Freestyle Ladies’ Oasis Jacket
Price: £134.95
Weight: 380g.
Spec: Gore-Tex Ripstop fabric, mesh lined, fully taped seams, full length zip with double stormflap, 2 zipped front pockets, Drawcord neck and hem, velcro adjustable cuffs, Scotchlite stripes on front and rear
Colours: Blue or yellow.

I’ve had the Oasis since the start of the year and worn it nigh-on every day in all weathers -mostly cold, wet and windy- and ranging from the fifteen-minute commute into work to several hours’ exposure. In that time it’s been through the washing machine twice with no perceptible impact on performance.

Freestyle are a British company, based in Plymouth, making biking gear for the West Country weather. Its reputation is for good no-nonsense gear as a sensible price.

This is Freestyle’s women-specific offering for those looking for a lightweight and breathable waterproof. Gore-Tex Ripstop is marketed as a breathable, windproof and waterproof fabric, and while no fabric is ever 100% in all these areas, it’s one of the best currently available. The ripstop part of it means that the fabric uses a grid of small squares to limit the damage caused by any crash tears and forgive less than immediate repairs.

The outer shell is supported by a coolmesh lining to improve breathability, this sucks moisture away from the body, but will also suck heavy rain into the jacket if you don’t fasten the velcro cuffs securely. The high collar is lined and has an elasticated drawcord, as does the hem.

The long front zip is double storm-flapped, the two front pockets are single-flapped, but the angle at which they are cut and the depth of the flap ensures adequate protection.

The pockets are hand-sized, so there’s no chance of stuffing an OS map in there, although you will manage your wallet (mine at least, never bulging), keys and multi-tool.There’s also a drop-down bum flap to keep your seat neat.

All that stuffs down to around 7 x 7 x 12cm for the medium. The jacket comes in either flo yellow or royal blue, obviously flo yellow being great for commuting. Despite that I was (now not so) secretly relieved to unwrap the blue and could argue with myself that the front and rear Scotchlite strips would help drivers spot me.

Does it work?
In a word, yes. This is very effective waterproof fabric and the ripstop reinforcement is a welcome addition when you’re shelling out over £100, especially for the clumsy. The breathability of the jacket is good, but as with any fabric this waterproof, you are going to work up a sweat when you really pile on the effort and when there aren’t any air-vents to increase air-flow. But on the positive side, the jacket is pretty quick at dealing with this once you take things easier.

The other thing to note is that as with other products that wick moisture successfully, the jacket does tend to develop an aroma of Eau d’Effort, so it’s a good job that the jacket washes as well as it does (be sure to use the right kind of washing powder). A word of warning though, make sure that all the velcro bits are as secure as you can before bunging it in the machine, or the fuzz could reek havoc with the interior mesh (the fuzz also reeks havoc with your new blouse if you are dim-witted enough to hang it on the back of your office chair, ’nuff said).

The female-specific cut is one of the best I’ve tried on (and believe me, there have been plenty). It doesn’t bunch around the middle and / or stretch across the hips as men’s jackets do, obstructing movement and making you look like a semi-deflated Michelin man. The Oasis leaves you with completely unrestricted movement and is smart enough to wear with civvies if need be.

Verdict:
The Oasis is a well-designed, wearable and effective cycling waterproof that properly provides for the female form. It packs away nicely and looks smart enough to wear off the bike. It does a decent job of keeping sweat at bay, although what would really set it out as a superb jacket would be zippable air vents.
At £134.95 it’s not the cheapest waterproof you’ll come across, but it’s quality and cut make it good value for money, if not a bargain.