Sportful Aqua Light Jacket

The Sportful Aqua Light Jacket is a barely-there raincoat, almost (but not quite) the lightest waterproof we’ve ever tested. It folds down to easily fit in a jersey pocket and as a minimalist windproof it works very well, but in contrast to Sportful’s claims, I found it only offered limited protection against wet weather.

> Buy now: Sportful Aqua Light Jacket for £90 from Sportful

We’re spoiled for choice these days in terms of waterproofs, even in a post-Shakedry world where arguably the pinnacle of performance is no longer available because it’s perhaps not the best thing for the planet or its inhabitants.

Sportful has a range of options itself, with this the lightest in the range. We weighed it at a barely-there 93g in a large size, making it (by my reckoning) the second lightest raincoat we’ve ever tested, coming in just behind the POC Supreme but at a fifth of the price!

It’s also the most transparent rain jacket I’ve used – this isn’t obvious in the manufacturer’s product pictures but you can see in ours how clearly the bib straps are visible through it. Of course, most folk would normally have, y’know, a jersey between their bibs and their jacket, and in a race scenario it is helpful to have your number still visible when under a waterproof outer.

Of course, the main thing you want from a jacket like this is to keep the wet stuff out, and to let sweat escape. In this area, the Sportful is not a class-leader. I tested it in parallel with the new (and much more expensive) Rapha Gore-tex lightweight waterproof, and the performance definitely correlated with the pricing.

In back-to-back testing, with my Special Testing Protocol that our lawyers have asked me not to name in full again, I was bone dry in the Rapha and after the same time and distance (and in the same conditions) my torso was pretty damp in the Sportful. My suspicion is that the primary point of entry is the zip that can keep a bit of spray outside, but is fairly quickly overwhelmed when riding into heavier rain.

So for a ride where heavy rain was in the offing, I wouldn’t opt for this. That’s not to say it doesn’t have its place, however, as it offers excellent wind protection, so you could see it as a good wind jacket with some shower resistance. Of course, that’s not how Sportful markets it: “Stay dry and comfortable, whatever the weather,” is what Sportful says.

Riding with it as a ‘just in case’ protective layer, it makes more sense. It folds down so small you can easily stash it in a pocket or a bag, and if a shower appears out of nowhere (or indeed if you have a long alpine descent in the offing) then you’ll certainly be glad you had it. I also found it useful when starting out on an all-dayer as an extra layer for the first hour until things warmed up – a role that previously would often be fulfilled by a good gilet, but this folds down as small as any of my gilets.

It is marginally lighter than the lightest wind jacket we’ve tested, the Assos Mille GT, and will definitely keep you drier if you do run into some rain than that does.

Breathability is fairly good – Sportful doesn’t quote any numbers for either that or waterproofing – but I found it generally did a decent job of letting sweat out. The zip is a double ended one, so you can open it from either direction to cool down.

Unlike some other similar-looking jackets, such as Van Rysel’s, there are no vents built in across the shoulder blades.

On the subject of looks, I find it amusing that there are quite a few waterproof jackets now available rocking what could uncharitably be called the ‘binbag look’. It’s almost as though some brands arrived at the idea that what the market wanted was something that looked like a Shakedry jacket but without having to pay Gore the high cost for the material to make one.

The Sportful jacket isn’t as shiny as some but offers – if you believe the brand’s official photos – fully custom-skinsuit levels of aero fit. I can only assume Sportful’s model sized down severely, because our Large test jacket doesn’t look like that on me. At 6ft 2in and 85kg, I’m a bit larger of torso than our mannequin, so it’s a little more closely fitted on my chest, but the arms and particularly cuffs fit much more like in our photos than in Sportful’s. As you’d expect, it is cut for a cycling position, so the back is dropped lower than the front, although not as much as some jackets – this won’t keep your bum dry.

So whether you should consider the Sportful Aqua Light jacket rather depends on what you’re after.

Value

It’s hard to recommend as an effective barrier to the elements because it just doesn’t do that job especially well. For similar money you could get the Galibier Tourmalet, which offers much greater waterproof performance, but is also three times the weight and doesn’t pack down nearly as small.

For a top that combines genuine waterproofing, low weight and packability you’ve got the likes of the Albion Men’s All Road Pertex Shield Rain Jacket – but that has a price north of £200.

It’s much more expensive than the similar-looking Van Rysel Men’s Long-Sleeved Road Cycling Rain Jacket Racer Ultralight – Black mentioned earlier, which costs just £39.99, though we’ve yet to test it.

And as well as being marginally lighter than the Assos Mille GT also mentioned earlier, it’s also a little less expensive than Asso’s £110 offering.

For other protection options, check out our best windproof cycling jackets buyer’s guide and our best cycling jackets guide.

Conclusion

As an alternative to a gilet or a wind jacket, but with the bonus of better rain protection than either, I think this makes a much more convincing argument for itself. I can see myself using it quite a bit for spring and autumn rides in places with big hills, where the outstanding packability lends itself well to the ‘carry it up, wear it down’ brief.

But I’m going to have to score it on what Sportful says it’s for, however, because people tend to buy things based on what the manufacturers tell them they’re for. And this isn’t an especially great rain coat. It’s a shame Sportful couldn’t find another a Euro or two to spec a better zip.

Verdict

Don’t buy this as a waterproof – but if you want a very packable windproof, it might be a different story

> Buy now: Sportful Aqua Light Jacket for £90 from Sportful

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