The Gist 100ConsumerOctober 2026
Of 31 rain jacket brands named, three appear in most answers
Patagonia is in 92% of AI answers about rain jackets and is the first brand named in 76%. Only REI Co-op and Arc'teryx join it in more than half of answers, and from fifth place down no brand passes 22%.
By Gist GEO team · October 2026
Share of AI answers about rain jackets that name each brand
Ask an assistant about rain jackets and the first name back is usually Patagonia. Gist put eight buying questions to four assistants and counted the brands in 295 answers. Patagonia is the first brand named in 76% of them, against 15% for REI Co-op and 5% for Arc'teryx. It appears somewhere in 92%. The excerpts point to one product, the Torrentshell, which the answers describe as the all-around pick.
The field narrows fast. The answers name 31 brands at least once and 4.3 in a typical answer, yet only three appear in more than half of answers: Patagonia, REI Co-op at 80% and Arc'teryx at 63%. Outdoor Research is a clear fourth at 43%. Then comes a 21-point drop to Helly Hansen and Black Diamond at 22% each. The last four brands on the page score between 11% and 14%, and Montbell misses the cut by a single point.
Second place holds the surprise. REI Co-op is a brand and also a source. Its website is a retailer's, rei.com, and the answers cite it 55% of the time, level with the review site Switchback Travel and behind only OutdoorGearLab at 79%. Patagonia's own site is cited in 7% of answers. The brand's score does not simply track the citations, though. Google AI Overviews cites rei.com in 9% of its answers and still names REI Co-op more than any other brand, at 76%.
Patagonia leads REI Co-op by 12 points on score, 92% to 80%. On first mentions the gap is 61 points: Patagonia opens 76% of answers and REI Co-op 15%. It scores 100% on the best jacket, the best brands and jackets for hikers, and is never lower than second on the other five questions. It is also the only brand in the top two on both price questions, at 72% on affordable jackets and 80% on jackets worth the higher price. Second and third place change hands from question to question. The first name in the answer rarely does.
Arc'teryx leads at 90% when the question is which jackets are worth the higher price. Ask for the best affordable jacket and it scores 2%, the same as on city commuting. REI Co-op runs the other way, at 100% on affordable and 55% on worth the higher price, and Outdoor Research scores 0% on affordable. The excerpts show how the answers sort them: the Rainier as the budget pick, the Beta SL as a premium shell that one answer calls more than most people need. A score of 63% for Arc'teryx is an average of questions where it is near-certain and questions where it is nearly absent.
ChatGPT names 3.9 brands per answer, the same four most of the time. Its fifth most named brand, Marmot, is at 16%, and Helly Hansen and Black Diamond are at 1% each. Claude names 5.5 and includes Helly Hansen in 49% of answers and Black Diamond in 36%. The sources offer one visible reason. Two of the excerpts that name Helly Hansen cite a Backpacker award, and Backpacker is cited in 74% of Claude answers and 1% of ChatGPT answers. Outdoor Research runs the other way, at 76% on ChatGPT, where its own site is cited in 48% of answers. The names and the sources move together.
Asked which brands make the best rain jackets, the answers are generous. Helly Hansen scores 74%, Marmot 55%, Rab 52%, Columbia 46% and The North Face 45%. Asked simply for the best rain jacket, the same five score 15%, 0%, 5%, 0% and 2%. Black Diamond is the exception. It scores 21% on the brands question and 45% on the best jacket, and the excerpts tie it to one model, the Fineline Stretch. For brands in the lower half, the numbers suggest that one model the answers pick counts for more than a place on the list of names.
Who each company is, and how it shows up in the answers
92% of AI answers
Patagonia is an American company that sells outdoor clothing, equipment and food, including rain jackets such as the Torrentshell. Yvon Chouinard founded it in 1973, and it is based in Ventura, California.
