Showers Pass Club Rain Jacket

Price Paid:  $80.00 at Gregg's Cycles - Sea

Favorite Ride:
Life

Bike Setup:
road bike

Summary:
Whatever rain jacket I ended up pruchasing it had to have at least two important features: pit zippers, and two-way front zipper. The Showers Pass Club Jacket meets those requirements for starters. In addition it is lightweight and simple/no frills. This jacket does its job. It will keep you dry from the rain, and protect you from the wind. If you need warmth, do not expect that from this jacket alone. For warmth you should be dressing in layers anyway. The fleece-lined high collar will protect you from chin to waist, or you can easily fold the collar down for more comfort and ventilation. Unzip from the bottom at the waist to let in airflow and keep your chest and throat protected at the same time. The back of the jacket has a generous vent at the top, is cut to extend over and cover your tailbone, and has one spacious pocket at the bottom. The cuffs have velcro straps to adjust to your liking - leave them wide open to let air freely flow into the jacket and out the pits or back vent, close them off completely to contain your body heat, or any variation in between. I really appreciate the number of options I have to keep my body core cool with the "7-point ventilation system". The design is a comfortable, lean cut but not clingy. I'm very happy with the fit and performance. It comes in bright yellow and orange, or a more stylish red if you prefer something less attention getting. I have the "safety orange" which works great a for making me highly visible to traffic.

The Club Jacket's main shortcoming is the polyurethane coated material does not breathe ideally. So it can get a little sweaty underneath if you do not utilize the ventilation systems of the jacket by constantly adjusting them throughout your ride. Because of this fact my instinct would be to rate this jacket 4 on the scale of 1 to 5, but considering the limitations of waterproof materials that can be both lightweight and resist water penetration I will rate it a 5. Although that does not mean the jacket is perfect.

80USD is the MSRP and the price I paid as well. It would be nice if it were a little less for a basic jacket, but the quality is top of the line and it has the important pit zip and two-way zip features that most other basic jackets do not have.

Strengths:
waterproof, windproof, compact, lightweight, excellent ventilation, reasonably priced

Weaknesses:
polyurethane coating limits ability for material to breathe