day fog or light-to-moderate rain and on breezy days during a 25-day, 450 km / 280 mi hike on Sweden’s Kungsleden and for some day hikes around Norway. It has come along in the pack on other day and longer hikes in dry weather. The w/b tradeoff is about as good as it gets – I have been able to stay moderately dry on those rainy days, with minimal condensation on the inside of the jacket. The DWR coating is still beading up rain drops after two seasons.

Although BD pitches the Fineline shell as suitable for climbing, I’d hesitate to use it where it might be subject to tearing or abrasion. The two-layer fabric is lightweight and has excellent w/b performance, but I ‘m not sure how well it would stand up to regular abuse.

IMHO the Fineline shell offers an optimized balance of the various tradeoffs needed in a summer weight rain shell. Highly recommended.

Background

I have had the BD Stormline (Fineline) jacket in and out of my pack and on my body in wind and rain over two seasons. In over 5 decades of outdoor activity, I have owned countless shell jackets and worn them in all kinds of weather, not least during two seasons in NZ's extremely rainy Fiordland National Park.