Two-and-a-half layer
Two-and-a-half layer
A two-and-a-half layer jacket might be taken to represent the first tier of sophisticated, waterproof jackets.
The external fabric is likely to be a technical material intended to keep out the rain and to release moisture build-up from the rider (an extremely difficult combination to master).
Seams will be sealed with a heat gun, and a good quality jacket is likely to contain several metres of tape.
Hilton-Foster describes Endura’s Helium jacket, a lightweight and completely waterproof garment, with a minimalist cut to avoid excess material that might flap in the wind, as a favourite.
“It’s £90, it’s very lightweight, it’s fully waterproof and it’s relatively breathable,” he says, “But it’s no frills: there’s no big fancy hem, no fancy cuffs, and one pocket in the back for your telephone or car keys.”
Interestingly, this is the second jacket in our sample with a £90 price tag. The first – Pearl Izumi’s Elite Aerojacket, a lightweight softshell – is significantly different.
Which then should you choose? “You’ve got to accept that if it’s bucketing down, and you’re wearing the Aerojacket, you’re going to get wet at some point,” says Hilton-Foster.
“You shouldn’t get wet in the Helium jacket.” But on the other side of the coin? “The Aerojacket is immensely more breathable.”
Conditions should inform your choice, then – there’s little point pulling a lightweight rain jacket from the wardrobe when it’s raining cats and dogs – but also consider your personal temperature gauge.
Are you the type of rider who ‘runs hot’ and for whom breathability is a key issue? Or do you feel the cold easily and can cope with the few extra degrees added by a jacket with a fabric that not only keeps out the rain, but also seals in moisture as an unintended consequence?