Sportful Giara Thermal Gilet

Sportful's Giara Thermal Vest is, as its name suggests, a sleeveless thermal layer and it's ideal when you need extra torso insulation, with a great fit and the stylish looks of Sportful's Giara (Italian for gravel) range.

• Pros: Warm, windproof, great fit, looks good
• Cons: No pockets

This is no lightweight emergency gilet. It provides impressive warmth when paired with a long sleeve jersey or jacket, helping you to tackle really cold weather. And because it is sleeveless, it prevents excessive heat buildup on the arms when you're riding at a brisk tempo.

It's an odd thing, but sometimes when I layer up to keep my torso insulated, my arms can get too warm. Choosing an insulated gilet as my top and final layer solves this issue and makes a great combination for a wide range of weather, especially the rapidly changing conditions of this time of year.

Italian company Sportful has combined a Soft Protec Stretch outer fabric with Thermore insulation on the front and shoulder panels, with a waffle-type texture that provides the insulation. There's a breathable rear panel to prevent overheating.

While it can be rolled up carefully enough to be stored in a jersey pocket, it's not as packable as most typical emergency gilets. But then this isn't really a gilet just for emergency use. Instead, I've been wearing it for entire rides, over a baselayer and long sleeve jersey for a setup that works really well.

It's more of a 'wear for the entire ride' garment in my view. And it's comfortable for long rides, with a jolly good fit as I've come to expect from Sportful. It's not as snug as some of its racier lines, the Giara range being aimed at cyclists who want a more casual fit to match a casual style of riding.

It's not at all tight and the material stretches enough to accommodate several layers underneath and loaded jersey pockets. The full-length zip works smoothly and because the gilet doesn't have any pockets, there's a large vertical side zip so you can access jersey pockets underneath.

We could debate the pros and cons of pockets on gilets, but in reality most people have their preference. Personally, I'm of the view that lightweight emergency gilets don't need them, as you don't plan to wear them for long, but heavier duty gilets should have pockets. For me, the Giara falls into the latter camp and would be better off with a pocket or two. Trying to open the zipper and get at pockets underneath is a tricky task with chunky gloves.

The tall collar provides extra neck warmth; you can really hunker down in it.

There's little in the way of water protection, which might dock it a few points depending on what you're looking for in a gilet, but for bone dry and freezing cold rides it's a great addition to any cycling outfit.

The understated appearance of the whole Giara line, aimed at gravel and adventure cyclists but good, too, for club and leisure cyclists, is a boon if you don't want to look like a racing cyclist wannabe. A nice extra detail is that the rear stripe is reflective.

> Buyer's Guide: 11 of the best cycling gilets

At RRP it's quite pricey for a gilet, but holds its own against other insulated designs we've tested, such as Endura's Pro SL Primaloft, and is £35 less than Rapha's Pro Team Insulated Gilet – though you do get pockets with both of those.

If you can afford it, the Giara's performance is worth the money for the extra versatility it adds to your cycling outfit. Shop around and you can get it much cheaper: I've seen it on sale for as little as £69, at which point it's a bit of a bargain.

Verdict

Warm and windproof thermal gilet makes layering for the cold easy