Buying a men’s snowboard jacket between £150 and £250 often starts with one decision: choose an uninsulated shell and control the warmth through your layers, or buy a jacket with insulation already built in. The two Burton jackets here are shells, the Volcom and Picture are insulated, and the Montec Doom comes in both forms. The GORE-TEX Reserve sits above the mid-range as a premium comparison.
All five are listed on their brands’ UK-facing stores and priced in pounds. Availability varies by colour and size, and Picture’s size-by-size stock should be confirmed on the product page before buying.
One note on the ratings you will see below. Where a brand publishes numbers, waterproofing is given in millimetres and shows the water pressure the fabric can withstand, while breathability describes how much moisture vapour can pass through the fabric over a set period. Test methods differ between brands, so the figures are most useful for broad comparison rather than as exact equivalents.
The picks
Burton Reserve 2L: the high-spec value shell
If your mid-layers are already sorted, the Burton Reserve 2L is the value play from one of snowboarding’s longest-standing brands. Its DRYRIDE two-layer shell is rated 20,000 mm for waterproofing and 20,000 g for breathability, with fully taped seams, but it drops insulation entirely, leaving all warmth to the layers worn underneath. The outer is a 100 per cent recycled polyester weave, the jacket has a regular fit, and the membrane and/or water-repellent treatment is made without intentionally added PFAS.
The practical kit is all there: a helmet-compatible Fulltime Contour hood, pit-zip vents, adjustable cuffs, wrist gaiters, a water-repellent powder skirt that snaps to matching pants, a sleeve pass pocket, an interior mesh pocket and a zipped chest pocket with a Therma-Pocket and mesh phone sleeve. At £225 it delivers a strong headline weather rating without any built-in warmth, which is the right trade for riders who run warm or already have a layering system. Sizes span XXS to XXXL, though the two smallest were sold out in Black when checked.
Volcom Primry Insulated: warm and uncomplicated
The Volcom Primry Insulated is aimed at riders who would rather have most of their warmth built into the jacket than carry it in their layers. Volcom uses a V-Science two-layer shell with a PFAS-free finish, 80/60 g of recycled insulation and critically taped seams, and rates it at 10,000 mm / 10,000 g/m². Volcom positions that 10,000 mm rating for moderate conditions rather than long periods in wet weather. The Zip Tech system fastens the jacket to matching Volcom pants to keep powder out on deep days.
It is a standard fit with a toggle-cinch hood, a soft Super Suede chin guard, mesh-lined vents, an adjustable powder skirt, stretch hand gaiters and a sleeve pass pocket, and the outer is 54 per cent polyester and 46 per cent recycled polyester. The product page carried 13 reviews, all in the five-star category, when checked. List price is £220, marked down to £154 at the time of writing, with the Black colourway showing S to XL in stock.
Montec Doom: the do-everything jacket
The Montec Doom is Montec’s all-mountain workhorse, and it carries the biggest weather numbers in this group. The SHIELD-TEC membrane is rated 20,000 mm for waterproofing and 20,000 g for breathability, ratings it shares with the Burton Reserve 2L above, backed by fully taped Sealon seams and a PFAS-free water-repellent coating. You can buy it insulated, with 60 g/m² of Comfortemp through the body and 40 g/m² in the sleeves and hood, or as a lined shell if you would rather build your own layering system.
What sets it apart is the construction: an off-centre full-length zip that gives the clean front of an anorak while still opening all the way like a normal jacket, with big outer pockets so you rarely need to undo it. Montec lists it as a regular fit, with room to layer without feeling boxy, and the kit list is generous: a helmet-friendly Storm Guard hood, large underarm vents, an elasticated snow skirt, wrist gaiters, a sleeve pass pocket and a dedicated phone pocket. It held a 4.8 out of 5 across 1,172 reviews when checked. Montec sells direct online, so measure yourself against the size guide before ordering, especially if a thick mid-layer is going underneath. It is £218, and the Black colourway listed XS to XXL with XL sold out at the time of writing.
Picture Nitric: the circular-materials pick
The Picture Nitric focuses on circular materials and repairability while staying inside the mid-range. It pairs a Dryplay membrane rated 10,000 mm / 10,000 g/m²/24h with a PFC-free Teflon Ecoelite finish, and its shell is listed as 100 per cent Circular Polyester, Picture’s term for polyester made from recovered clothing and manufacturing scraps. There is 80 g/m² of insulation for moderate warmth, and the fit is officially straight.
On the hill it has a fixed snow skirt, underarm ventilation zips, a ski pass pocket, an adjustable hem, an interior zipped pocket and an ergonomic single-adjustment hood. The 10,000 mm rating gives it less headroom than the Montec and the Burton Reserve 2L in prolonged wet conditions. Picture also offers a lifetime repairability guarantee on eligible technical jackets, subject to its terms and exclusions, which adds a useful repair option for covered faults. Picture’s category page listed it at £220, reduced to £132 when checked; size-by-size stock was not exposed on the product page, so confirm availability before buying. Sizes are listed XS to XXL.
