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.