Scott Helium Plus AS Windstopper Jacket

Scott's Helium Plus is a very good jacket for the cold weather, offering windproof insulation and water resistance in an athletic cut.

The Helium Plus is made mostly of a soft Windstopper material from technical fabric-specialists Gore. It justifies its name by preventing cold air getting through while the inner face is Superroubaix soft, fleecy, deep pile polyester that provides a whole lot of warmth.

There's a Windstopper flap behind the full-length camlock zip while a drawcord around the waist and Velcro tabs at the wrists give you some extra control over the internal atmosphere. The Velcro hooks can catch on some types of gloves – woollen ones, for instance – and snag the Windstopper fabric too, so you need to be careful here. That's why I don't like using the stuff; I have an inability to be careful. But for the added adjustability, it's still a good idea.

The cut is certainly slim without much excess. If the same can't be said about you, a generous amount of crossways stretch in the fabric provides some allowance. You get a high, close-fitting neck, of course, and an extended tail to keep your butt covered.

The only section of the Helium Plus that's not made from Windstopper is the mid-back panel which is a stretchy Thermoair (polyester/polyamide/elastane) fabric. The Windstopper fabric is pretty breathable but this material lets more of your sweat out. It's not windproof but it doesn't really need to be back there.

I've ridden on wet roads a lot in this and it has kept me dry. The Windstopper fabric is highly water resistant but the Helium Plus isn't waterproof. It copes fine when there's damp in the air – fog, drizzle, stuff like that – but it's not designed to handle full-on rain.

There's just one pocket and it's a zipped one in the lower back that's big enough to take your keys and a wallet – as long as it's not bursting with cash. There's also a flap back there so you can get your hand inside to delve around in your jersey pockets.

The Helium Plus comes in just this colour so it's not the most conspicuous jacket on dull days. There's quite a bit of reflective trim, though, especially at the back, which is really noticeable when lights catch it at night.

This is a really warm jacket. You probably won't want to wear it unless the temperature is well down into single figures Celcius. My only real criticism on that front is that there are no vents that you can open if the sun comes out, you reach a big hill, or someone on your group ride decides it's time to hit the after burners. Of course, you've got that front zip but sometimes it's useful to have vents on the sides or under the sleeves too. Without them, this jacket doesn't have quite the temperature range of some of its rivals.

Verdict

Comfortable Windstopper jacket for keeping you warm in the cold weather