Showers Pass Storm Jacket

This Showers Pass Storm jacket is certainly bright enough to get you noticed on the commute, and so long as you're not working too hard you'll stay dry. It's certainly not the most breathable though.

The Storm is made from a 2.5-layer waterproof fabric; that means that the inside of the jacket is the membrane, and it feels a bit clammy against the skin. It's one to wear with a long sleeve jersey or base layer. The seams are all taped and the collar is a good snug fit, and it packs down nice and small into the supplied stuff sack. You can get it into a jersey pocket if it looks like the weather might turn.

The fabric is a very bright fluorescent yellow and there are good reflective details on the dropped tail and the arms. The rear is vented, with a large flap across the shoulders letting the heat out. Cuffs are elasticated and the neck has a fleece lining. Fit is fairly generous; the Large size we tested certainly isn't race fit on me (1.90m, 94kg). It's the right shape though, with good length in the arms and a decent drop at the tail.

Showers Pass rate the waterproofing for anything short of a monsoon and it measures up very well. Water beads well on the fabric and even when the surface gets wet it doesn't allow any water to seep through.

Breathability is another matter though. To be fair to Showers Pass they don't make great claims for the Storm on that front. It scores two stars out of five on their own scale, which means it "provides some moisture vapor transfer, but if you're riding hard enough to sweat, especially in cold and rainy conditions, you will probably see some condensation on the inside of the garment."

That's an understatement: on wet rides where I was really working, I got pretty well soaked wearing the Storm. It doesn't take too much effort to overwhelm its ability to cope.

It's not an expensive jacket, and Showers Pass aren't pretending it's the most breathable outer layer ever, but even so there's jackets at this kind of price - like B'Twin's excellent 700 jacket - that do a better job of balancing water resistance and breathability. If you're looking for a packable jacket that'll keep pretty much anything out, and you're not the kind to work too hard on a ride, this might fit the bill.

Verdict

Decent waterproof for slower riding in the rain, but breathability not best in class