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Vulpine Men’s Ultralight Quilted Thermal Jacket Vulpine Men’s Ultralight Quilted Thermal Jacket Vulpine Men’s Ultralight Quilted Thermal Jacket Vulpine Men’s Ultralight Quilted Thermal Jacket Vulpine Men’s Ultralight Quilted Thermal Jacket Vulpine Men’s Ultralight Quilted Thermal Jacket Vulpine Men’s Ultralight Quilted Thermal Jacket
Vulpine Mens Ultralight Quilted Thermal Jacket

Vulpine Men’s Ultralight Quilted Thermal Jacket

8
by edwardbmason
UPDATED Mon, Nov 09, 2015 15:50

First Published Nov 9, 2015

4
£169.00

VERDICT:

8
10
The perfect jacket for riding to the pub and walking around town in chilly weather
Weight: 
453g
Contact: 
www.vulpine.cc
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UK brand Vulpine has been making high quality kit for years now, and although not directly related to out-and-out performance cycling, its Ultralight Quilted Thermal Jacket is a fantastic garment for quick rides to the pub and doing the dreaded shopping trips around town.

Picking up the Ultralight Jacket at road.cc towers, I thought I would need far longer than the standard month allocated for testing as it wasn't my usual 'performance cycling' choice of kit. What actually happened is the opposite. Give or take the odd item, this is the most frequently used piece of kit I've ever tested. I've worn it pretty much every day at some point for the last month and a bit. Whether it's been riding down to the pub at the end of the working week, or heading out to buy lunch at work, this jacket has been a constant go-to.

Buy this online here

The quilted material is excellent for keeping you warm – good enough that if you wear it on a warmer day you'll get quite sweaty quite quickly. But that's not what this jacket is designed for – it's for properly chilly conditions.

Vulpine Mens Ultralight Quilted Thermal Jacket - top

The cut of the jacket suits my proportions (75kg, and a smidge over 6ft tall – 183cm to be metrically precise) really well off the bike. The cuffs are tight enough to keep a cold breeze out, while being wide enough not to be constrictive, and the collar is much the same with the zipper done all the way up.

Vulpine Mens Ultralight Quilted Thermal Jacket - sleeve

On the bike, the sleeves ride up a little and the back doesn't cover your bum as well as your standard 'proper' cycling jacket. But again, that's not really the point of this jacket, so I can't mark it down for that.

Vulpine Mens Ultralight Quilted Thermal Jacket - riding.jpg

>> Check out our guide to the best cycling clothing to keep you warm in winter

I don't want to sound overly gushy, though. The Ultralight is a great bit of kit, but it's not perfect. It doesn't stand up to anything more than a light drizzle very well, but Vulpine makes that clear on its website. What isn't mentioned is that both the main and pocket zippers can catch and jam on the surrounding material quite easily. These two points are really the only places I can mark this jacket down. It's been a great bit of kit to wear and ride in, and I would happily buy it with my own hard-earned.

Vulpine Mens Ultralight Quilted Thermal Jacket - front pockets

The price is high, but if I consider how much I've used this jacket over the last month and a bit, I really think that it's worth it. Pretty much any time I've needed to go outside I've put it on, and as such I think that a penny under 170 quid works out as pretty good value.

Verdict

The perfect jacket for riding to the pub and walking around town in chilly weather

road.cc test report

Make and model: Vulpine Mens Ultralight Quilted Thermal Jacket

Size tested: Small, Petrol

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Vulpine says: "An ultra lightweight, cold weather solution that provides effective breathable insulation. The outer fabric is water resistant and, if you're caught in prolonged torrential rain, it dries extremely quickly whilst still keeping you warm. We've added a snug high collar, bag-strap-proof shoulder panels and handy rear phone pocket. There are also two zipped front pockets and a hidden internal pocket to fulfil all your storage needs. Ride to work in a frost, throw in your bag at work, then throw on as the temperature plummets again. So cosy it should be illegal (it isn't)."

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Again from Vulpine:

Thermal

Incredibly Warm with Primaloft Gold grade fill

Weather Resistant

Windproof and water resistant againt light rain, drizzle and road spray

Lightweight

Superb warmth to weight ratio

Durable

Tough shoulder panel for use with backpack

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10

The zips can catch and jam occasionally but that's the only place I can fault this jacket.

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

Has held up well during the test period, no reason to suspect it won't continue in that vein.

Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
9/10

It's a jacket designed to be used in situations where weight isn't really an issue, but it's pretty light nonetheless.

Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
9/10

Very comfortable. It's become my go-to jacket for the weekly pub meet.

Rate the product for value:
 
8/10

Expensive for sure, but not crazily so. I'd probably buy it if I had a flush month.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Really well.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The warmth and the comfort.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

The zips catching on the fabric is a bit annoying.

Did you enjoy using the product? Absolutely

Would you consider buying the product? Probably

Would you recommend the product to a friend? If they needed a casual/pub jacket, yes.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 23  Height: 182cm  Weight: 75kg

I usually ride: Kinesis Pro6  My best bike is: The first steel bike I made

I've been riding for: 10-20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: road racing, cyclo-cross, commuting, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, mountain biking

Vulpine Men’s Ultralight Quilted Thermal Jacket
Vulpine 2015
Vulpine

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4 comments

Avatar
captain_slog | 9 years ago
1 like

Lovely colour.

 

But ... hang on, you're 'a smidge over 6ft tall' and that's a small size?

Avatar
Goldfever4 | 9 years ago
0 likes

I bought this in the autumn sale (under £100), mainly for commuting through winter. It is so warm and comfortable. Some good design features (shoulders made out of a more resistant fabric for backpacks). I agree that the zips aren't perfect but I think that's the material rather than the zip. Like the reviewer I turn to it a lot more frequently than I expected and am really pleased.

Avatar
Al__S | 9 years ago
0 likes

if you're riding to the pub, you don't have to do intervals between the lights and sprint to the finish... there are other ways of riding that don't leave you sweaty. Yes, you go slower, but so what? Not every ride is an "epic", a training ride or a race.

Avatar
Curly | 9 years ago
0 likes

I'm sure i saw one just like this in Matlan last week for £50 and its waterproof I think they called it a lumber jacket , not sure why you would want to go to the pub on your bike! and get there sweating and a beard of snot - very uncool 1

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