i'm as guilty as any other of occasional, or even frequent, incorrectness when it comes to the typed word. there's ample evidence throughout the years and years of black and yellow pixels that i may have inadvertently, yet innocently used the same heading on more than one occasion. one of these days, when i have tired of watching paint dry, i might just take an hour or two (or three or four) and rifle through my back issues and catalogue those discrepancies.
but probably not.
therefore, if you think you are currently experiencing a brief bout of deja vu after reading today's heading, let me disavow you of that notion. i first reviewed this hilltrek jacket in june of this year, but even the most pessimistic amongst you will recognise that the sixth month can be readily seen as the onset of summer. there's a saying round these here parts that summer can be appreciated by the fact that the rain starts to get warmer, but these past few months, though hardly mediterranean in outlook, the hebrides have been mercifully clear of precipitation, at least during daylight hours.
the waterproof review seems to have a similar effect to that apportioned to the rainbow jersey. send me a waterproof and the rain all but dries up; my colleagues have implored me to ask for more.
thus, at the end of my previous review of hilltrek's greenspot lightweight single ventile jacket (aside from appreciating just what a mouthful it is to relate), i said i'd be back with part two when i managed to get it soaking wet and, just like arnie said, i too have returned clad in blaze (orange). though perfectly adequate for my own purposes, i managed only one-and-a-half thorough soakings, but those were enough to prove just what an excellent garment this actually is. not that such was ever in doubt.
i've been through the origins of ventile as a seriously waterproof fabric on more than one previous occasion, so i'll omit such digressions from this particular article; suffice it to say that in the warmer summer months, the single layer option is not only substantially lighter than its double counterpart, but cooler too. i've worn this jacket pretty much every day since it arrived, predominantly in a pedestrian manner, but every now and then we've gone for a bike ride. in both situations i'd have been grateful for another pocket or two, if for no other reason than to have refrained from bolstering my chest measurement.
though the greenspot lightweight is positioned by hilltrek as a warm weather commuting cycle jacket, a total lack of rear pockets seemed a strange omission, one that i mentioned in my initial review. never let it be said that my words are ignored, for if you were to head over to the appropriate page of the revamped hilltrek website right this minute, you'd note that they now offer the option of two extra zipped rear pockets for an additional £40. if you don't mind me saying so, i find that very impressive.
meanwhile, i have all but come to terms with the fact that the review garment sports only the two zipped breast pockets, particularly since these are capacious enough to swallow an oversized mini-pump whole. one has one's priorities. though it may be looking at the situation from a decidedly askance point of view, but the aforesaid mini-pump remained perfectly dry in the face of precipitative adversity. and happily, it wasn't the only one.
the only perceptible downside to having ventile keep you dry is a noticeable reduction of flexibility in the fabric; it turns slightly crinkly, a textural metamorphosis that evaporates when dry. however, never remotely stretchy in the first place, wetting it alters this not one whit. the poppers at top and bottom of the full-length front zip, married to that high collar managed to keep the bulk of a day's persistent rain on the outside, though i cannot deny a smidgeon of seepage at the collar when in my version of race position. the wet half-day on the sit-up-and-beg was an altogether more successful outing and arguably closer to the more common commuting experience.
however, at the risk of appearing sartorially arrogant, in this context the style factor can often be every bit as important as the weatherproofing. in short, nowadays nobody really wants to arrive at the office resembling a bin-bag. wet or dry, the greenspot removes that possibility entirely.
i have yet to meet the waterproof, breathable jacket that breathes at the same rate as an active cyclist. some are better than others, and though the hilltrek isn't the best, it's a long way from being the worst. the adjustable cuffs seem to have the uncanny ability of being left virtually all the way open for a cooling breeze, but without letting the rain in. i don't quite understand how that works, but it does. it would be fibbing to state that i resembled a damp cloth after a couple of wet hours in the saddle; there was a noticeable dampening of my forearms (why is that?) and what could be favourably compared to an enveloping misty-ness about my person. neither would have the incumbent ejected from the boardroom.
now that hilltrek offer those extra rear pockets, making it the verisimilitude of a 'proper' cycling jacket, the wet cycling commute is no longer on the uci banned list. dessication is the new blaze (orange).
hilltrek's greenspot single ventile lightweight jacket retails at £220. standard colours are olive, navy, black or more cycling friendly red or blaze (as reviewed). it is available in sizes ranging from xs to xxl and can be ordered with two extra zipped rear pockets at a cost of £40. longer sleeves (recommended for cycle use) can be ordered at a cost of £30 and non-standard length is another £30 it's worth mentioning that the greenspot range can only be dry-cleaned.
hilltrek greenspot single-ventile lightweight jacket
wednesday 13 september 2017
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