Off-road bikeholyday in the high andes

By Woutito Ranked #703 - Men's Rain Jackets November 21, 2006

In combination with a smartwool baselayer, and a polyester biking shirt over it, I NEVER got uncomfortable, cold, or too sweaty on the bike in the Alpha Sl. During short brakes, I didn't need to put on an extra sweater because my baselayers would never be too wet from transpiration, and I didn't cool of too much. Drying baselayers through the jacket was possible when resting or during moderate activity. Almost no condensation, even in conditions where my core temp would be way higher than the cold Andes air at other side of the laminate. I saw that other bikers had bigger moisture problems on the inside of their shell, and I always go as hard as I can. I went over hundreds of KM of Andes gravel roads with my 25 kilogram bike trailer, over mountain passes as high as 5000 meters (no we don't have those in europe and the states). I have gone through hailstorms, freezing winds, rain, EVERYTHING you can imagine, ON A BIKE! But this jacket is incredibly protective (good hood system with good adjustable protection in that razor-sharp hailstorm, could easily wear biking helmet underneath it, good adjusting of waist and hood with one hand, never leaked, even those zippers without stormflaps), super breathable, strong ( the paclite/shell laminate survived two wipe outs on a gravel road, only a few pinholes, material seems to have some strechability) and very light/packable. Anyone who can afford it and needs a highly protective/breathable jacket for aerobic activities in a "hostile environment", the Alpha SL is a proven choice. It did change my mind about long- distance bike traveling with "fragile gore-tex jackets".

View Details: Arc'teryx Alpha SL Jacket - Men's

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