Sportful Fiandre Strato Wind Jacket

The Sportful Fiandre Strato Wind Jacket is perfect if you like to keep the cold out without having to bulk up with lots of layers. The combined setup blocks the wind without seeing you overheat on the climbs, and the race cut means you won't have to worry about fabric flapping about when you are in the drops. I would like a little more protection on the arms on colder days, though.

• Pros: A 'one jacket does all' kind of thing; great fit
• Cons: Comes up small compared to UK sizing; arms can get a little chilly

From the front the Strato looks like you are wearing a gilet over the top of your jersey, but in reality what you have is a jersey/jacket made from a lightweight breathable fabric with the front and side panels created from Gore-Tex Infinium Windstopper material.

The appearance of the 'arm holes' at the top gives the double garment illusion but actually benefits your range of movement, as the base material is a little more flexible than the Gore panels.

The Gore fabric works brilliantly. Before each ride I check the weather and see which way the wind is blowing before coming up with an out and back or looped route to take advantage of a headwind out and a tailwind back.

Leaving the house chilly and straight into a northerly wind showed instantly how well the Strato works: while the rest of my body tried to deal with the shock, my core and internal organs were basking in a normal body temperature.

At times I wanted a little more protection for the front of my arms, which felt cold in relation to the rest of my upper half, but I think in reality that was more to do with how well the Gore sections were working.

With the rear of the Strato being a lighter weight material, you don't overheat when working hard in the cold. It felt pretty breathable and it was only on the steepest of climbs that I felt it getting overwhelmed.

When things do start to warm up a little, there are two large chest zips that work well at funnelling cold air in – unless you are hauling your way up a hill.

If you should get caught out in the rain you also have Sportful's NoRain protection to fall back on. It isn't fully waterproof, but it repels light rain and showers with ease and adds another dimension to the Strato.

When it comes to a size for size comparison, the Strato comes up a little small. I'm usually a medium in the majority of the brands, and although I was comfortable enough in the medium on test here, I would probably nudge myself up to a large for a slightly more comfortable fit. It does have a race cut, though, and is designed to be worn close to the body. If you stick with Sportful's sizing guide you should be fine. (It's not me in the photos, by the way.)

Like all top-quality kit, the Strato fits best when you are in the saddle. The back is dropped for coverage and there is plenty of length in the sleeves for when you are stretched out in the drops, plus the narrow elasticated cuffs fit nicely inside gloves.

You get a reasonably high neck too to keep out the draughts.

For storage you get the traditional layout of three pockets, which are deep and roomy and have enough tautness to stop your cargo from bouncing around as you ride. It would be good to see a zipped valuable pocket here for this kind of money, though. It's not a dealbreaker but I do like to have somewhere safe to store my keys and the like.

I'd also like to see a bit more in the way of reflectives – other colours are available, including orange, and blue, but the back is still mostly black whichever colour you go for.

As you'd hope for £155, like the majority of Sportful kit I have tested, the overall quality is absolutely top notch: great materials that feel great to wear, all sewn together with neat and tight stitching.

It's not cheap, but its price is comparable to something like the Lusso Aqua Pro Extreme jacket at £164.99, though the Lusso does have very good water resistance. Lusso is well known to offer good value for money for its products, so to see the Sportful competing is pretty good.

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It also comes in at a tenner less than the Assos Mille GT Spring/Fall jacket. Although that doesn't have the gilet/jacket look, it does a similar job using a windproof material for the front panels like the Sportful.

Conclusion

Overall, the Fiandre Strato Wind Jacket might look pricey at the outset but it really is a great option that will cover a huge range of conditions just by tweaking the weight of the baselayer you are wearing underneath.

Verdict

Hugely versatile jacket that covers plenty of temperatures and conditions – just add a baselayer