In reply to RX-78:
> I was walking in the mountains last week and got hit by a prolonged and heavy rain and hail shower. Despite my jacket my inner layers got wet as did those of my companions and we all had different makes of jacket (rab, northface, Patagonia, berghaus). So, can you get a jacket that will keep you dry while hiking with a backpack and how much can you expect to spend on it?
In general, yes, you can get a jacket that will keep you dry, but it has to fit well (not too small), be well designed (mountain hood) and not too worn/uv-damaged/delaminated seams, etc. Price will depend on the label mainly and very little correlation with quality, in my experience.