Burton Reserve GORE-TEX 2L: the premium reference
To show what sits just beyond the mid-range, the Burton Reserve GORE-TEX 2L takes the same Reserve blueprint and swaps in a GORE-TEX two-layer recycled-polyester fabric. Burton does not publish a numerical waterproofing or breathability figure on this page; instead it states that the GORE-TEX fabric is waterproof, windproof and breathable, and carries the GUARANTEED TO KEEP YOU DRY promise. The shell adds fully taped seams and YKK water-resistant zips, and it is still uninsulated, so warmth continues to come from your layers.
The feature set echoes the cheaper Reserve, with a helmet-compatible Contour hood, pit-zip vents, a powder skirt that snaps to your pants, a forearm pass pocket and an insulated media pocket, and the membrane and/or water-repellent treatment is again made without intentionally added PFAS. At £360 the extra spend buys the GORE-TEX fabric and its waterproof promise rather than more warmth or more features, so it makes most sense for riders who place particular value on a GORE-TEX shell. The Gray Cloud colourway listed XS to XXL when checked.
Side-by-side comparison
Prices are those shown on each brand’s UK store when checked on 24 July 2026. The Volcom and Picture were reduced from a £220 list price, and stock varies by colour and size.
How to choose a men’s snowboard jacket
Start by choosing between a shell and an insulated jacket. This decision shapes everything else. A shell carries no built-in warmth and depends on your base and mid-layers, which makes it easier to adjust across a changeable day; both Burton Reserves here are shells. An insulated jacket has warmth built in, so you can throw it on over a base layer and ride, which suits anyone who feels the cold or rides in consistently low temperatures; the Volcom and Picture are insulated. The Montec Doom covers both bases by coming in an insulated and a lined-shell version.
Then read the two numbers. Waterproofing is quoted in millimetres and breathability in grams, and higher means more resistance to water and a greater capacity to let moisture vapour escape. Roughly 10,000 in each is a sound floor for lift-served resort riding, which is where the Volcom and Picture sit. Climb towards 20,000, as the Burton Reserve 2L and the Doom do, and you gain headroom for long spells sitting or falling in wet snow. A GORE-TEX jacket takes a different path, trading the printed numbers for a waterproof promise. There is more on how these membranes are measured in our waterproofing and breathability guide.
Choose the fit around movement and layering. Snowboarding rewards a little room to crouch, reach and strap in. Size so a mid-layer sits underneath without the jacket hanging loose, and prioritise a powder skirt, a helmet-compatible hood and pit-zip vents. Smaller touches like a sleeve pass pocket and a warm phone pocket prove their worth on a long day. Our ski jacket guide digs further into fit and features, and our ski pants guide helps you match a pair of pants.
Check what the eco labels cover. At this price you will now see recycled face fabrics, fluorine-free water repellency and repair or guarantee schemes treated as standard, and all five jackets here make at least one such claim. A bluesign® mark may apply to an individual fabric or component or to a finished product, so it is worth checking the scope of a claim rather than assuming it covers the whole jacket.
FAQ
Is a 10K jacket waterproof enough for a week in the Alps? A 10,000 mm jacket is often enough for typical cold-weather resort riding, especially with well-made seams and a working water-repellent finish. It gives less margin in prolonged wet snow or rain than a 20,000 mm jacket, so think about the weather you expect and how much time you spend sitting or falling in the snow.
Do I actually need GORE-TEX? Not necessarily. GORE-TEX gives you a guaranteed-waterproof membrane and strong breathability that pay off over repeated wet days, but the Doom and the standard Burton both publish 20,000 mm / 20,000 g ratings at lower prices. Treat it as an upgrade rather than a must-have.
What should I wear under a shell? A shell only works as part of a system. Start with a moisture-wicking base layer, add a fleece or light synthetic layer as your actual warmth, and let the shell handle the weather on top. Add or shed the mid-layer as the day warms or cools. That adjustability is exactly why some riders prefer a shell to a fixed insulated jacket.
How should a men’s snowboard jacket fit? Loose enough to layer and move, without so much fabric that it flaps. Aim to fit a fleece or mid-layer underneath with room to lift your arms. Many snowboard jackets allow more room than an everyday coat, but the cut varies a lot by brand and model, so a Volcom standard fit and a Burton regular fit can still differ. Use each brand’s measurements rather than relying on the fit name alone.
How do I keep the waterproofing working? The water-repellent coating fades with use and washing. Clean the jacket according to its care label, then use gentle heat only if the label permits it. If washing and heat no longer restore water beading, a compatible wash-in or spray-on treatment can help restore the repellency.
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