Pearl Izumi Elite Pursuit Hybrid jacket

Pearl Izumi's Elite Pursuit Hybrid jacket represents a really nice blend of performance fit, water resistance and windproofing. It's not quite your Castelli Perfetto or Santini Beta Rain jacket, but then it doesn't cost nearly as much as those all-round garments either.

• Pros: Good lightweight protection, packable (to a point), good value
• Cons: Not insulated, no rear pockets

Let me start by defining what the Elite Pursuit Hybrid jacket is, or rather, what it isn't. It isn't a do-it-all, cool-weather, all-in-one outer garment like the Sportful Fiandre Light Wind jacket. It's better described as a lightweight outer layer that adds a little weatherproofing to your layering system.

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Ostensibly, it's a beefier version of the lighter PRO Barrier Lite jacket, which I reviewed two years ago. Still relatively packable (this weighs 27g more), it's supposed to be a slightly more resilient version of the Barrier Lite that you might be tempted to rely on as an all-ride outer layer rather than a whip-on, whip-off as needed option.

The additional bulk comes from slightly thicker fabrics, including a light softshell back that adds greater resistance against wind and rain, plus more insulation, and adds to the sense of protection. Certainly, I never felt that I was being held back by the extra 27g, and it also has positives in how it sits on the body: the extra weight has the effect of reducing flapping – it has the same general cut as the Barrier Lite, give or take a few millimetres here or there, but it keeps its shape in the wind better.

It looks like a more 'quality' product as a result, and feels it too. It can stand up to repeated showers, while there's a little more stretch in the body mainly because of the softshell. That means the fit in a medium is really comfortable, even if it's a touch tight in one or two areas.

Breathability is good too. If you're in anything ranging from 5-15°C, with suitable layers underneath, it can transport moisture away competently, leaving you dry(ish) inside. Sure, it's a step down from your Gore-Tex Active or Shakedry fabrics, but if you go for either the Gore Power or C5 jackets you'll be paying significant premiums for them.

The shape of the neckline and partially elasticated cuffs give a good seal against draughts and sneaky water ingress, and the dropped tail features an elastic band with some gripper tabs to help it hold its shape and stay in place. The zip is chunkier than in the Barrier Lite jacket, and is easy to seat and work with an extended pull cord, while the tab that sits behind it keeps draughts out too.

It's not perfect: the jacket doesn't have any sort of pocket. Maybe Pearl Izumi decided against in order to maintain what packability the jacket has, but in my opinion it's poorer for it because, as I've already mentioned, I think it's better suited as a jacket that you'd keep on throughout a showery ride rather than one you pop on and off.

So, I missed the ability to store food (or even a phone and keys) in it, but that's just about the only thing I don't like about it. Sure, it's not the jacket if you're after one that provides insulation as well, but at £99.99 it'd be remarkable if it did.

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It washes through well (Pearl Izumi recommends a delicate cold wash but you can get away with a 30 degree cycle with your other technical garments), and as ever I'd advise using a technical wash to maintain the water resistance of the fabrics. You can also have it in a high-vis yellow if you don't like the stealth look.

The bottom line is that this has become one of my favourite weather resistant outer layers for cool and changeable conditions, and supercedes the PRO Barrier Lite in my poor-weather clothing arsenal. For its price tag of a penny under £100, I'm suitably impressed.

Verdict

At £99.99, this is a seriously competent lightweight outer layer for cool and changeable conditions