ProQuip Ultimate HTX Rain Jacket Review

While I’m a relative newcomer to golf, I’m an old hand when it comes to rain jackets - both personally and professionally. As someone who likes a bracing walk in the hills, I have spent a disproportionate amount of time and money trying to find the perfect waterproof for hiking. And in over two decades as a running and cycling journalist I braved the elements to test everything from gossamer thin, skin-tight emergency gilets to Gore-tex-rich extreme commuting outerwear.

So, I like to think I’m more than qualified to offer an opinion on whether or not the ProQuip Ultimate HTX passes muster as one of the best golf rain jackets available. Spoiler alert – it really does. I’ve worn the Ultimate HTX in some miserable conditions – usually while playing some equally miserable golf – and it has impressed me, albeit with a small caveat relating to the HTX suffix.

I’ll start with the all important aesthetics. I was provided with the all black Ultimate HTX to test and it’s fair to say that it’s pretty understated – the only adornment is a small reflective decal giving the jacket’s name running alongside the vertical breast pocket and ProQuip logos on the front hem and rear collar. It’s definitely not a ‘look-at-me’ bit of kit, although if you want something a little more flamboyant you can get versions with either large blue, white or grey panels. (You know that you’re getting old when you write ‘grey’ and ‘flamboyant’ in the same sentence.)

From a water-proofing point-of-view the Ultimate HTX has passed every test I’ve put it through so far – some heavy rain but, as is standard in the UK, mainly persistent, insidious drizzle. The four-way stretch outer doesn’t have a ‘name-brand’ water-proofing technology such as Gore-tex or DWR but the Scottish brand’s proprietary fabric is excellent. Rain beads on the surface and rolls off or, in the case of that drizzle, is easy to shake off. I have yet to experience the jacket ‘wetting out’, which can happen when you spend prolonged periods in the wet.

Seams are taped and zips are waterproof too, which means that phones and scorecards kept in pockets remain dry. The only dampness I experienced came when the fabric stormcuffs around the wrist protruded outside the waterproof sleeves. ProQuip backs the Ultimate HTX with a three-year waterproof guarantee and I’ve no reason to doubt that it’ll see out that time period.

Fit-wise, I was testing the Ultimate HTX in a large size and, as a 6ft 1in-ish, 40-42-ish chest man, found the fit good. The outer-shell has a small amount of stretch and that meant that movement didn’t feel restricted – fit can also be adjusted with a drawstring at the waist. It’s also worth noting that the fabric doesn’t make a lot of noise when playing.

Arguably, the USP of the Ultimate is the HTX. This stands for Heat Technology Extreme and is a metallic base layer sewn inside the jacket. It’s reminiscent of a space blanket that exhausted marathon runners wrap themselves in, and the idea is that traps and reflects body heat back into your torso.

It definitely works but the downside is that, despite ProQuip’s claims that the outer shell and lining is breathable, you can get very warm, very quickly if the temperature moves towards double figures – which is often the case during rainy, southern British rounds. Ideally, I’d prefer the HTX liner to be removable which I think would improve the versatility of a very good, and impressive value rain jacket.