dhb Aeron Packable Jacket

The dhb Aeron Packable Jacket is incredibly light yet still stuffed with nice features, and it's very comfortable even if you're working hard. It's great at keeping the wind out, but offers no rain resistance – something UK riders, in particular, might find an issue.

Despite being such a small and light jacket, this packs in enough features to make it a pleasant experience to wear, rather than just good for an emergency get-me-home layer. The cuffs are soft and fit snugly, and the inside rear of the neck has a wide strip of soft material to aid comfort.

> Buy this online here

The zip is double ended for easy extra ventilation/pocket access, the pullers have decent sized tabs and you get the obligatory zip dock at the top. The hem has a silicone gripper all the way, and there are reflective logos and accents on the rear and arms. There's a good size hanging loop, too.

The material is pretty rustly, but thankfully the jacket is so snuggly cut it's not really an issue (as part of dhb's Performance range it's supposed to be on the well fitted and racy side).

At 5ft 10in I've always been a Medium in cycling clothing, but I appear to be shrinking to a Small... according to dhb's chart I'm a Small, anyway, and this proved spot on. If you're in doubt or not of an Italian climber build, though, consider sizing up.

Off the bike the jacket feels weird – tight across the shoulders with a high front hem, a long tail and overall somewhat restrictive.

Get on the bike in a stretched tuck though and it all falls and fits beautifully in place.

The arms are long enough even in the drops (gappy sleeves are bugbear of mine, so yay for this), the neck is nice and high, and the front doesn't ruckle up around your waist.

I really like the colour too, as it's bright and visible without being 'I'm A Cyclist' yellow. There is an 'I'm A Cyclist' yellow version if you prefer (no black though, if that's your bag).

> 11 of the best windproof cycling jackets – packable outer layers to keep out the chill

A mesh panel running the full length of the back and underneath each armpit confirms that this jacket has no pretensions to water resistance.

As the rest is polyester you can survive if you're caught in a brief shower, at least, and the upside is it's very breathable – even sprinting the last hill home didn't get this clammy inside. You can feel them as slightly chillier areas at times though, and the armpit panels definitely let you know when the wind is coming in from the side.

Value

£60 is very cheap compared to our most recently tested wind jackets – the Assos UMA GT is £110, while the Santini Redux Vigor Men's is a whopping £190.

The Bontrager Circuit Cycling Wind Jacket we tested in March is closer at £69.99, though it lacks the racy cut, while the Altura Airstream Windproof from last year is £49.99 and lighter (94g) even than the dhb. It's slim too, though the Iwein found the sleeves tend to ride up and the zip is fiddly.

It's worth bearing in mind that rain resistance might not cost you more – the Galibier Tempest Pro Jacket, for instance, offers an impressive wind/rain barrier and still breathes well for £59.44 (just 24p more than when we reviewed it!).

Overall

For early (dry) starts, late finishes or long descents, this is very, very good, and it folds almost unnoticeably into a back pocket. The cut is very snug there's no flap, plus it's very breathable – it's a very lovely gossamer thing to slip on. The lack water resistance, though, rather limits its use in many real-world conditions.

Verdict

Svelte, comfortable and very packable windproof that's brilliantly breathable, but only for dry weather