Rapha Women's Stowaway Jacket

I got very excited, along with probably every other lycra loving lady in the UK, when I heard that Rapha, the Gucci of the cycling world, were bringing out a range of women’s specific clothing. Rapha has long been a name associated with style, quality, and ahem, price, and I was delighted to have a look at the women’s range to see if it came up to the standard of the men’s.

The Stowaway Jacket is one of the three pieces that makes up the small but elegantly formed capsule collection for women. It’s a lightweight wind resistant and water repellant jacket, designed to be shoved in a jersey pocket for when the wind gets up, for descents, or for when the weather deteriorates.

Made from stretch fabric, the Stowaway has a neat contoured fit, with sizing that is spot on what it claims to be, and a flattering a sleek cut. The sleeves are a good length, even when in an aerodynamic position, while the soft elasticated cuffs stop drafts and stay where they should be. Body length is decent too, although particularly tall women may find it just a little short. The dropped tail is nicely shaped to avoid flapping or catching, and there’s a drawcord for further adjustment. All in all the cut is excellent.

Features wise, the full length zip is reversed to have the more water resistant side outwards, while the top of the zip is softly lined and offset to avoid chin/zip pull interaction. The water resistant zip is a nice touch, as is the fact that the front shoulder seams are taped to help keep the worst of the weather out (that’s where rain’ll get you first), but I’d still want to keep this for unexpected showers only, which is all it’s really aimed at. The lightweight water resistant treated fabric is not going to keep out persistent precipitation for very long. The fabric is reasonably breathable, without too much sweat developing. Rapha have managed to make the reflective sleeve stripes look like a cool design detail, as is the reflective Rapha logo at the back, crucial when broadcasting just how cool you are. There’s also a smallish zipped side pocket.

If I had a grumble, it’s that it’s still a bit on the bulky side for squeezing into the rear pocket of the matching women’s jersey, and at 150g, a wee bit heavier than the lightest on the market from the likes of Montane and Golite (125g and sub 100g). But these are only complaints in light of the staggeringly high price for a wind resistant jacket.

It’s an attractive and well-considered jacket, but I’d find it very hard to justify spending this kind of money on a product that others are doing as well for around half the price.

Verdict

Beautifully cut, well considered and light, but just so incredibly expensive.