OMM Kamleika Jacket: initial impressions

One of many things that became apparent to me when cycling through very heavy rain on a recent tour, was that unless I wanted to purchase one of those lovely dayglow helmet covers, then a cycling jacket with a hood was essential.

The main issue in trying to source a cycling cut jacket with a hood was that they mainly fall into the mountain biking category i.e. jackets made from sturdy hard-wearing fabrics designed to be worn (not carried) and featuring a 'helmet compatible' hood. This is by no means a bad thing, in fact, I think every hill walking/climbing shell jacket I've ever owned has featured a hood designed to work in the same way. My problem with this (in a cycling context) is that a hood large enough to accommodate a helmet is clearly going to have a more material in it to make it that large. More material is obviously heavier, bulkier and less packable. Such attributes aren't necessarily bad for mountain bikers or when you're wearing the jacket all day, but if you're riding in changeable conditions and carrying a shell some of the time then you want it to be as light as possible. At least I do.

So, the search began for a cycle-friendly cut waterproof jacket featuring a hood that could be worn under my helmet (a Giro Hex incidentally). OMM designed their Kamleika range for mountain marathon runners and the cut of the jacket is certainly not for the chunky. It's close fitting to reduce excess air volume within the jacket and therefore aid breathability, and also to eliminate flapping fabric (both important for performance on the bike). The arms are nice and long so they cover the back of the hands when stretched out over the bars and they have lovely soft fabric/velcro adjusters to cinch the cuffs down if the weather's really bad. They also offer no impediment to rolling the sleeves up if the weather improves. There are two chest pockets (which I could do without when cycling) and a decent smattering of reflective decals for nigh safety. The hem is adjustable with the standard bungy cord and toggles.

The above however, are an aside to the main features of this jacket; the hood and the fabric. I won't try to explain the science behind the fabric (because I couldn't) but it's a revelation to me. It's performance in the breathability stakes so far - with various materials worn underneath - has been outstanding. Even with me working hard it does well, it's sometimes felt a little damp inside but it's yet to give up completely and cook me from within. It does this whilst featuring a great deal of stretch in the fabric, and it's not your typical token gesture 'stretch' fabric. This is S-T-R-E-T-C-H fabric. I've heard it compared to a rubber glove and that's not far off. This allows the jacket to be really close fitting and yet very comfortable - it offers no restriction to the cycling position at all. It's also lovely and soft to touch, not crisp packet-esque at all.

The hood is 99% of what I was looking for. It is close fitting and adjustable at the front and rear. The rear adjuster is a little velcro flap and where this might be considered a bit basic on a hood meant to fit over a helmet, for fitting under one it's great as it's so low volume. The only negative point is the peak, I just don't need it on the bike, however, this one is so good that it makes the jacket genuinely multi-sport. It's soft enough to not be a problem under the helmet, yet when I've worn the jacket hill walking it performs admirably there too. When the drawcords are cinched down the peak doesn't flap in the wind at all and offers a very reasonable degree of protection. Great performance for a peak so minimal.

I hope to get some more hard use out of this in the very near future so I can assess how the breathability holds up when the fabric has properly wetted-out (most likely when hill walking) and also to get an indication of durability under pack straps and so on.

Initial impressions: excellent.

Check out the OMM website for full details.

Montane Velocity DT Jacket review

Since I first became aware of breathable waterproof fabrics I (like everybody else who overheats easily) have been searching for the Holy Grail: a fabric that keeps me dry, from the inside as well as the outside. Of course it doesn't exist so compromises always have to be made and expectations lowered.

The main things I was prioritising in a cycling jacket was light weight and packability since I was hoping to be carrying it more than wearing it - wishful thinking given I live in Edinburgh! But as the saying goes:

'Light, cheap, durable. Pick two.'

