7mesh Mission Jacket Men’s

The 7mesh Mission Jacket is a waterproof top with three pockets on the back, one of which hides a couple of straps to attach it to your bike while not in use and stashed away inside said pocket. It's not a best-in-class waterproof like Gore's Shakedry was, but as an overall Shitty Weather Protector it works well. You'll have to dig deep to buy one, though.

> Buy now: 7mesh Mission Jacket for £300 from 7mesh

The Mission Jacket is made from a 'DWR-treated stretchy and highly breathable PFAS-free knit fabric', according to 7mesh. It has taped seams and a waterproof two-way zip. Extra kudos to 7mesh for using recycled polyester for the face and backer fabric, even if it had to use virgin polyester for the membrane sandwiched in between.

2024 7Mesh Mission Jacket Mens - taped seams.jpg (credit: road.cc)

The fabric has a 20,000mm water column rating – in theory, fully waterproof. Initially, I was expecting Shakedry levels of performance and was a bit disappointed. I think that was an unfair expectation, though, as the fabric is fundamentally not the same.

Like any non-Shakedry three-layer DWR-treated waterproof, when it wets out, water won't bead any more and breathability is compromised. This is nothing new; it's the same for every waterproof I've ever tried. It is a thin fabric, though, and when wetted out doesn't actually hold that much water. That means it dries out really quickly, giving you back that breathability.

2024 7Mesh Mission Jacket Mens - shoulders.jpg (credit: road.cc)

I've had ample opportunity to test it properly thanks to storms Darragh and Éowyn. While the jacket will let water through eventually, it's kept me comfortable on days where it really would have been more sensible to leave the bike at home. The combination of heavy rain and strong winds is not an easy one to dress for appropriately, but the Mission Jacket was a good companion.

It also works well as part of a layering system on colder dry days. A short sleeve baselayer, 7mesh's Seton jersey and the Mission jacket on top were perfect on a windy day with temperatures hovering around freezing, with the 'feels-like' temperature lower than that. It didn't feel boil-in-the-bag like you can easily get in a waterproof, and I wasn't in a hurry to take it off when it warmed up a bit.

Pockets

7mesh has taken inspiration from long sleeve jerseys for this jacket, and it has three pockets on the back. These are deep and what 7mesh calls 'floating', like you get on its Seton and Skyline jerseys. The upshot is that they will hold a lot of stuff. That's useful, as waterproofs, especially non-stretchy ones, can make accessing the pockets of the jersey underneath pretty difficult, though the two-way zip will help here.

2024 7Mesh Mission Jacket Mens - zip 2.jpg (credit: road.cc)

If you were wondering, the pockets are made from a mesh material, so don't hold water.

2024 7Mesh Mission Jacket Mens - pockets.jpg (credit: road.cc)

One of these pockets is designed for stashing the jacket, and it has a couple of small stretchy straps with clasps that allow you to attach the stashed jacket to your bike frame if you don't have space in a back pocket.

2024 7Mesh Mission Jacket Mens Stowed On Bike.jpg (credit: road.cc)

These straps and clasps are minimalist but sturdy enough to trust hanging this £300 jacket on your bike. It's like a mini superlight frame bag just for this jacket. Another nice feature.

Other features

There's a little stretch panel on the inside of the cuffs that makes the cuffs even more stretchy than the rest of the jacket – another nice touch to make it easier to get the jacket on and off.

2024 7Mesh Mission Jacket Mens - cuff.jpg (credit: road.cc)

Vents on the back of the shoulder aid airflow and breathability, and the side hem has adjustable drawcords.

And there's a large reflective panel on the dropped rear below the pockets that works really well; several riding companions remarked on how good this panel is. The logos on the front and back are also reflective.

2024 7Mesh Mission Jacket Mens - reflective 2.jpg (credit: road.cc)

Weight

At 158g, it's lighter than the Gore Race Shakedry Dave tested in large, and only a few grams heavier than MAAP's Atmos jacket (again, in large), which doesn't have pockets or a stash mechanism. Pretty impressive to get a fully-featured waterproof at a minimalist-level weight. (Though the 1985 Viz Shakedry was lighter still, just 127g, in medium, and with a stash pocket.) 

Sizing

I'm normally a medium in non-Italian brands, and have reviewed 7mesh items in medium – those Seton and Skyline jerseys mentioned earlier – that fitted me well. This Mission jacket sizes up on the bigger side; worn over a tight-fitting jersey as advised by 7mesh, it's really quite loose on me. Certainly not the trim fit it's supposed to be according to the brand's website.

2024 7Mesh Mission Jacket Mens - back.jpg (credit: road.cc)

For reference, the sizing guide places me towards the top end of medium for waist measurement and towards the top end of small on the chest range. Based on the sizing guide I would have bought a medium and would have returned it straightaway for a small.

Value

It's a lot of money for a waterproof, though £300 was also the asking price of Gore's Race Shakedry two years ago, and don't we know ALL THE THINGS have gotten more expensive. While this jacket doesn't quite match the exceptional Shakedry, it does have stretchy fabric, rear pockets, a way to stash the jacket on the bike and it's lighter.

MAAP's Atmos jacket costs £270, and while our Mike liked how waterproof it was, he didn't like how no consideration had been given to accessing pockets. Or a stuffsack.

> How to choose the right waterproof cycling jacket – stay dry and keep riding whatever the weather

Of course, there's no need to spend this kind of money to find a decent waterproof: Galibier's Tourmalet jacket was a road.cc Recommends when reviewed by Stu and a previous version by myself, and costs less than a third of the Mission at £83.22.

Conclusion

7mesh's Mission jacket is easy to live with. The fabric is stretchy so it's easy to get on and off, and it doesn't hold much water when it wets out so it dries out quickly. It has three pockets on the back and a clever stashing thingy, both extremely useful. And all of this at a minimalist level weight. It's about as waterproof as you'd expect from a traditional three-layer fabric. It sizes up a bit big, which is worth bearing in mind if you're buying one, and it's expensive, though it's certainly not alone in this price bracket.

> Buy now: 7mesh Mission Jacket for £300 from 7mesh

Verdict

Comfortable and fully-featured waterproof at a minimalist weight and size