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Details
- Price $730 at havenshop.com
- Material 100% nylon – 3L GORE-TEX PRO 70D smooth face
- Made in Japan
Overview
HAVEN has always piqued my interest, mostly because nearly everything they make comes in black. I’m a simple man—I like black products. This website is dedicated to reviewing black products. Unfortunately, my heart is black too.
Dark humor aside, HAVEN shares many similarities with Outlier, one of my longtime favorite brands. The Index Jacket reminds me of Outlier’s earlier, more practical days, before they went off the rails with wild style experiments.
HAVEN keeps things restrained—standard, practical, and as a result, highly wearable. While the Index Jacket is built for daily wear, it feels closer to a technical shell you’d expect to see on the mountain. Even a charging bear might stop for a second to admire its clean design before ripping you to shreds, buying you a few extra moments of life.
HAVEN has built its reputation on bringing advanced technical fabrics into urban contexts. The question is whether the Index Jacket carries that balance successfully.
Style
All black, clean lines, and no unnecessary flourishes. The matte finish hardware keeps the look stealth, while the laminated zippers and flap pockets sit flush against the shell.
External branding is not kept to a minimum, but kept to none at all. Unless you look at the sleeve buttons under the right light and you’ll spot HAVEN indented into it. They won’t let you forget you pay a premium for the material with the GORE-TEX tag on the inside of the Index Jacket on the wearer’s left.
On-body, the cut is sharp but not slim. The cuffs are slightly wide, but HAVEN added snap buttons at the cuffs, so you can cinch them tighter if needed. The looseness of the cuff doesn’t quite gel well with the clean, structured jacket, so I much preferred them at the tighter setting.
It’s not a flashy piece, but that’s exactly why it works. It looks natural in the city without feeling like you’re cosplaying mountaineer chic.
I wear a size L, and it fits right—room for layering with something like the Uniqlo Ultralight Down. It looks appropriate whether in a casual or office setting. There are draw loops to tighten the jacket, but it’ll make it look more athleisure than formal in doing so.
Material
This isn’t just any GORE-TEX—it’s GORE-TEX PRO, the 70D heavy-duty version built for serious abuse. The fabric uses a 3-layer construction where a rugged nylon face is bonded to the ePTFE membrane and a backer, so it holds its structure better than lighter 2.5-layer shells that can feel flimsy or clingy. You trade a bit of weight for that durability, but the Index Jacket still wears more like a light jacket than a mountain parka.
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Breathability is solid by PRO standards. GORE-TEX PRO is designed for “maximum ruggedness,” not tropical jungle hikes, so in hot and humid conditions your sweat will outpace its ability to vent. Crack the zips or wear it open, and you’ll get by, but this is a shell built with storms in mind, not swamps.
Where it shines is in rainstorms, city travel, or moving between air-conditioned spaces and the outdoors. Fully taped seams and waterproof YKK Aquaguard zippers make it genuinely stormproof. It’s complete overkill for an urban jacket, but that’s also what makes it worth the price—you’re buying something that feels like alpine gear yet fits into a city commute.
Usage
I’ve been wearing the Index Jacket as an everyday piece—commuting, traveling, and running errands. In Singapore and Thailand, I mostly wear it in air-conditioned spaces or when the skies open up. The waterproofing is flawless—tropical downpours bead and roll right off, although the lack of a hood means you’ll still need an umbrella.
Even in tropical cities like Singapore and Bangkok, I can keep it on indoors without feeling suffocated. It’s one of those rare jackets that blend streetwear proportions with true alpine-grade protection.
The articulated sleeves and gussets let it move better than most rain shells. You don’t feel that stiff arm restriction when reaching forward or cycling. The fleece-lined collar is a small detail that makes a difference on cooler days.
There are zippered handwarmer pockets on both sides. I like these even if I don’t use them to warm my hands. They’re great for dumping EDC in and zipping shut to keep things from falling out, or to ward off pickpockets.
Above those pockets are straight down pockets with flaps. It makes sense that these don’t come with zippers since there’s little chance of anything falling out unless you’re doing parkour on a whim. The proximity of both pockets can get your hands confused when you just want to slide them into the handwarmer ones.
Quality feels top-notch. The zippers glide, the snaps feel solid, and the fabric hasn’t picked up scuffs despite brushing against concrete walls and train seats.
I designed a thing.
I found a 100 year old company that would create these heirloom quality canisters for me. They are handmade and will keep your tea leaves, coffee beans or anything that you need dry for years to come.
or read review
Conclusion
The HAVEN Index Jacket doesn’t compromise—it’s a proper GORE-TEX PRO shell disguised as an everyday jacket. The fit works in city life, the durability is unmatched, and the details are sharp without being loud.
If you want one jacket that can handle rainstorms, air-conditioned offices, and still look right in a bar at night, this is it. At 730 USD it’s steep, but the quality and versatility back it up.
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Tagged goretex haven jacket review water-resistant