Product Review: Altura Women's Nevis Waterproof Cycling Jacket
I bought the yellow version of this about two years ago for somewhere in the region of £45. For the first nine months or so I was very happy with it - it's high-visibility (there are more reflective strips in the next model up, but this was really bright yellow with some reflective bits), is light, packs quite small, is a good shape (rounded tail, high fleece-lined collar, adjustable cuffs), has a useful pocket, is fully mesh-lined, has large zipped side vents and is windproof enough for me to use as the only layer above a t-shirt for most of the year. The problem is that it doesn't stay waterproof. From about six to nine months in my arms got damper and damper every time it rained. I've washed it with re-waterproofing stuff (and I really need to do that again this weekend) but that doesn't last for long. Basically, by now, I have a lightly-showerproof not terribly breathable faded pale yellow jacket that now dries so slowly when it gets soaked that in a rainy week I live in fear of being arrested for smuggling dead badgers.
As soon as I can get to a bike shop with a decent range of other makes, it's going. The question is, what to try next? There's what looks like the equivalent model from Endura - slightly more expensive, but would it be more long-lasting? I could try a cape, using it more for wearing over an ordinary jacket or jumper in wet weather than as a general purpose cycling jacket. There are the expensive Gore-Tex ones, which would score more highly on waterproofing and breathability, but would they cope with being stuffed in a pannier most of the time? And which of these or other options will I be able to find in women's sizes?
As soon as I can get to a bike shop with a decent range of other makes, it's going. The question is, what to try next? There's what looks like the equivalent model from Endura - slightly more expensive, but would it be more long-lasting? I could try a cape, using it more for wearing over an ordinary jacket or jumper in wet weather than as a general purpose cycling jacket. There are the expensive Gore-Tex ones, which would score more highly on waterproofing and breathability, but would they cope with being stuffed in a pannier most of the time? And which of these or other options will I be able to find in women's sizes?