“Im a letter carrier for the post office and its very hard at times to find gear that protects you from the elements.. this jacket does exactly what it says!! It has kept me completely dry. The vents are perfect, I didn't get hot or have built up condensation like I've experienced with every other brand rain jacket I've purchased.. I love the hood design. I still have my peripheral vision when I have the hood cinched and that is super important for me.. I love the color and over all make up this jacket. I've gotten quite a few compliments.. I will be purchasing another as a back up !! Thank you for making great products”
“I love this jacket!! It is true to fit. It's sturdy and yet attractive. I have the neon green color so I will stand out while riding. I would recommend this jacket to anyone that is an active outdoor rider.”
“I love the gear unfortunately I returned the jacket because the sleeves were too long, other then that I do love the gear, kept the gloves and bought a rain hood from my previous jacket, all choice.”
“I have now worn this jacket in wind and rain and have been pleased - it is certainly rainproof and blocks the wind quite well. The website advised I get a Medium (5'5" 140lbs) but since I've always gotten small jackets, I risked it and went for the Small, which was a good choice for me - I can still layer underneath it and have room to move my arms. The core vents are nice, though I didn't have them open while it was raining, so I didn't test what can get through. When the side/hand pockets are unzipped, the jacket does stick out on the sides in a somewhat unflattering way, however, it's not really much of an issue. The zipper is strong and the hood is roomy enough for a helmet, which means it's also roomy enough to have my hair piled on top of my head, which is better than my last raincoat. I like the reinforced shoulders, as that's frequently where I felt my last raincoat left me feeling wet, even when I wasn't.
I bought the blue Refuge jacket and have had numerous compliments on how nice it looks.”
“I have worn it a few times in light rain and so far it is fine. I love the neon green color! It is heavier than my previous Burley jacket, which will be good in colder weather. A design suggestion I have: the vent is just in front of the pocket, which is VERY inconvenient, especially when I am trying to zip or unzip the pocket without having to look. I am to the point where I am looking for something distinctive to add to the zipper pulls (which I had to add myself) so I can easily find the pocket zipper. In addition, it seems the the vents would be more useful closer to the armpit, where they were on the old Burley jacket. For the price I feel this part of the design should have been better thought out,.”
“I've been wearing the Refuge jacket for a month or so. I had been wearing an Arc'teryx Beta AR as my waterproof-breathable (Goretex ProShell) cycling jacket, although it's not specifically made for biking. As that jacket is getting older, I decided I wanted to replace it a hi-viz colour (since I do year-round commuting with lots of dark, rainy mornings, and cycle touring/camping) and cycling-specific cut/fit/features. I purchased the Refuge because it's touted as the best cycling jacket for year-rounders and cycle tourists. Short story: it's acceptable, but it's not awesome.
Sizing
Here's what sizes I wear for jackets/tops in other brands:
Arc'teryx - S (hard shell, soft shell, warm layer)
Icebreaker - mostly S, a few M
Primal - S
MEC - mix of S (e.g. urban shell jacket) and M
Sugoi - M
Since the hard shell I'm replacing is a S (which I can comfortably wear with two base layers and a warm layer underneath), and I wear more S than M, (and because the Refuge pants were enormous when I ordered for the larger of two sizes I was considering) I went with a S. It seemed to fit alright when I tried it (including with a thin warm layer), if maybe a bit snug in the hips, so I cut those tags off and kept it.
What I found on the bike was that the shoulders and elbows are tight in my riding position (no elbow articulation designed in), the sleeves are short (they expose nearly an inch of my wrist (or mitt cuff), versus my previous jacket covering part of my hand), and the cut does not accommodate stuff in the jersey pockets at the back very well. That's unfortunate, because of the jacket pocket/vent situation (see below). The cuffs are also really narrow, even with the velcro undone. I can't fit the cuffs of my (XS) winter cycling mitts underneath them without some serious effort (which only really works for the first one, since I have a bare hand to do it with). None of this is a problem with my (non-bike specific) previous jacket.
I decided to order another one in a M (mostly because of the breathability - see below). It's quite big in the chest for me (with base layer, jersey, and thin warm layer all underneath), loads of space around my upper arm, fits the hips. This time I tried a bike posture before cutting off the tags. *Still tight* in the shoulders and elbows (if a little less), still exposes my wrists (though a little less), cuffs a little bigger (though still can't get the second mitt cuff inside). I think I will keep it, just because it fits better over the stuff in my jersey pockets, and use the S for spring/fall riding without a warm layer. Ultimately, I think this jacket needs a different cut, since sizing up did not dramatically improve my tight shoulder/elbow problem. (Again, my non-bike-specific older jacket in S is miles ahead in having lots of range of motion in the shoulders).
