Rapha Men’s Explore Hooded Lightweight Down Jacket

The Rapha Men's Explore Lightweight Down Jacket is a little odd – it's lovely to wear, pretty warm and can handle gentle on-bike use well, but its performance is limited in comparison to many far cheaper jackets. It's best at looking and feeling good in casual, bike-related situations, but even then, Rapha itself does a very similar, plusher alternative that's warmer and has very few downsides.

For me, Rapha has done a pretty poor job distinguishing this from its Men's Explore Down Jacket I reviewed recently. The pair have almost identical names, looks and prices, and neither Rapha's blurb nor the pictures on its site make a great case for choosing one over the other.

> Buy now: Rapha Men’s Explore Lightweight Down Jacket for £155.95 from Rapha

Put them side by side in real life, however, and there are noticeable differences that might sway you. While the other one isn't exactly heavy at 328g, this version is 69g lighter at 259g. It's also considerably thinner (especially in the hood, which isn't insulated), though the inevitable flipside is it's less warm. Wear them back-to-back and the difference in warmth is quite noticeable.

This uses 750 fill-power goose down, the same as the other jacket, but less of it.

To put it simply, if weight is absolutely at a premium and 70g matters, and/or you're wanting to wear it for actual riding with a layer on top, this is the version to go for. Its thinner bars of insulation fit better under waterproofs and crush less easily too, which is important: you need the puffy structure for trapping warm air. Also, this Lightweight jacket's mostly fabric hood can cope better with getting wet or fitting under a second hood.

If you're really looking for useful warmth off the bike, such as at campsites, coffee stops or for post-ride cleanups, you're better off with the other version. Oh, and if it's the looks as much as anything you want, this isn't the version to go for either – the regular comes in four colours, whereas this Lightweight alternative only comes in two. There's this Carbon Grey/Black or an admittedly interesting Sand/Chartreuse.

As with the heavier version, the Lightweight still isn't breathable enough to stop you overheating quite rapidly if you work hard. It's fine if you ride gently, but it gets very hot if you don't.

And don't go thinking it packs much smaller than the heavier version, either – it doesn't, as most of the difference between the two jackets is air. Both scrunch easily down to a ball around 6-7in across. It doesn't puff up as much while you're trying to root through your bag, though, if that matters to you.

It is very well made, as you may well demand given the price. The seams are impressively neat and feel strong, while you get slinky zips on the neatly hidden hand pockets for keeping stuff secure.

The main zip is two-way should you need to ventilate your belly button…

…while the wind baffle behind the zip tops out with a zip garage and a soft-backed section for your neck and chin. It's all very comfortable.

There are elasticated drawstrings at the waist and neck for getting it all super-snug, while the cuffs use simple and effective non-adjustable elastic. With six sizes (XS-XXL) and an accurate size guide, it shouldn't be too hard to find a good fit anyway.

The reasonable drop to the tail and well-judged arm length mean it works well both on and off the bike – arguably best of all off it, to be honest, as there are ways of insulating that are both more breathable and less vulnerable to rain than goose down.

Value

At £240 this is £40 cheaper than the other version, which may also sway you – though at the time of writing both were heavily discounted, and the warmer one in green was actually cheaper at £140 than this Lightweight at £155.95 (and the Sand/Chartreuse is £120). Discounted options are in limited sizes, though.

At the full £240 the price is still quite high against the same competition as its puffier sibling. The Stolen Goat Men's Black Adventure Down Jacket is £60 less and features the same 90% down/10% feathers goose insulation, and Anna found the women's version very good in her review.

> Buyer’s Guide: Best winter cycling jackets

Alternatively, the Altura Twister Men's Insulated Cycling Jacket is £160, and although it uses plastic insulation instead of goose, it consequently copes far better with getting soaked. Also, the men's version is waist length, which solves one of the issues Caroline had with the much longer ladies' one.

Overall

In isolation this is a very stylish and comfortable jacket for (mostly) posing about off the bike, and the quality is great. It's light and easy to pack. However, if you're willing to accept the (goose)downsides of the design – its inability to handle rain and relatively poor breathability – then this isn't even the best option in the Rapha range.

Verdict

Stylish, well made and useful in the right conditions, but not the best of its kind