Castelli Espresso 2 W Vest

The Castelli Espresso 2 W Vest combines breathability and wind protection with an excellent fit. Features such as the double-opening zip and three rear pockets add practicality, and it packs down small enough to disappear into a jersey pocket. There are no reflective details though, and it certainly isn’t cheap.

This newly-updated vest uses a stretch woven fabric at the front, paired with what Castelli calls Air_O Stretch on the back and sides – the same material used on the Espresso 2 jerseys, as it happens.

The front panel is intended to protect against wind chill while still allowing enough airflow to keep you dry and comfortable, while the rear and side panels focus on breathability. On the road, the combination works very effectively, particularly for temperatures ranging from 12-20 °C which is the range that Castelli suggests.

I’ve mainly been using this over a summer jersey at the start of rides, or paired with arm warmers for cooler evenings, and it’s been very comfortable. The vest doesn’t offer any protection against rain, but that isn’t what it’s designed for.

As temperatures rose towards the upper end of its intended range, I felt I needed to roll it up and put it in my back pocket. That is helped my how packable it is, folding down small enough to tuck away easily without taking up much space.

The double-opening zip is a practical touch for temperature regulation, allowing me to unzip the vest from the bottom once I started to warm up. One small gripe is that one of the Castelli-branded zip pulls started working loose after I washed the vest, and I had to reattach it.

I’m a big fan of the three rear pockets, as they’re something you don’t often find on gilets this light and packable. Since the rear of the vest uses the same material as the Espresso 2 jersey, it has a very jersey-like feel and appearance, and that means there’s no faff with reaching underneath for snacks or other items in your jersey pockets.

The waist is also nicely finished, with elastic and gripper dots around the rear hem helping to keep it securely in place.

Castelli says there’s a reflective tab on the back, but there wasn’t one on the Espresso 2 I tested. The previous model did have very small reflective strip above the hem.

On the upside it comes in a range of nice colours, including the Clay option here, Winter Sky or Ultraviolet, as well as the inevitable black.

Castelli describes the fit as ‘tailored,’ and thanks to the stretch it fits exceptionally well. It hugs the body in all the right places while remaining forgiving and hardly noticeable when riding.

There is plenty of stretch around the arm openings, preventing any digging in or discomfort – an area where some gilets can feel restrictive.

The Vest is available in six sizes from XXS to XL, and I opted for the Size M as recommended by Castelli’s sizing guide. While I’ve sometimes found Castelli kit to come up slightly more fitted than other brands, the sizing was accurate here, and the M proved the right choice.
Value

Value

The Espresso 2 W Vest costs £5 more than its predecessor and, while £135 is a lot of money, its actually a pretty typical amount for a quality gilet from a fancy brand like Castelli. It’s also a really good piece of kit that can be used across seasons.

Santini’s Magic Packable Waterproof Vest Unisex costs £120, for instance, and while it offers protection against both wind and rain it only has one pocket.

The recently-reviewed Kostüme #EDIT006 Men’s Windproof Cargo Gilet is more at £155, while the Q36.5 Dottore Hybrid Vest Check Orange is yet more still at £190.

Obviously you don’t need to spend anything like that. The Madison Freewheel Women’s Packable Wind Resistant Gilet is less than a third of the price of the Castelli at £39.99, for instance, and it comes in sizes 8-18 and either black or orange. The only downside is we haven’t tested it.

Overall

The Castelli Espresso 2 W Vest offers an impressive fit, the fabrics work well across a range of temperatures, and it packs down nice and small. It has plenty of practical features such as three rear pockets and a double-opening zip, too – if you’re okay with the price, you’ll be very happy with the performance.