Karrimor 02 Jacket £89.99
Raw 0131 4402010

Test Logbook: Warm and wet days of early autumn as well as recent absolute freezers. Fair bit of shrubbery action too which it’s survived remarkably well.

Who?
Oh come on now, Karrimor are THE legendary outdoor kit fitters. They grew from a few pairs of post war panniers into one of the most recognised world-wide brands. RAW now handle the cycle kit and clothing side of things.

Fit?
Enough room for a fleece underneath without being too tight, but not baggy – about right then! Plenty of length in the arms for getting low out of the wind without wrist whistling. Well fitted dropped tail stops bums rush, and both hem and fleecy neck have draw cord closure. Small Velcro tab and elastic cuffs are snug, but tight on the arm if you try and roll them up.

Weather?
KS135 is Karrimor’s own brand most breathable waterproof fabric and we’ve ridden in very heavy rain, just watching it roll off. All seams are sealed and zips get a double stormflap for real storm proofing. Long fabric inner cuffs also stop water being sucked up by the mesh liner, as happens on most other jackets. Fleece collar and fleece section on upper inner of storm flap is a great cosy touch.

Cargo?
Two zipped chest pockets are high enough to stop knocking your knees when riding, and there’s a full OS sized (it’ll even take a laminated map easily) map pocket just inside the stormflap. There’s even another smaller zipped ‘cash and keys’ pocket inside that, which is a really nice touch. Another ‘just about map sized’ zipped and Velcro flapped pocket sits at the back.

Steam?
Fabric breathability is good (similar to Altura’s Sympatex and Gore Tex), but as usual you’ll still get damp on prolonged hill climb sweat levels. Besides the front zip only the two high chest pockets can be used as vents (at the risk of losing their contents) and they don’t let much air through even fully unzipped. Due to this lack of climate control we wouldn’t recommend the 02 to hard chargers or heavy sweaters.

Owt else?
Styling (even with the drop tail) is very ‘high street / lifestyle’ with a similarly soft casual fabric feel and colour options. Minimal reflective piping on cuffs and rear seam helps neutral styling, but night riders may want more. Full marks for the big zip pullers with plastic toggle ends.

Overall?
Excellent on bike fit and weather resistance from what looks like a high street casual jacket. It’s certainly a great price for all the features and finishing quality, but lack of vents and reflective detail slightly restrict it’s versatility.