Sportful Hotpack 5 £80

The Hotpack 5 is made from water repellent, wind resistant fabric from Schoeller, the premium Swiss manufacturer of technical fabrics. The Nanosphere coating is claimed to be resistant to water, oil and dirt, as well as being resistant to washing and abrasion.

Even after extensive use, water just beads up and runs off the surface of the Hotpack 5. However, the seams are not taped and the zip not waterproof, so rain can find its way in.

The ripstop fabric is also very windproof, there’s a high collar and narrow elasticated waistband. Sportful adds a backing strip to the zipper too. The cuffs are made of wide, stretchy elastic fabric to keep out breezes and include thumb holes, so you can make sure that they don’t ride up and will stay overlapped with gloves.

So overall, the Sportful Hotpack 5 is very wind resistant but it’s also pretty breathable. Sportful backs this up with lots of venting. The side panels feature three fish scale vents, designed so that water doesn’t flow into them. And the shoulders have additional vents, which open under a yoke at the top of the back.

It’s quite a short jacket though, so you’re more susceptible to wheel spray than on some other lightweight shells. There’s no stretch in the fabric used for the Hotpack 5. It fits very closely, so there’s not much wind flap, although probably slightly more than in some competitors. The jacket comes with an attached drawstring stuff sack that makes a spherical package, which although compact can be a bit awkward in a jersey pocket.

Sportful puts small reflective darts in the side panels of the Hotpack 5 for additional visibility and sells it in six colours and seven sizes.