Review: Showers Pass Elite 2.0 Cycling Jacket

I used to do a lot of mountaineering, and a sign like that meant something to me. I would routinely solo up mountains on the weekend. As such every time I bought a jacket or pair of gloves I applied the filter of “Will this work above treeline, with gloves on and a hat? Will it save my skin if its -20°F and I’m at 14,000′? Will it stand up to the abuses of mountaineering?”

Well those days are gone. I’m in pittsburgh now. And my days look like this:

But we have cool roads in the city like this:

So its all about the rain. It either snows or rains from December through April. I wanted a new cycling rain jacket, and I did not want to get one that would double as a mountaineering coat.
I had read nothing but great things about the Showers Pass Elite 2.0 rain jacket made out of eVent fabric. Here I am in it:

It is a well thought out cycling jacket. It has an available hood, which I am glad comes off, since you don’t always want to ride in a hood or have one flapping around on your back for the rest of the ride when you are not wearing it. There is a draw cord on the bottom, nice velcro enclosures on the sleeves, a vent in the back and a spot to attach a blinky light.

I really like that it has pit zips, most cycling jackets have stopped using these:

It has a napoleon pocket in the front with a port in the inside to run your ipod headphones through:

It has a long back to cover your butt from water spraying off the tire. It also has a nice pocket right down on the bottom that can hold a pump and a few things no problem.

The size is good, I got a medium, which is what I wear in Pearl Izumi, it has a nice cut where it is short in the front and long in the back (like the mullet…). Which is nice for keeping you warm, when a jacket is too big in the front it billows out and your stomach can get cold. The arms are a bit long, but hey it’s not a custom taylored coat 🙂

But check this, 1 hour in the rain and the water is still beading up and rolling off the coat. Notice the reflective material on the arm, there is reflective material on the back too, nice touches.
You gotta ride with a light on when you are riding in the city in the rain:

I have had this coat over a year now and worn it a good bit on my commutes, road rides and even hiking. It is a great coat, the ability to vent from the bottom, arm pits, neck or sleeves can help you regulate your temp really well. You can be comfy in this jacket from 20F to 60F. The jacket it made really well and has shown no signs of wearing out, even after a good bit of use and a moderate amount of washing it in the washing machine.

I have been so impressed with the coat that I picked up two pairs of pants from them as well. Full review to come, back I have used their “roadie pants” on a 2 hour 20F ride and been warm in them.
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Overall its a very nice coat, I can’t scientifically prove that is is really any more breathable than any other high quality pearl izumi cycling coat. But where this coat really shines is the fit, and ventalation -with the vent in the back, pit zips and adjustable shock cord at the bottom you can regulate the air flow and stay dry from sweat that way.