Lusso Perform HardRain Jacket

The Lusso Perform HardRain Jacket will keep you dry and comfortable on really horrible days, as its breathability and waterproofing are fantastic. It’s cut notably more forgivingly than most high end rain coats – plus it’s stretchy – so will accommodate a wide range of cyclists.

This is the third of our reviews of Lusso’s winter/rain range recently, having been impressed previously with their Paragon Deep Winter Jacket and Paragon Deep Winter Bib Tights. With Mancunian directness, they’re named to leave no doubt about what they’re shielding you from. Thus, the HardRain is a three-layer waterproof rain coat with a healthy 15,000mm hydrostatic head rating, designed to keep even the worst rain on the outside. It’s built from eVent Stormburst fabric that uses a PFA-free membrane and an outer layer that’s 71% recycled.

The HardRain is a unisex jacket. I’m generally not a fan of this approach as it tends to give women ill-fitting gear, but this jacket could work well for both sexes. The cut is more forgiving than something like the Rapha Pro Team Gore-Tex Lightweight Rain Jacket – like many, the Rapha has no stretch – but The HardRain does stretch to accommodate whatever it needs to. On long rides where I’d stuffed my jersey pockets full to bursting – or my stomach full to bursting – I found this a very good thing.

The three-layer fabric is actually only really stretchy in one direction. Pull on a horizontal axis and you’ll get almost 100% elongation (i.e. it can almost double in length) before running out of stretch. That’s where you want it (for the pies, you understand), while it’s less stretchy vertically where you don’t really need elasticity.

Lusso says it’s cut to allow for layering, with the sleeves in particular leaving quite a bit of space around my cyclist arms. There’s also ample length in the sleeves – maybe half an inch more than I really needed, in fact.

If I was buying this for fast riding, I’d consider sizing down to a medium. That said, I don’t think the HardRain looks silly on me in a large, and it makes life simpler to buy gear that has a bit of space in it, in terms of layering and lunching. Not everyone buying a quality rain coat will be fussed about being as aerodynamic as possible.

With a range of sizes from 2XS to 2XL, the HardRain should accommodate most body types, which is fortunate as there’s a lot to like here. The three layer fabric feels soft and comfortable, and the claimed 15,000mm waterproof rating aligned with my testing – this fabric and its well-sealed seams did a proper job of keeping me dry.

When things clear up, you don’t need to rush to take the HardRain off again as I found it delivered excellent breathability. Lusso quotes a 20,000 g/m²/24h moisture vapour transmission rate, which is about as good as you can get with this level of waterproofing. Like the Deep Winter Jacket, Lusso incorporates a decidedly low-tech boost to moisture transfer by making holes – 12 of them under each armpit.

When you do want to remove it, you can get it (mostly) in a jersey pocket, but it’s not an ultra-packable jacket. It’s also not the quickest drying; Shakedry and other light shells dry out (and regain full breathability) quicker after a shower. We weighed the HardRain at 276g in size large – that’s more than double the heft of a truly lightweight option, but then it’s not trying to be lightweight.

Don’t get me wrong, we’ve tested plenty of heavier waterproofs than this, as well as lots of jackets that won’t fit in a jersey pocket at all. This does feel more substantial and less likely to snag or tear than an ultra lightweight shell. There’s a cosy fleece lining to the collar, and a chunky elasticated gripper around the bottom – both make this nicer to wear, but the weight all adds up.

The zip at the front is a two-way YKK AquaGuard, with a PU laminate making it water resistant and ‘practically waterproof’. There is no storm flap inside or outside, but on a road bike I had no issues, even on rides of 6-7 hours through a lot of rain. On the e-bike in a more upright position I did see a little water make it through the zip.

The zip is sometimes a bit tricky to pull down from the top one-handed. This is down to a combination of the stiffness of the zip mechanism (thanks to that PU laminate) and the lack of stiffness in the collar. If you’re clinging on grimly to the back of the club chaingang, you’ll probably find yourself using your teeth to get it open.

There’s a single, zipped pocket at the rear. It’s big enough to accommodate a phone and Lusso describes it as fully waterproof; on long rainy rides no water found its way in. I don’t think it’s quite accurate to describe it as completely waterproof, however, as it has a standard YKK zip with no water resistance at all, though it’s offset far enough to the side that even non-mudguard users should be okay in practice.

The cuffs are a fairly simple elasticated design and the sleeve length I found ample to get a reliable overlap with my gloves. The Lusso logos on the back and the breast are reflective, as is the hanging loop on the outside of the collar. You can have the HardRain in this cobalt blue, a bright orange or black.

It’s great to see a hard shell jacket which offers really good performance despite not using forever chemicals such as PFAs. Lusso also offers repairs, for free within the first year and at a reasonable price thereafter, making them more sustainable still.

Value

At £180 this is not cheap, but it’s cheaper than many jackets of a similar quality and performance. The similarly-stretchy Santini Magic Jacket that Dave reviewed is £200, for instance, and while that has a higher breathability rating the Lusso is hardly lacking, and the Lusso has a high waterproof rating. The Santini packs down smaller though, if that’s important to you.

The Rapha Pro Team Gore-Tex Lightweight Rain Jacket I mentioned earlier is considerably more at £295, and while gives really good protection from the elements, it has zero stretch. It’s racier all round, but you need to be careful with sizing because of it.

Ben was impressed with the also-spendy Mechanism Shell Jacket from Pas Normal, which achieves a rare 20k/20k combo for waterproofing and breathability thanks to its Polartec Power Shield Pro fabric, though doesn’t really fit in a jersey pocket. It’s possible it doesn’t fit anywhere anymore, though – despite us only testing it in January this year, Pas Normal no longer seems to list it on its (admittedly not that user-friendly) website. It does list a Mechanism Rain Jacket, however, though that one uses Pertex instead of Polartec as is around £245 (€280).

The Lusso undercuts all of these, which is only more impressive given that it’s made in the UK.

Overall

The HardRain is a good companion on a grotty ride, keeping you dry and comfortable with enough give to fit around full pockets or a slap-up lunch. The cut means it probably wouldn’t be the first choice if you prioritise aerodynamics, but for everything else I’d recommend it. It’s not cheap, but it is still good value – most competitors offering high breathability waterproof shells are more still.