Sugoi RS Zero jacket

Although it’s described as a jacket, the Sugoi RS Zero is really more of a halfway house between a jersey and a jacket – it’s a close-fitting mid-weight top, if you like. Snappy, huh?

Most of the panels are made from Sugoi’s Firewall 220 fabric which is a polyester – stretchy width-ways – with a polyurethane laminate hidden in there to keep the cold wind out. The seams aren’t sealed so you don’t get proper waterproofing but road spray and drizzle just roll off and the waffle-esque inner face provides good insulation. It’s very breathable too and, with a full-length front zip to help it out, it keeps you comfortably sweat-free unless you really crank up the effort.

The other fabric – the black stuff on our version – is a polyester/spandex mix and that’s used for less exposed sections on the underside of the arms and for some of the back panels too. It’s super-stretchy so you get a close fit without feeling restricted, although we had to tuck the ends of the sleeves into our gloves to stop draughts getting in.

The neck has a fleece lining for extra comfort and there's a chinguard to stop the zip from scratching while down at the bottom a silicone gripper helps hold the hem in place. There’s no adjustment at the waist but we can’t imagine you’ll need any; you’d need to be incredibly thin for it not to sit snugly enough there. You get three pockets around the back, one of them zipped for stowing your valuables securely, and there’s quite a bit of reflective trim too, which is always handy.

We’ve been wearing the RS Zero over just a base layer and it’s been great, the windproof layer helping to provide a surprising amount of warmth for something that’s so low bulk. You could easily sling a mid-layer under there for days when the mercury’s really low, so it’ll get a whole lot of use before spring.

Available in sizes S-2XL and in black/white and matador (red).

Verdict

Windproof and water resistant, this breathable top provides plenty of winter protection in a mid-weight package