Vents
They are positioned on the front of the torso. The positive is that the vents are much easier to access while riding than the pit-zips on my older jacket. The negative is that they have mesh underneath, and unfortunately, the second time I used them, mesh caught in one of the zippers and prevented me from opening the vent until I stopped my bike and unhooked it.
I also mistake them for the pockets. All the time.
(I haven't yet figured out if vents are really useful in that location. This is mostly because of the amazing breathability - they haven't made a noticeable difference during West Coast winter riding. They are not going to work well for backpacking, though - see pockets section below).
Pockets
Ah, the pockets.
The mesh that is under the vent is actually three layers - one specific to the vent, and two that form the pockets underneath (this comprises both the “hand-warmer" and “inside mesh" pockets described in the write-up). This is how the vent can be placed where it is. But it means that when you open the vents, you open your pockets and their contents up to the weather. I haven't thoroughly tested if/how much something in the pocket would get wet with the vent open, but out of caution I refuse to put my phone or wallet in there (which is the first reason I have stuffed jersey pockets despite having pockets on the jacket).
The second reason for not putting stuff in the jacket pockets? They are low on the torso. Like, way too low. Put a lot of stuff in there, and you hit it with your thighs if you have any kind of aggressive geometry/set-up. I have stuffed my previous jacket's pockets to the gills and never had this problem, because it's designed for backpacking. Showers Pass claims the Refuge can also be an all-rounder for backpacking, etc. too. Anyone who has carried a serious pack knows that the pockets need to be higher so they don't lie under your hip belt, which is both uncomfortable (zipper/seams/flaps pressed into your body) and makes them unusable. (The bottom 1-2 inches of the vents will also get covered by a hip belt - equally uncomfortable and will diminish their usefulness). This jacket will not work well for backpacking for that reason.
The only external pockets are the ones on the front, low on the torso.
Breathability
It's freaking amazing. I've been wearing Goretex ProShell for years and this Elite fabric is frankly miles ahead in breathability. Waterproofing seems relatively easy to achieve for most fabrics, but very few items are as breathable as they say they are - this is. I take a ride where I expect (from past experience with Goretex) to have a slick of condensation on the inside of the jacket and there's nothing, or a bit of passing damp. Incredible. For this reason alone, I will continue to wear this jacket.
Waterproofing
Check. Have worn it in heavy rain and wind for ~50 min commute. Works as it should.
Visibility (hi-viz green version)
I sometimes catch a glimpse of myself in a window reflection and I turn to see what it is. I recently had a driver pull up next to me and thank me for being so visible. This jacket will get you seen.
Small stuff
- The pocket zippers could use zipper pulls - I invariably forget to close them until I get my gloves on, and can't grab the small metal tabs without taking the gloves off again.
- The main zipper regularly gets caught on the flap behind it when I'm zipping up the jacket.
- It's not shown on the website, but the drop back flap on the hi-viz green version is MapReflect fabric and not the same fabric/colour as the jacket. That makes it look a bit odd (like you are wearing something else underneath that hangs below your jacket, rather than looking like part of the jacket). The flap is useful, however - my bottom seems to stay drier than with my previous jacket.
- Despite the shocking colour, it's pretty good for wearing off the bike - the front hem is lower than some other cycling cuts, and it has a decent adjustable hood for rainy times. I think it will be good for the off-bike hours when cycle touring and (especially) cycle camping.
- The dirt shows up on this jacket.
Summary
I wanted the best cycle-touring, year-round-West-Coast-rain-commuting jacket I could get in a hi-viz colour. This may be the best one out there, but there are still aspects that irk me every day I wear it. (I have been writing this review in my head on every morning commute for the past month.) Ultimately, it's wicked breathable, highly visible, and has a hood, and those win out over the need to keep stuff out of the pockets, and the very poor fit of the arms.
I'd love to see a reworked version with better pocket/vent placement, isolation of the pockets from the environment when using the vents, slightly longer sleeves with wider cuffs, and a better cut for arm range of motion. That would make it truly great, rather than feeling like a compromise for me.”
