Gore R3 Women Gore-Tex Active Hooded Jacket

The Gore R3 Women Gore-Tex Active Hooded Jacket is a top quality, stylish and functional garment that will keep you dry whatever you are doing outdoors, without causing you to sweat buckets.

• Pros: Protection from the rain, stylish, lightweight, decent range of colour options
• Cons: None really, just remember it's not a cycling-specific jacket

The R3 in the name is a clue that this isn't a cycling-specific jacket. In Gore-speak, R is for running, though Gore suggests this jacket is also 'ideal' for hiking, road cycling and mountain biking. It's not designed for pure roadies; rather, it's good for commuters, knock-about-town riders and tourers if you're coming from a cycling perspective. And it's outstanding when used for its designed purpose.

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The Gore-Tex Active fabric is paper-thin with a tactile, matt finish. It washes well following Gore's advice and I haven't used any specially designed products. Although not 'Shakedry' weight, the jacket is still very light and the material moulds and folds to any movement without making any noise. It rolls down pretty small too, so it's a viable option for anyone keen on touring or bikepacking.

I've used the jacket on my road bike, mountain bike, while walking and running. It's ticked all the boxes in every circumstance: windproof, waterproof and breathable. Throughout the entire test period I have not experienced any rain penetrating the jacket. And I wasn't sweating within 10 minutes of setting out – in fact, if I got the baselayers right, I didn't sweat at all on my brisk, rainy commutes.

You're unlikely to be performing max-out efforts and intervals while wearing the jacket – it's just not intended for that kind of riding. It is hands down the best waterproof I have ever tested in terms of breathability.

Running in the jacket certainly did see me working up a sweat, but to be fair I'd be doing that without a waterproof on!

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I found the cut spot on, too, and I'd imagine it will suit many as it is not too tight at any single point. It's a feminine cut but is generous enough to get a few decent layers underneath. This is necessary, too, as although the jacket is windproof, it is not insulated. Don't expect it to keep you warm.

The sleeves are a generous length and can be tightened at the half-elasticated cuff if necessary. There's room for a decent sized glove under them.

While it definitely doesn't lack length in the body, because it isn't designed specifically for cycling there isn't much of a 'tail' to protect your lower back if you do opt to make use of it on a bike without mudguards. The best you can do is tighten the baseline hem to keep as much spray out as possible.

The tightening cord is tidily tucked away inside the pockets. You press a toggle that sits inside the hem, pull the elasticated cord as much as you want before releasing the toggle to hold the right tension. It's a great idea to keep the toggle mechanism stitched within the garment so that it doesn't get filled with gritty water and dirt. My only niggle about having the cord in the pocket was that it frequently got tangled up in my bunch of keys.

Gore has used a soft, velvet-like material for the one bit of the jacket that is guaranteed to come into contact with your skin – the collar. I found the collar height just right – any more and it would have been irritating. There is a good 10cm of casing for the zip at the collar, too: however much you choose to zip it up, your neck will be protected from the zip itself. Most of the time I had it fully zipped up – it really helps to keep cold air out.

While I am not always a fan of a hood on a waterproof – they can be oversized and make you feel shut off from the world – I didn't find this one too imposing, even on the bike. When walking, I frequently had it up and found that a woolly hat fitted well under it – in fact, I found it was better with one because it used up the slight excess space (I have a small head!).

On the bike, it sits under the helmet and, depending on your head size, might need a bit of adjusting so that there is absolutely no obscuring of vision. An elasticated cord running round its edge makes it easy to adjust once up: tighten it and pull it through a gently serrated split in a toggle to hold it in place. It's easy to use and extremely effective. I quickly realised that if I wasn't using the hood it was worth pulling the cord tight as it forced the edge of the hood to sit plush against the collar – no chance of water getting in.

Two lateral pockets are a good size with a decent opening. I had no problem fitting in a 6 x 3in smartphone and zipping them up. The tabs on these zips, and the main zip, is a grippy strip of silicone which makes grabbing it with a glove on really easy.

The Active Hooded Jacket is available from XS to XL in a range of six colours, four of which are really vibrant so if visibility is a priority you have a good choice. It has reflective detailing on the forearms and reflective logos in a few places including the tail.

I've washed the jacket several times following the instructions to the letter: delicate cycle, 40 degrees, inside-out and no softener. It's still performing as it did on the first outing. And it's never failed to come out clean – some waterproofs I've had cling to dirt at the cuffs and hems, but the R3 hasn't.

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Although £179.99 might seem a little steep, so often with waterproofs it's a matter of 'you get what you pay for'. It looks pretty good value compared with Rapha's Hooded Rain Jacket, a very similar garment in terms of design and intended use that would set you back a further £50. Okay, so Rapha can make most manufacturers look 'cheap', but if you want a waterproof that is not exclusively for use on a bike, then I would say this Gore jacket is worth paying for. If you are an outdoors person you will most definitely get your money's worth.

Verdict

Exceptional performance and design for anyone who simply enjoys being outside – on two wheels or two feet