Sub-£500 textile jackets
Riding through the winter requires a warm and waterproof jacket. We pit eight leading all-season jackets against each other
FOR WINTER RIDING, a decent all-season textile jacket is essential. The combination of warmth and dryness makes them top of the wish-list for winter gear.
The ideal garment for many combines a waterproof and breathable outer layer with a removable thermal liner, making an integrated and easy-to-use garment. However, some use separate membrane layers; some feature a breathable and waterproof layer bonded to the inside of the outer material and some feature a waterproof and breathable outer layer.
There are pros and cons of each but many feel the ultimate is the latter — the waterproof and breathable outer layer, as this generally prevents the material becoming waterlogged in heavy rain, as the water runs off. Garments with a membrane bonded inside will allow the outer material to get wet — and hence heavy — but the water won’t penetrate the inner layer while garments with a separate membrane can mean that the entire outer gets saturated but the water doesn’t penetrate the separate layer. While all stop you getting wet, the design can affect drying times and comfort in bad weather.
Budget is always a key factor in buying kit and as we know from previous experience, you can pay anything from a hundred pounds to over a thousand for a ‘winter’ jacket. However, for this test, we set the cap at £500, as we feel that this is a representative figure that many will pay for a year-round jacket. It works out at around 10p per mile for the first year, based on an average mileage of 5000 per year but should last several years if looked after. It also means Gore-tex is available, as well as manufacturers’ own versions.
So with eight jackets assembled, it was time to get cold and wet…