Rapha Women’s Classic Winter Gore-Tex Jacket

Rapha says the Classic Winter Gore-Tex Jacket is 'for rides that begin and end in challenging conditions' – the days when you know it's going to be awful so you really don't want to roll the wheel out the door. With the addition of this jacket to your winter layering system, you'll be more likely to head out and endure the worst weather days: it is impervious to the harshest winter conditions.

The water- and wind-resistant jacket is an ideal top layer that is well shaped, and comes with sufficient room for pairing with warmer clothing underneath. There's no gap between the jacket and gloves (even ones that have a short cuff) thanks to Rapha's two-layer design here.

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Although a zipped pocket is a welcome inclusion, I would have preferred it to be on the back instead of the front. The rear pockets could also do with being a little deeper, but the width is really useful for packing lots in – and the fact that it even has pockets is better than some waterproof options out there.

Rapha's winter jacket features a three-layer Gore-Tex fabric from Gore's Infinium range and this performs fantastically at keeping out absolutely all of the elements. No problems at all with rain reaching the inside and it blocked out the wind completely.

A high cut front has been paired with a dropped tail for a fit that suits an aggressive riding position. The fabric doesn't conform to your body shape but the well-designed shape keeps it close and it wasn't flapping around.

For an even flusher finish around the waist, the adjustable drawcord at the hem was easy to use for minor tinkering. There is an ever so slight stretch to the material, which meant I didn't feel restricted, even when sprinting out the saddle.

Up top, the raised collar has a fleecy lining that feels soft against the skin and kept the chill off my neck.

But the cold-to-touch feel of the fabric inside the main body of the jacket isn't the cosiest, so I paired it with a long sleeve base layer.

By including only two rear pockets, they are both roomy, so I found it unusually easy to take food and bits out while wearing winter gloves. For any water that creeps in, a small hole in each allows for it to drip out.

The entrance is also dipped slightly at each side, so the angle you swing your arm round to get in when riding is catered for nicely. But although each pocket is wide, they are not very deep. A medium size smartphone (15.5cm tall by 7.5cm wide), in even the thinnest waterproof sleeve, pokes out the top which feels a little disconcerting – even if zero problems arose from this.

For essentials, an Aquaguard zipped pocket has been placed on the front, on the right side just under the boobs. With its stretchy interior, a smartphone can be squeezed in but it's a bit awkward slipping this in and out. I also found the weight of a phone at the front of the jacket can make it sit slightly lopsided. Storing a lighter card wallet and some notes proved to be a better use of this water-free space.

At the cuffs, the jacket splits into two layers for easy pairing with gloves. The extra inner high-stretch layer fits inside the entrance of your gloves, preventing an annoying bare skin ridge, while the outside of the jacket goes over the top, stopping any rain from dripping down into your gloves. Rapha promises this forms an 'airtight seal' and I'd have to say my wrists remained warm, comfy and dry on long rides.

On days when you misjudge how miserable the weather is, with the sun making an appearance and you start to boil up, in a size small I found I could roll the jacket up and fit it (just about) in a jersey pocket. That said, you do need to roll it up tightly.

Alongside this bright orange shade, there's a dark navy option. With both, reflective trim has been placed on the shoulders, sleeve ends and around the front pocket zip, as well as thicker strips between the two rear pockets and on the left armband.

For a pretty hefty £270, there's no doubt this is expensive compared to other jackets out there. Under the £200 mark, you could get the Showers Pass Elite 2.1 jacket that was given a 10/10 for its waterproofness and breathability. Lusso's Aqua Repel V2 Jacket is cheaper again at £134.99 and has a racy cut paired with good waterproof and windproof qualities.

> Buyer’s Guide: 26 of the best waterproof cycling jackets

Overall, the Rapha Women's Classic Winter Gore-Tex Jacket is perfect for use on days when it's constantly chucking it down. I found it never let any water in and definitely blocked the wind. How often you want to go out in these kinds of conditions probably dictates whether or not it's worth the considerable price tag for you.

Verdict

Excellent wind and rain defence on cold rides with wide, accessible pockets making fuelling easy