reviewed by:
A GuestLight and neat. It’s actually quite different than you might expect. This is my first piece of true cycling gear, save for shoes. It came to me as a present, and at the time of purchase, it was either this, or the Nautvind jacket, which sadly was out of stock.
When you hold it, it feels....insubstantial, too light, only one layer (there are multiple fabrics used, but it is basically a glorified windbreaker).....and then....you try it on. And everything changes. The fit is perfect (I’m a size medium 5’11” - 165 pounds). It was starting to get cold and windy, so I threw it on, just for the sake of giving it an honest try. And it fills a niche that I needed filled and didn’t realize it. You ever think, “man, this ride would be perfect, if only the wind hadn’t started up?” Or, my other go-to, an under armour storm jacket, will block the wind and rain, but it’s not breathable enough, and you end up sweating and overheating, which is the other end of uncomfortable. This one solves them both. It keeps the wind and rain at bay (not entirely rain proof due to the mesh breathing panels), and a base layer or long sleeve tee underneath will keep some of the heat against your body.
There’s a pocket at the back that’s zippered, big enough to pack the jacket into, and the back is longer, giving your waistline the coverage it needs at the back. There are also drawstrings included to hold the bottom of the jacket closer to you.
Oh! Last, but most important, and the reason I went with 45NRTH, the asymmetric zipper. This is cool for two reasons. One, it keeps the zipper off of the middle of your neck, and secondly, and even cooler, is the small integrated flap that covers the top of the zipper so that where it does end up, it’s STILL not rubbing against your skin. All in all, a very well thought out piece of cycling kit. My ONLY knock against it is that it’s not available in a high-vis red, blue, or orange. - I went with the dark gray, as the citron color didn’t look appealing to me. It should be more of a dayglo color in my opinion, the yellow color loses the mark when seen in person. I’m going to match it with a POC Octal X spin in “Zink Orange” for more visibility on the road.
Parting thoughts:
Even at what seems like a high price, it is a cool piece of kit that will keep you comfy on those less than wonderful days out on the road or trail, and when the sun comes out and it seems like it’s in the way, it packs very neatly into a small package. All this, and it comes with a 2 year warranty. What’s not to like?