A cagoul, cagoule or kagoule (from the French "cagoule" meaning "cowl" or "hood") is the British English term for a lightweight (usually without lining), weatherproof pullover raincoat or anorak with a hood, which often comes in knee-length.

A cagoule does not open fully at the front and must be pulled on over the head. It has an integral hood, elasticated or drawstring cuffs, and some have a few poppers or a short zip at the neck.

A cagoule which can be rolled up into a very compact package and carried in a bag or pocket was invented by Noel Bibby of Peter Storm Ltd. in the early 1960's. In some versions, when rolled up, the hood doubles as a bag into which the rest of the coat is pushed. It became very popular in the United Kingdom during the 1970's.

Adventure Cagoules

Cagoules are popular with outdoor adventure centres for water sports and wet or muddy games to keep participants warm even when wet. Adventure cagoules usually have no zip that could get stuck with sand or mud.

Designed for the rigours of centre use this fantastic fully waterproof pullover cagoules are worn over a base layer of clothes. They are very generously sized to allow layering and maximum freedom of movement. The longer designs reach to the knees and give better allround protection, like when you to sit down on damp ground.

Reader Comment

These cagoules are great for resitance training in swimming pools. They don't fluff up the filter systems, so they let me wear my light weight nylon cagoule and pants in the local pool.

For endurance training I only wear a full body lycra suit, which speeds up my swimming because this suit smoothes my bodylines and makes me more aquadynamic.

For my resitance training I put on my slightly oversized cagoule. Doing breaststroke it puts up a lot of resitance. The cagoule reaches down to my knees and acts like a small sail from the knees up when I pull my legs forward. Swimming like this requires a lot more effort.

My other passion are outdoor sports. I usually wear my adventure cagoule for river swimming and muddy assault courses. It is made from tough heavy nylon and avoids cuts and bruises during these activities. Afterwards I keep it on in the shower to rinse it well and get it all clean again. Then I shake the water out and it is ready for the next adventure.

Brian from Cumbria, UK