Ours arrived in the first week of October, which was characterised by wet and cool weather, so theoretically ideal conditions. I’ve often left the house to temperatures of 4 to 6 degrees and found the fabric tactile, keeping that welcome warmth, while doing a decent job of evicting my own coolant, so there’s been no issues with feeling damp, or catching chill in that regard.

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Like most polyester blends, there’s a slight lag before the fibres wake up and start evicting moisture. We’re talking 20 minutes at 20mph before some misting was noticeable around the chest, pits and lower back. Soon afterwards, I could slowly but surely feel this lifting, never exceeding trace dampness, regardless of whether I was out for one hour or four.

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Blustery winds have been another common theme and when some icy gusts ripped, I really noticed the Isoler fleece lining’s benefits, locking the warmth in, while the jersey’s long sleeves, low back and dimpled gripper locked cold stuff out, no matter how long I was hunkered down on the drops. Close fit and snug cuffs have ruled out annoying flutter when battling headwinds or sweeping along descents at 25mph plus. The cuffs also provide great overlaps with most gloves, preventing chill.

   

At the other extreme, when temperatures have unexpectedly crept into the low teens, I’ve lowered the zipper a few inches for some added cooling air, which again kept me temperate for the last hour until I’d reached home.

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I’ve never felt clammy, or worse still, “boiled in the bag”. The pockets, though stretchy offer similar levels of support, so I've not felt compact cameras, bananas, or trade bottles bounding around, let alone primed to eject along lumpy lanes and woodland trails. Whipping out snacks, buffs, or micro-jackets has been similarly effortless, so no frustration, distraction, or dropped goodies to report. But hold on, micro jackets - we thought it had a Durable Water Repelling Coating, Michael...?

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This is absolutely true, but as we’re always saying, water resistant and water repelling can be very loose terms. In this instance, expect water to bead up and roll away in light showers and misty stuff for around the 20-minute mark. Puddles and similar soggy stuff thrown up along waterlogged lanes are shut out with similar finesse.

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More intense, or sustained cloudburst and you’ll start noticing damp creeping in. Essentially, the DWR buys some extra time before reaching for the packable jacket.  This goes for similar garments around this price point, too. On wetter rides, I’ve just donned this Leatt Jacket MTB Endurance 2.0 .