Primal Onyx Wind Vest

The Primal Men's Onyx Wind Vest is a decent bit of kit for changeable conditions. It keeps the wind and rain out nicely, has a nice cut and is easy to store.

The last few months have been incredibly unpredictable. In one ride I experienced rain, hail, snow and bright sunshine; perfect to check out the Primal Men's Onyx Wind Vest.

The first thing to mention about any kind of gilet is the fabric, and Primal have used their Altero fabric. It is wind and weather resistant and stood up to everything that my rides threw at it. As it's a gilet it is never going to be 100% waterproof (what with the arm holes), but in terms of wind proofing and for the areas it covered, it worked nicely and it certainly protected me well.

It was also relatively breathable and at some points (when I couldn't be bothered to take it off during a ride) I would wear it with a short sleeve jersey without feeling the need to remove it unless it got up to around 15 degrees. It is also helped by the two-way zipper, allowing me to not only zip down from the top, but also up from the bottom, increasing the ventilation. When you do need to take it off it also packs down relatively small too, although I have certainly used gilets that pack down smaller in the past.

The cut of the gilet is good, without being too racy as to make it look strange when off the bike, but close cut enough that I didn't notice any kind of flapping at speed. Space around the arm holes isn't too tight or baggy too, which means that it is both comfortable to wear for a long time and doesn't let in too much wind/rain.

The design, despite being a little billboard-y is quite nice. It has a large primal logo down the front and across the pockets at the rear. In addition to these there is a small high viz arrow at the top of the back, on the collar and on the wind shield beneath the zip. I feel that they have missed a trick not making these large logos high viz though, as they are so large and would not only increase visibility, but also their branding.

Comfort is important, especially on longer rides and this is definitely one of the most comfortable gilets I have used. This is helped by the high collar which keeps out the wind nicely, but also has a soft microfleece lining. The arm openings are also slightly elasticated, so it doesn't dig into your armpits. Unlike others I have used, it doesn't have silicone grippers to prevent it riding up, but I didn't find it doing so to any large extent.

At the rear of the jersey there are also three large pockets that were large enough for anything I needed, even with arm and leg warmers inside too.

The gilet comes with an RRP of £45, which is a good price for something of this quality. It doesn't have the rain mac feel that you often find on lower end filets and the material is more similar to a soft-shell jacket, which you don't tend to find too often at this price point.

You can also get this gilet as part of Primal's custom kit range if you're buying for a club - indeed it is available in  in road.cc colours from the road.cc shop. Our resident whippet, Dave Arthur, comments that the size S isn't small enough for him, so very lean riders will want to take that into account.

Overall, I was impressed with this gilet. The cut is really nice and the high collar combined with good fabric choice makes it good in changeable conditions. Perhaps the level of branding won't be to everyone's taste and it could pack down smaller, but all in all these are forgivable, with the other elements making up for these shortcomings.

Verdict

Well made gilet at a decent price