Craft Adapt Storm Jacket

The Craft Adapt Storm Jacket features zip-off sleeves for days when the weather is changeable and you want to turn your jacket into a gilet. It works well as a jacket, but going sleeveless reveals a few niggles that might put you off.

First off, think again if you reckon you can get the sleeves off while you're moving; they require a stop and unzip process, which can be fairly time consuming. That's not a big problem if you're touring/riding for pleasure/leisure, but if you're late for work, or you're riding in a group, it eats into your commuting time or pee/food stop.

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At 425g, the jacket is fairly heavy, with a fleece-lined collar that does a good job of keeping your neck warm on chilly mornings. The VentAir X Wind fabric keeps draughts at bay and also does a reasonable job of keeping you dry without compromising breathability. It's not a jacket I'd choose for heavy rain, but it'll cope with a mid-ride shower, and the fabric dries fairly rapidly too.

There are three pockets, two of them open and one zipped, which work fine for the jacket but fill up quickly if you zip off the sleeves – which are quite bulky – and try to store them. That's not particularly welcome if you're on a long ride where the weather has become warm enough to convert it into a gilet.

I found myself folding the sleeves twice and sticking them up the back of the jacket – between it and my jersey – as the pockets were already full with food, phone, tubes, keys and so on. It's one of the main problems with this type of jacket: what do you do with the sleeves?

Once in gilet mode, the cut feels slightly odd. As I've said, the sleeves are slightly bulky and there's a lot of room in the elbow-to-shoulder area – not a place where many cyclists are blessed with large muscles! The drop at the front and rear is spot on, with plenty of coverage at the tail and a slightly shorter front. The problem for me is the shoulder area: it's generous and could do with being slightly trimmed back for a more streamlined fit; bulkier riders might find it fits better – the medium was slightly on the large side for me.

The jacket uses quality YKK zippers all round, and the fabric used in the zip body is still bright green after numerous washes. Reflective strips on the chest and back have stayed intact, too, no degradation at all, which is encouraging, especially as the jacket is predominantly black; I prefer a bit more brightness when riding in low light levels or at night. The fabric on the cuffs and waistband has started to fade, though, which is slightly disappointing.

> Check out our guide to the best gilets here

The problem with the Adapt Storm Jacket is that it's trying to be a jack of all trades but doesn't really master any of them. That's not to say it's a bad product – it could be a great jacket or gilet – but as a convertible it falls short of having the fit and flexibility to accommodate long rides in the saddle that, to my mind, require easier storage of the sleeves and a more appropriate cut.

Verdict

Trying to be a jack(et) of all trades, but doesn't really master any of them