News & Reviews

twmp Exo Softshell Jacket Review

"If anything could be said to encapsulate the new endura in one garment, the exo softshell could well be it. a great deal of constructive thought has gone into this, and believe me, it has all paid off. the jacket is proffered as totally waterproof, with externally taped seams (hence the exo tag), a claim that i was more than happy to put to the test over a three hour offroad ride in persistently pouring rain on the ibis hakkalugi. keeping it in the family, i wore a baabaa merino l/s baselayer under an equipe s/s jersey, and at the point of stopping for a refreshing and much-needed coffee, these undergarments were close to bone-dry. i say close, because the thin fleece lining places slight restrictions on the jacket's breathability; however, you can't have everything.

This breathability is assisted by two zipped slots on the side/front of the softshell, rather more pragmatically sited than under the arms. as one still bereft of the ability to ride no-hands, i find it nigh on impossible to open under-arm vents while riding. the more frontally placed zips on the equipe were a dawdle to zip and unzip in motion. the sleeves are of excellent length, particularly for the long of arm such as yours truly, with scotchlite refelctive strips on the outer face and ending with commendably long neoprene inner cuffs. matched with the windshield gloves, this is likely as weatherproof as it's possible to be. the other zips on the front of the jacket belong to a very practical ipod enabled pocket, and a full-length taped closure that angles from bottom right to top left, obviating bulky layering of zips between inner and outer clothing. the collar is pleasingly high and close around the neck, though some of that fleece would have been nice around the inner face. still, it's more than comfortable.

The rear pocket arrangement is perhaps more offroad than on. while many a softshell replicates the three pocket story applicable to many a cycle jersey, the equipe version bears two horizontally zipped pockets, one taped, and the upper, equipe windshield gloves larger enclosure featuring a flap over the top. this has a labyrinthine divided inner, sometimes a bit confusing when trying to extricate pump or other artifact from its cavernous depths while hands still gloved. the smaller is easier to access unseen, and big enough to contain a compact camera, money, keys, peanut butter sandwich and an inner tube and multi-tool. even when well-loaded, the pockets remain well balanced, and maintaining a slim profile."

27/01/2011