Founded 1973 · Ventura
One jacket does most of the work. Answers name the Torrentshell as their overall choice and credit its three-layer build, durability and value. Perplexity and Claude name Patagonia in 100% of their answers, and its lowest score on any question is 72%, on affordable jackets.
80% of AI answers
REI Co-op is a consumer co-op and outdoor retailer that sells camping, hiking, climbing, cycling, running and snow gear, along with travel equipment and clothing. It also sells gear and apparel under its own REI Co-op brand, including the Rainier rain jacket. Lloyd and Mary Anderson founded it in Seattle in 1938, and its headquarters are near Seattle.
Founded 1938 · Seattle area
The answers cast it as the value choice, built around the Rainier, a budget shell they credit for pit zips and reliable protection in moderate rain. It scores 100% on affordable jackets and 97% on three jackets to compare. Its own website is cited in 55% of answers.
63% of AI answers
Arc’teryx is a Canadian company that makes technical apparel and equipment for mountaineering and alpine sports, and is known for its waterproof Gore-Tex shell jackets. Dave Lane co-founded it in North Vancouver in 1989 as Rock Solid, and it took the name Arc’teryx in 1991. Amer Sports has owned it since 2005.
Since 1989 · North Vancouver, Canada · Part of Amer Sports
Premium is the label the answers attach here. They describe the Beta SL and Beta AR as technical shells for severe mountain weather, and one calls that more than most people need. It scores 90% on jackets worth the higher price and 2% on both the affordable and city commuting questions.
43% of AI answers
Seattle outdoor apparel and gear brand.
Ventilation comes up first: answers credit the Foray and Aspire shells for it, and the brand for technical performance at moderate cost. ChatGPT names it in 76% of answers, against 24% on Google AI Overviews and 26% on Perplexity. Its own website is cited in 48% of ChatGPT answers.
22% of AI answers
Norwegian maker of sailing and outdoor apparel.
Heavy weather is its territory in the answers: sailing, outdoor work and long storms. The model they name is the Verglas Infinity Shell, which answers say Backpacker rated its top pick overall. Claude names the brand in 49% of answers and ChatGPT in 1%.
22% of AI answers
Climbing and ski gear company that also makes shells.
A single model, the Fineline Stretch, carries the mentions. Answers call it light and stretchy, a midrange step up from entry-level shells, and one flags durability as the trade-off of its lighter build. It scores 45% on the best rain jacket question, while ChatGPT names it in 1% of answers.
14% of AI answers
Outdoor apparel brand.
Mentions center on the PreCip line. Answers describe the PreCip Eco as a packable budget pick, and one says a newer PreCip came close to displacing the Torrentshell at the top. Marmot scores 55% on the brands question, 20% on affordable jackets and 0% on the best rain jacket.
12% of AI answers
Large outdoor apparel company based in Oregon.
For everyday rain, answers suggest the Watertight II, a low-cost jacket for commuters, travel and casual wear. They place the brand at the inexpensive end, away from technical shells. It scores 46% on the brands question and 28% on affordable jackets, third behind REI Co-op and Patagonia.
12% of AI answers
One of the largest outdoor apparel brands.
Answers send commuters here. They suggest the Alta Vista for daily urban use and the Antora as a lower-cost option in steady rain. It scores 45% on city commuting, third on that question, and 45% on the brands question, with 5% or less on the other six.
11% of AI answers
British maker of mountaineering clothing and gear.
Light, technical shells for fast hikers and high mountains are what the answers credit, along with the Downpour as a step up from budget picks. Most of its score comes from the brands question, at 52%. Claude names it in 18% of answers and Google AI Overviews in 0%.
