7mesh Skypilot Jacket - Women

The 7mesh Skypilot Jacket – Women is an impressively light, breathable and packable layer for the protection it provides. If you have deep pockets it's a great investment for commuting and off-road adventures, particularly multi-day trips – the hood is good off the bike, and it has a well-judged relaxed fit. That hood is a little frustrating while riding, though, and it's pretty expensive.

The Skypilot is made with Gore-Tex's Active three-layer fabric, which gives light, breathable protection and a 28,000mm waterproof rating. Gore doesn't put a number on how breathable this fabric is, but it very effectively kept me dry in heavy rain, and also blocks out the wind.

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Despite its lightness, Gore guarantees the waterproofness will reliably hold up for the life of the jacket, and it's certainly proving robust so far – it has withstood brushes against foliage, which often cannot be avoided on the trials.

The inner face is surprisingly soft for a rain jacket, so I'd happily wear it with a short-sleeve first layer, which nicely extends its use. And as it's also incredibly breathable for the water protection it provides, I could wear on mild days and push up the climbs just fine.

There isn't any stretch to the fabric so its comfortable, unrestrictive nature is all down to the well-judged cut of 7mesh's 'relaxed fit'. It's designed to help with layering as well as easy movement both on and off the bike. It's very well executed – the jacket isn't overly roomy or too tight in any area.

A significantly dropped tail provides good defence from spray, and it's cut fairly long at the front too for protection in upright positions. It doesn't look out of place off the bike either. It does bunch up slightly when hunched in a more aggressive riding positions, but not excessively so.

Drawcords on both hips help keep the jacket in place and sitting close.

The long arms certainly ensure your wrists are covered. Elasticated cuffs make this jacket quick to take off; it's a touch gappy for my narrow wrists, but then it also fits over the top of bulky gloves to effectively keep the rain out.

You get two zippered hand pockets at the front, which works really well for campsite evenings, for example. I found the zips a little stiff and struggled to quickly open them on the move, but they are handily watertight.

With none on the back, there aren't any pockets on this jacket that I'd use while actually riding. That said, as it's a lightweight packable layer for throwing on top, you'll likely be wearing something else that has pockets anyway. In short, I didn't really miss having the usual three on the back.

In a size small this is an impressively light 240g, and it packs small too given the amount of protection it provides – you do have to put in a little bit of effort rolling it up for a jersey pocket, but it'll go, and it's easy enough to stash in a bar bag. It doesn't stash into a pocket of its own, though.

Hug a hoodie

The hood is designed to fit over a helmet and has three-way draw cords for plenty of adjustment – the hood doesn't fully come over the helmet in my experience, but nevertheless provides some defence, and certainly protects my neck.

I can't say I found myself using it much when it did start chucking it down on the trails - I'm happy to sacrifice my head getting wet over the way a hood tends to restrict movement and your field of view. With it down, though, it collects water...

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Off the bike, in the evenings on a multi-day bikepacking trip for example, it's certainly useful having the hood. The Skypilot is subtly styled and so doesn't look out of place off the bike either – it's available in this Thyme green, as well as the dark blue Crowberry.

If I could unzip or tuck the hood away I'd be inclined to wear the Skypilot for long steady rides on the road too. But then, the reflective logos on each sleeve and at the top of the back are fairly small too – I would prefer these to be a little larger for a rain jacket. As it is, it's confined to mixed off-road adventures, at least for me.

Value

At £300, this is at the pricey end for a waterproof, even for one built with Gore's impressive Active three-layer fabric.

The Rapha Men's Pro Team Gore-Tex Rain Jacket (also available in a female-specific cut) is made of the same fabric, but costs quite a bit less at £220. It's aimed more at racer types though, and while the close fit is comfortable on the bike, he found the cuffs tricky to get on and off on those days where the rain comes and goes.

Le Col's Pro Rain Jacket is also very good and cheaper at £240, while Pactimo's Men's Torrent Stretch Waterproof Cape (not really a cape, for the uninitiated) looks even more of a bargain at £158.

That's not to say the Skypilot is alone at the £300 mark, however. Castelli's Idro 3 Women's Jacket uses the Gore-Tex's light and very packable Shakedry fabric, and costs £300 too.

Given the cost it's worth noting that 7mesh has a Crash Replacement Policy, and will repair or replace damaged garments 'at their discretion.'

Overall

This is a very high quality jacket that's completely water and windproof, yet still packs down to a convenient size. The comfy relaxed fit makes it versatile off the bike too, and it's easy to remove if the rain does clear off. The hood's permanent presence can be an irritation, though.

Verdict

Highly breathable and durable relaxed waterproof that's light and packable, though the hood can niggle