Gore C5 Gore-Tex Infinium Soft Lined Thermo Jacket

Bad weather? What bad weather? That's the smug feeling you have when wearing Gore's new C5 Gore-Tex Infinium Soft Lined Thermo Jacket. It keeps most of the rain out, is warm, fits well and isn't insanely expensive, though it's not cheap. But then, few good things in life are.

• Pros: Warmth, keeps the rain out, fit, comfort, pockets
• Cons: Not 100% waterproof, price

This new jacket combines the excellent Shakedry waterproof fabric with a soft lining and fleece insulation to produce a garment that keeps you warm and dry. Simples.

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It's a key part of Gore's relatively new Infinium range. To make choosing a Gore product easier, the company now splits its offerings into Gore-Tex (waterproof) and Infinium (non-waterproof) lines.

Infinium utilises different fabrics to optimise performance, so with this Thermo jacket it's mostly made from what the company calls a Persistent Beading Technology fabric (Shakedry, basically) for waterproofness, and then Windstopper panels for comfort-boosting stretch, breathability and colour – there's a choice of red and yellow alongside the black pictured here.

Windstopper is used over the shoulders and across the back to enhance the fit and heat management, and inside is a fleecy fabric to provide warmth on cold winter rides.

The longer tail, tall neck and decent length arms enhance the fit and let you hunker down against a bracing headwind or cloudburst. It's all very well constructed with excellent attention to detail.

Talking of detail, there are many features to draw your attention to: a 3D pocket design that increases cargo capacity and works very well…

a tall collar with a brushed lining to keep your lower neck warm…

reflective details to help you stand out, and a zippered valuables pocket if you're paranoid about your house keys falling out of an open pocket (that's me!).

A wide elasticated and reflective rear waistband keeps the back of the jacket from riding up.

Fit is good, in a slightly more relaxed way, as expected from the C5 designation (C7 is race fit, C3 is even more relaxed, C5 sits in the middle). It's not a racing snake figure-hugging affair; there's ample space underneath for extra layers when you need it on really cold rides.

Worn over a short baselayer, the jacket lining is soft on the skin and this setup provides ample warmth for temperatures hovering around 6-8°C. Go colder and a long sleeve jersey provides ample insulation for between 0-5°C.

Whether it's raining, windy, cold or mild, the Thermo jacket is a reliable and useful top to keep you warm and dry. It provides adequate breathability so you never overheat, and while it's not 100 per cent waterproof, for most rain you're reasonably likely to encounter it'll keep you dry. It makes dressing for a ride very easy because you don't need to carry an additional rain jacket.

It's not called a waterproof jacket because of the various seams joining the 100 per cent waterproof Shakedry fabric with Windstopper, but the latter is water-resistant and in my testing the water beads off both fabrics extremely well. During cloudbursts or drizzle the jacket kept me dry, the lack of moisture on the jersey underneath at the end of the ride a clear sign of how well the fabrics worked.

So far durability has been very good. I've been wearing this jacket for off-road excursions and have slung a backpack on and it's been just fine. It goes through a regular machine wash cycle and doesn't need any special care.

The market for jackets that combine waterproof fabrics with insulation is small, but they are perfectly suited to UK conditions. They take everything we like from Gabba-style jerseys but massively improve the performance with better cold and wet weather performance.

> Buyer's Guide: 11 Gabba-style weatherproof cycling jerseys

It's a nice improvement on the Gore C5 Gore-Tex Shakedry 1985 Insulated Jacket I tested last year, with the four rear pockets much appreciated on long rides, and the Thermo jacket is significantly cheaper.

> Buyer's Guide: 23 of the best winter cycling jackets

It's also cheaper than the £320 Rapha Pro Team Insulated Gore-Tex Jacket I've tested recently, and is more useful because of the four pockets; and though it's not 100 per cent waterproof, in reality it's waterproof enough.

It's also a little cheaper than the PEdAL ED Yuki Winter Jacket, which was £270 when Stu tested it back in January, and is currently £238.

If the Thermo jacket is still out of your price range, the dhb Aeron LAB All Winter Polartec is one to consider, but it's nowhere near as waterproof as the Gore. 

Verdict

High-quality jacket that deals with foul weather impressively well