Stolen Goat Women’s Olive Adventure Down Jacket

The Stolen Goat Adventure Down Jacket is a great-fitting warm outer layer for riding, and everything else too, during the colder winter months. It easily converts to a gilet thanks to the zip-off sleeves, so it's ideal for changeable temperatures – if not changeable weather. It's not suitable for prolonged rain due to its genuine duck down insulation.

Stolen Goat has designed this jacket to cover you through those 'weird weather' days as well as commutes and long adventures. Of course it can be biting cold when you're out first thing, yet still really heat up later on, so here the sleeves can be zipped off to make it a gilet instead. It's insulated with 90% duck down and 10% duck feather, both of which Stolen Goat promises have been responsibly sourced.

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You can get synthetic down insulation, but this is the real thing. While genuine down typically boasts a better warmth to weight ratio, it really doesn't like getting wet. It has a tendency to form sodden clumps, removing its lofty feel and most of its insulating properties.

The outer is 100% nylon and treated with a DWR coating for shower resistance. Although splashes of water bead up and slide off just fine, you don't want to chance this in long periods of sustained or heavy downpours.

This jacket kept me snugly warm on cold outings, but remained effective on days that were warm enough to pass for spring (it has been a weird January). As well as being convertible to a gilet, it has a main zip that's two-way for easy temperature regulation.

The stretchy side panels help provide the comfy, reasonably close fit, while the sleeves are a good length – no issues with chilly wrists here. The graduated baffle size helps keep things comfortable when leaned forward in a relaxed riding position, too.

While the Adventure is cut slightly shorter at the front for a better fit while riding, it could be shorter still without looking that out of place when away from the bike.

You get two zipped fleece-lined hand pockets at the front, a large zipped pocket on the back and two generously sized internal pockets. This is a very good mix for both riding and off-bike use. If you've zipped off the sleeves they comfortably fit together in the rear pocket.

The fleece fabric in the hand pockets is a small touch which I was very grateful for when standing around in the cold. While Stolen Goat has hit the mark here for off-bike use, it's missed one key feature I personally look for in such jackets: a pocket for packing the jacket away, such as the one in Alpkit's Heiko insulated jacket.

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While it can be made to pack down fairly small, it soon puffs right back up again. You could use a mini stuff sack, but it would be much neater if Stolen Goat just increased the size of the rear zipped pocket and used a reversible zip; then you wouldn't need a separate one.

I tested the stylish Olive Green version, but it's also available in a stealthier Black and brighter Orange options. Slim reflective trims are included on either side of the rear pocket, and there's a reflective logo near each cuff to help with visibility.

Value

At £160, it's very reasonably priced given its sheer versatility (so long as it's not raining, anyway). The Rapha Explore Down Jacket, for comparison, is £60 more expensive at £220, but then it's lighter and more packable as well (it's also available in a women's version).

George more recently reviewed MAAP's Equip Primaloft Down Jacket and was really impressed with its warmth and long, elasticated wrists, but that's more still at £250.

Overall

The Adventure is a really good, comfy and warm layer for dry, cold commutes, steady rides and walks – but that is quite a specific weather window, especially in the UK. The choice of genuine down over synthetic probably makes it warmer, but lets it down a little for versatility if you live in a temperate climate like ours.

For UK use at least, synthetic down is a much more sensible option for long adventures – you're going to get rained on at some point, and at that point this Adventure is off.

Verdict

Snugly warm, versatile and a pleasure to wear – but only on reliably dry days