• Howies Eight Miler jacket
• £90
• Howies
• 01239 614122

Don’t let appearances deceive you – this offering from Howies is not a waterproof. The thinking behind the Eight Miler is simple. If you’re doing relatively short, fast rides in manky weather, the main problem you face is not keeping the rain out, it’s avoiding boiling to death on the climbs and then having your own sweat condense back on to you on the descents and giving you hypothermia. It’s an accepted compromise that the more waterproof a jacket is, the less breathable it tends to get. Each generation of new, high-tech fabric gets a little closer to the totally waterproof/highly breathable ideal, but really you still have to pick one. For this jacket, Howies has picked highly breathable.

The Eight Miler is constructed from Schoeller 3XDry fabric. 3XDry is a soft, coated fabric that repels water from the outside and transports moisture out from the inside. So far, so conventional. But it’s a much softer fabric than you tend to associate with jackets, and the priority is breathability. Damp sweatiness from inside soaks into the fabric and thus spreads over a wide area, making it easier for the fabric to get rid of it. The Eight Miler has a full mesh liner so you won’t experience any clamminess. From the outside, it’s water-repellent, so rain tends to run off, but eventually it’ll get too much for it – don’t expect to stand in the rain all day and not have any of it come through. It’ll continue to breathe, though, and it dries very quickly – keep moving and you’ll stay warm, but not over-hot. After all, we don’t go out riding just to stand about…

The jacket’s machine-washable, has an excellent bikey cut, front pockets (with mesh inners, so they can double as vents, although possibly not if you’ve got anything in them…) big vents on the back, a drawcord waist and reflective piping. It’s also lightweight and rolls up small. You get a comfy fleecy collar and simple elasticated cuffs.

Positives: Ultra-breathable, waterproof up to a point, great cut, soft feel

Negatives: Optimised for short, fast blasts – not necessarily the best choice for a epic day in the mountains

Verdict

As with most things Howies, the Eight Miler is a lovely thing. Whether it’s the right jacket for you depends on what sort of rides you tend to do and how fast you like to do them. And whether you can afford it…

Performance: 4/5
Value: 3/5
Overall: 4/5