ENDURA JURA JACKET. £44.99.
Available: now
(Ladies version called ISLAY Jacket)
Colours: Men – Gold/Black, Navy/Orange
Women – Denim/Black, Orange/Black
Website: www.endura.co.uk
Tel: 01506 497749

Endura’s showerproof Jaffa jacket has been a stalwart of the U.K. MTB scene over the past few years. This Jura jacket, and its female specific equivalent, the Islay, are new models that replace the now dated looking Jaffa.

The Jura is made of a new material from Pertex called DWR+: it’s much softer and not at all shiny, unlike traditional showerproof materials. According to the technical information, the DWR+ is a “durable, water repellent treatment which encapsulates each filament in the fabric with a hydrophobic polymer”.

So it’ll keep you dry then.

Also: “As this is not a continuous coating, breathability s not impaired” Even better: water repellent without “boil-in-the-bag” sweatiness.

So what did we think?

Well, first impressions were that there’s a lot less orange than the old Jaffa jacket, which we reckon is a good thing. Cut is excellent, as you’d expect from a company with as much experience as Endura. Sleeves are long with tight cuffs to stop that annoying cuff-creep up the forearm when you’re on the bike. The back is also on the long side (even for a biking jacket) to keep your lower back toasty when hunched over the bars.

There’s a good size zip pocket in the back into which I managed to squeeze a multi-tool, inner tube, mobile phone and my (admittedly not bulging) wallet – pretty much everything you’ll need for anything other than a full on epic.
Finishing touches are good: theres the obligatory storm-flap under the front zip: zips are high quality with rubber tags that even the coldest hands should be able to operate: draw cords are positioned around the waist and collar to maximise weather protection/air flow: reflective material can be found all over for maximum visibility: finally, all seams are 4 thread overlocked for maximum durabilty and water resisitance. Worryingly, there were a few loose threads around the cuffs. It’s unlikely to affect the jacket’s performance but it’s perhaps not what you’d expect to see on a brand new piece of clothing. That has to be our only gripe though, as out on the bike the jacket performs excellently.

The breathability of the fabric is amazing – despite it being unseasonably warm I never felt I was sweating too much for the fabric to cope. The wind-resistance of the fabric was equally impressive: it may have been warm during the days recently but there’s a cold wind round here in the early mornings; in spite of this the Jura kept my body temperature just where I wanted it. Infact, the jacket is so good at keeping out the wind, I only wore a light base layer underneath and didn’t feel cold once. Water-resistance is as good as any other water-resistant jacket on the market – it’s not 100% waterproof but it’s not far off in practical terms. What you lose in water proofing is more than made up for in the breathability, which is probably a more important factor to consider in a jacket that could conceivably be the only outer layer you own. As for price, we reckon £44.99 is very competitive for a jacket with so many features.

Conclusion: A good value, all purpose outer layer that’s stylish enough to
wear to the pub and water/wind-proof enough to cope with all but the foulest
of weather conditions.