The three brands named most for each question Gist asked
| Question | Named most | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| What's the best rain jacket? | Patagonia 100% | Arc'teryx 98% | REI Co-op 75% |
| Which brands make the best rain jackets? | Arc'teryx 100% | Patagonia 100% | REI Co-op 100% |
| What's the best affordable rain jacket? | REI Co-op 100% | Patagonia 72% | Columbia 28% |
| Which rain jackets are worth the higher price? | Arc'teryx 90% | Patagonia 80% | REI Co-op 55% |
| What's the best rain jacket for hiking? | Patagonia 100% | REI Co-op 78% | Outdoor Research 62% |
| What's a good rain jacket for commuting in the city? | Patagonia 90% | REI Co-op 60% | The North Face 45% |
| I need a rain jacket. Which three should I compare? | REI Co-op 97% | Patagonia 94% | Arc'teryx 64% |
| Which rain jackets hold up best over time? | Patagonia 83% | Arc'teryx 81% | REI Co-op 48% |
Share of each assistant’s answers that name the brand
| Brand | All four | ChatGPT | Perplexity | Claude | Google AI Overviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patagonia | 92% | 99% | 100% | 100% | 71% |
| REI Co-op | 80% | 82% | 78% | 82% | 76% |
| Arc'teryx | 63% | 60% | 64% | 75% | 55% |
| Outdoor Research | 43% | 76% | 26% | 46% | 24% |
| Helly Hansen | 22% | 1% | 12% | 49% | 27% |
| Black Diamond | 22% | 1% | 25% | 36% | 25% |
| Marmot | 14% | 16% | 14% | 22% | 2% |
| Columbia | 12% | 14% | 6% | 14% | 15% |
| The North Face | 12% | 8% | 21% | 12% | 5% |
| Rab | 11% | 12% | 15% | 18% | 0% |
The websites AI cites most on rain jackets, by share of answers
The review site OutdoorGearLab is the one source all four assistants share, cited in 79% of answers and in at least 72% on each. Then the reading lists split. Perplexity cites the retailer REI in 100% of its answers and Switchback Travel and GearJunkie in 88% each. Claude leans on the publisher CNN, at 91%, and on CleverHiker and Treeline Review. Google AI Overviews adds YouTube, at 47%. ChatGPT cites few review sites beyond OutdoorGearLab and turns to brand pages: outdoorresearch.com in 48% of its answers and patagonia.com in 28%.
Three moves the numbers point to
Earn a place in the OutdoorGearLab tests first. The site is cited in 79% of answers and in at least 72% on every assistant, a reach no other source on the list comes near.
Target the affordable and city commuting questions, where third place is open. Columbia holds third on affordable jackets with 28% and The North Face on commuting with 45%, and Arc'teryx scores 2% on both.
Pitch the sites Claude reads, because Claude names the most brands: 5.5 per answer against 3.9 on ChatGPT. Its most cited sites are CNN at 91%, CleverHiker at 86% and Treeline Review at 85%.
Analysis · 4 min read
AI answers cite a ranked brand’s own site in 68% of business software answers and 24% of consumer ones. A vendor’s site is the most-cited website in 9 of 16 business categories and none of the consumer ones. Being cited is not the same as being named.
68% vs 24%Business vs consumer answers citing a brand’s site
Analysis · 4 min read
In 8 of 32 categories, the most-named brand is not named first most often. Gmail scores 96 in email management but is first in 8 percent of answers. Fathom is first in 52 percent of notetaker answers, Fireflies.ai in 10. These counts measure how often a brand appears and how often it is named first.
96 vs 8Gmail’s score versus its first-mention share
Gist asks a fixed set of eight buying questions in each category. None of them names a brand. Each question is put to ChatGPT, Perplexity, Claude and Google AI Overviews ten times, with web search on.
A brand’s score is the share of answers that name it, averaged across the assistants so that each one counts equally. Stores and review sites named in passing are not ranked. Brands named in fewer than one answer in ten are left off.
Measured October 5 to October 6, 2026.
No. It shows which brands AI assistants name when asked, not which products are best. Being named often usually reflects how much has been written about a brand, and where.
The page shows the 10 most-named brands. The free scan checks your own brand on a topic you choose.
Yes. AI answers shift as assistants are updated and as new pages are published. The date at the top shows when this ranking was measured.
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