Boardman Mens Windproof Jacket

The Boardman Mens Windproof Jacket offers useful protection and warmth for a very good price. It’s not perfect, but it’s a great value piece of UK kit.

While this is called a jacket, it feels more like a jersey to me – not least because it has absolutely zero water resistance. Consequently if it rains you’ll need to put another jacket on top. However, it’s a very useful ‘jersey’ in the UK, where mild but not warm days mean winter gear can be too hot, but summer stuff too cold (especially when the wind picks up).

The mesh back and underarms vent really well on the climbs, while the forward-facing yellow panels provide noticeable protection from windchill as speeds rise. It’s a very usable alternative to a regular jersey with a gilet, and the chilled arms they can leave you with.

It also adds a bit more warmth than a thin packable windproof thanks to the softshell-like main fabric. This worked well for me in 13-17°C air over just a short-sleeve base layer. Working hard in sheltered spots I found my upper forearms were the first bit to get sweaty, while I always stayed cosy on fast descents even as chilling rain started to fall.

Obviously you need to get a waterproof over it pronto if the rain is serious, as water soaks straight in. It’s disappointing there’s no DWR coating to at least get the main panels through brief showers, though the price makes that easier to forgive. With a mesh back panel all the way to your neck, perhaps Boardman just felt it was pointless.

Having ridden it through showers anyway, I can at least confirm it’s not the type of garment to lose all warmth as soon as it’s damp, which is helpful. It’s quite slow drying, though; DWR would have helped with that too.

Another issue is that, if conditions improve and you need to take this ‘jacket’ off, it’s bulky and hard to stow. If it’s pure windproofing you want, there are plenty of thin, light and packable options that are much easier to deal with.

Unlike the Boardman Mens Long Sleeve Jersey that I was testing at the same time, the Mens Windproof Jacket is very well shaped.

In the size medium I tested it gave a relaxed but not flappy fit all over my skinny 6ft frame, with no bunching or tightness anywhere. It hung happily in place and never rose up, while the arms are a really good length, with slim cuffs that sit nicely inside gloves and stay put.

While nicely fitted it’s clearly more a casual design than a racy one, which leaves plenty of room for layers. You could probably size down quite safely if you did want a tightish fit, though there’s not far to go: size small is for 94-99cm chests, and there’s no XS. The other end of the scale goes all the way to XXXL (119-124cm), further demonstrating that this isn’t principally aimed at serious cycling whippets.

It suits hardcore road use least of all, but for gentler road use, gravel riding and serious commuting it’s a strong option. The bright yellow should also get you noticed, plus the Boardman logo on the rear is reflective. It’s not exactly huge, however.

Overall construction is solid, with neat stitching, overlocked seams for comfort and  a zip garage at your neck.

And, while the silicone gripper doesn’t run all the way around the lower hem, the relaxed fit and weighty fabric mean it works just fine. It all feels strong and robust.

On the rear there’s the familiar three-pocket spread, plus a zipped stash pocket to the right.

The main ones are a good size but the zipped one is particularly small – it’s really limited to keys and cash.

Value

This is really well priced at £35, as you can easily spend a lot more on similar designs.

The Scott RC Pro Warm Gore-Tex Windstopper Men’s Jacket is a very similar style and weight to this Boardman, for instance, but is £209.99. Obviously it’s made of vastly superior materials and presumably to a higher standard – and is much better suited to fast road riding – but overall it’s doing much the same job.

The Jack Wolfskin Bike Commute Wind Jkt W is nearly half the weight of the Boardman at 175g and much more easily stowed away, but then it’s nearly four times the price at £125.

Endura’s Men’s PakaJak Windshell is much closer at £49.99, though, and its DWR coating means it can cope with showers. It’s just 190g and packs down small; okay, it lacks insulation, but otherwise it’s far more versatile than the Boardman.

If you’re a more casual rider, you might want to check out the Galibier Trail Wind Jacket, which has hoodie looks and a bit of rain resistance. It’s great, though at £63.25 is still almost double the price.

For more options, check out our best cycling jackets buyer’s guide.

Overall

Complete lack of water resistance aside, this is really useful for a lot of UK riding. It’s like a jersey but with windproofing that genuinely helps you retain heat at speed, while mesh sections ameliorate the weak breathability of the inevitably cheap main fabric. It’s well shaped, strongly built and gets the job done for an impressively low price.

Verdict

Nicely done budget top that proves very useful for UK riding – so long as it doesn’t rain, anyway

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