Looking around online and seeing a lot of rain jackets don't have hoods. Seems....weird, and kind of missing the point?
Is it because you have a helmet on so they don't fit? Or because the helmet helps? Or because they will just get blown off from catching the wind?

All three reasons.

A hood would pretty easily block peripheral vision.

My rain jacket has one, but I don't really use it.

M.

This. It's like riding in a tunnel, until it blows off.

This is a first reason why rain jacket should have none. I think hood is something that one can live without...

Plenty of rain jackets are available with hoods, great if you are sitting watching a football game or fishing. Not the choice I would have for bike riding.

My rain jacket has a hood and is adjustable so that it will fit over a helmet or fit fine without a helmet. I can't recall a significant reduction in peripheral vision, at least nothing like when wearing goggles (which I need for cold and blowing snow). I currently do very little riding in traffic so most of my attention is focused on the MUP or on my rutted, icy residential streets.

I got the rain jacket when I lived in an area where it rains a great deal more than it does here. It was common for it to rain, sometimes very hard, with the temperature in the mid 30's F. Times like that keeping cold rain from running down the back of your neck (not to mention off the rest of you) is well worth having a hood. Also, the jacket has draw strings to keep it from blowing off. If it did not, I wouldn't bother with a hooded jacket.

My rain jacket is also lightweight and compactilble and sits in a frame bag with rain pants ready for duty.

I got this jacket after years of unhappiness with cheap rain suits that invariably tore and were in other ways inadequate, like with hoods that blew off.

So I'm with the OP in that a rain jacket without a hood seems odd.

I wonder if anyone makes a quality rain jacket with a zip away hood.

I have one with a hood. If I am riding in cold rain, I like the hood. Works fine with my helmet

Helmet rain cover .. It, unlike a hood attached, turns with your head.

Want an attached hood?
You may like to use a parka from the out door section,
instead of a jacket from the Cycling department..

As I've said before .. heavy rain I use a cyclists rain Cape.
+ a rain hat from the North Atlantic fishermans foul weather kit

It also turns with my head [+ I live in a town with Fishing History]

If you put it under the helmet it doesn't block peripheral vision or blow off. But I don't do it because it's too hot and annoying.

there are plenty rain jackets that have hoods with adjustments to work with helmets. Properly adjusted, the hood doesn't blow off, doesn't block peripheral vision, and doesn't interfere with movement. I've not seen a cycling specific jacket with a good hood, though. they all either don't have one, or have one that sucks. I don't know why that is, because making a properly working hood isn't hat hard.

+1 - reduced peripheral vision? Not unless the hood is the size of a 50 gal garbage bag! I HATE water dripping down the back of my neck. My hood fits nicely around my face and I put helmet on top of it. 0 vision loss

I use baseball hat beneath the hood. That keeps most of the rain off my head and face. Baseball hat keeps hood in place, so no peripheral vision blocked, or wind blowing it off.

I prefer rain jackets that can have the hood detached though. It does get in the way sometimes (when it's too hot, or when I'm riding motorcycle wearing it).

I have two jackets with hoods. I use the hoods while riding. Neither blocks vision. It does restrict head movement but not so much that its a prob!em.

I put my helmet over the hood, works great. No visual issues.

I have a hood on my rain jacket. It wasn't obvious to me nor the guy at the department store where I got it from how to adjust the hood. We were both stumped. Later I found you pull those strings through those plastic "fasteners" until you have the desired fit you want. I also wear a baseball hat to help keep rain and hood out and away from my eyes. It works quite well this way for me.

I don't wear any hoods cycling for one simple reason. When I turn my head to check traffic behind, (as when making a lane change), the hood doesn't turn, so all I see is the hoods lining.

ok part 2 of this thread:

post your rain jackets.

(because i need one)

I wore a jacket with a hood ONE time - it totally and extremely dangerously blocks peripheral vision. Shoulder checks are impossible and even the helmet mirror is blocked.

The helmet alone sheds most of the rain. If it really bothered me I could just throw a helmet cover over it.

+1. No problems with using a hood for me either. When it's really pouring, it's quite nice to have the nape of the neck covered.

I also have a helmet cover, which is fine for lighter, cold rains, and a long-billed, low crown, lightweight nylon runners cap, which also works well under the helmet for warmer, summer rains.

Mine is Spiewak. Unfortunately, I cannot find the one I have anywhere on their site or anyone elses. It's just a simple black rain jacket, with reinforced seams and a giant hood. It has a triple front closure, too - small zip, large zip, buttons.

I got it unused from someone going overseas, and let me tell you the thing's pretty great.

Unfortunately the hood is unusable as a hood. BUT, as I forgot to mention above, I do have a use for it. If it's raining hard, I can kind of tuck it around the back of my neck and draw it close, holding it in place with the helmet against the very back of my head. This way, it keeps anything from pooling and running down around the head hole.

M.

I have a Foxwear Neoshell jacket, https://foxwear.net/clothing/rain-gear/, exactly the same as the one in the pic except mine has a hood (yes, I specifically ordered it with a hood!). It may be overkill for you, but it's my Fall/Winter/Spring jacket (wear it every day). Before that I had an REI Novara Stratos which I liked but it didn't have the temp range I needed (wasn't warm enough for winter). For summer I have an inexpensive Canari shell. I had zero luck with cheap rain jackets - they fall apart after a couple uses. That said, I have a pair of O2 pants that I use in warm weather and they're great.

I have a Marmot Mica with hood. Hood is fine, has ways to make it snug to your head so visibility is not an issue. The jacket is very light and compact. I like that it fits easily into my bags. It ventilates fairly well but does wet through with warm and heavy rains. I think moisture gets through when rains are severe. Not soaking wet, just damp, especially on the shoulders. I would never use this jacket for mountaineering. My pants are Go-lite Gore-tex paclite. A little beefier but rain proof and breathable. Legs tend not to be an issue for sweating.

Foxwear Neoshell mentioned above seems interesting. I might be checking it out. I have his Power Shield winter jacket and love it. Great price for great material.

I have one of these, only an older model and the back flab on mine does not zip off. I love it.

https://www.mec.ca/product/5022-985/m...02+50089+50114

I can get an optional hood to attach on my jacket, but so far haven't bothered. I do have a waterproof cycling cap I can wear under my helmet to keep my head dry and a bit warmer. I suppose you could also get a helmet cover. I may eventually buy the hood for my jacket, but I would probably only use it in a big downpour.