So where did this leave me? Either pay a fortune for a top end fabric/jacket that would probably perform well and be fairly durable (due to likely being a little heavier). Or aim a little lower in price and get something much lighter, but less breathable/durable. I'd been interested in trying a jacket made from Entrant DT fabric for a while so here was the perfect opportunity.

The Velocity certainly is light, only 255g on my kitchen scales. It packs away beautifully and I can easily fit it into the rear pocket of a cycling jersey, ready for deployment should the rain get too heavy for a windproof top.

Speaking of pockets it has two of them, both tape sealed: one napoleon style one on the chest (unusually on the right) and a larger one on the lower back. The one on the chest I find curious for a couple of reasons. Firstly (and please tell me if I'm missing something here), why on earth does the zip open from the bottom? To be fair, the bottom of the pocket bag is lower than the bottom of the zip but it just seems silly. It's accessed via a 'water resistant' zip which may well distort and leak if you pack the pocket with anything fatter than an iPod. And there's the next thing: it has 'audio access' for headphones (that's a hole in the pocket to you and me). What I can't understand is why you'd want such a feature on a cycling jacket. Look at the design with all it's reflective detailing and high-viz colour - it's doing all
it can to help the traffic see you. And in that traffic you want to deprive yourself of the sense of hearing by putting earphones in?! Lastly, why do you need a pocket on your chest? It just doubles up the fabric and hinders breathability.

The back pocket makes more sense in my mind. There you can keep whatever you like, it's well out of the way and it's in a position that's not key for breathability. I have sometimes worn an OMM Classic Marathon 25L rucksack (review soon) with this jacket and - although this makes the need for any pockets pointless - the pocket zip remains clear of the bottom of the 'sack. The zip does snag sometimes on it's double external storm flaps, I'd prefer it to be a vertical opening for ease of use.

All the usual features that you'd expect to find on a jacket such as this are here, along with some nice little extra details. Water-resistant zip, velcro adjustable cuffs, hem/neck drawcords to seal out the cold and an internal storm flap are all pretty standard. The 'details' include a nice micro-pile lining on the zipper-garage to stop it scratching your neck/chin, the cuff adjuster tabs being cut from the same material as the jacket (which means they are light/low profile and therefore roll-upable should you need to cool off), the cord locks on the bungees at the waist and neck are of the one-handed variety and the storm flap has poppers top and bottom to keep it in place (the bottom one failed quite quickly however). All simple things but they add up.

I love cut of the jacket. It is what I believe can now be considered 'classic Montane' - trim fitting with a generous bike specific long tail for protection. It's neat fit doesn't leave lots of dead air between the wearer and the fabric which helps breathability, stops it flapping like a flag in the wind and eliminates bunching of excess fabric around the midriff when bend over the bars. Talking of the riding position the sleeves are a good length (so as not to ride up your arms) and feature an asymmetric cut, meaning the back of the hands benefit from a little more protection. Very nice.

Finally, I'd point out that although the jacket looks great with it's contrasting dark panels and reflective strips at the sides, but these simply contribute to there being more seems. More seems = more seem-sealing tape. More seem tape = a less breathable jacket. I know it's nit picking at this price point but several manufacturers have produced great waterproof jackets in recent years that have very few extraneous seems due to a clever fabric pattern. From a breathability point of view it's a shame all jackets aren't made this way.

I've now worn the Velocity for many miles commuting and touring through all sorts of weather and I can confirm that the jacket design (barring the above noted points) is almost great, but the Entrant DT material is everything I was worried it would be: light, packable and ultimately not breathable enough for me. If I'm touring at a steady pace, it can cope. Just. If I'm commuting to work and therefore pushing quite hard the 'Dry Touch' fabric gets soaking from condensation on the inside after about 20 minutes. The 2.5 layer construction means the moisture has nowhere to hide so ultimately just lies on the inner surface. I factor this performance into what I wear underneath so it's still usable (a merino baselayer fills this role best for me). It's just not an all day/do all cycling jacket for me.



The quest for the Grail continues....

Full details on the Montane website.