Altura Nightvision Storm Waterproof Jacket

The Altura Nightvision Storm Waterproof jacket is great for commuting, offering huge amounts of visibility and weatherproofing, though you might want better breathability if you're looking for a jacket for more intense activity.

The key to cycle commuting in winter is a decent jacket – one that keeps you dry, offers good breathability, and helps you be seen.

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In terms of waterproofing and windproofing, the Nightvision Storm works very well. It has a rating of 10 for waterproofing (and breathability), and I used it several times in very heavy rain without anything getting through.

This is helped by drawstrings that enable you to tighten it around the neck and waist, and Velcro straps around the wrists to keep all water out.

Every seam is taped, including the zip, and water simply doesn't get through at all.

Windproofing is also impressive, although the breathability – allowing the warm air you generate to escape through the fabric – could be better.

I found that after about 30 minutes of fairly intense riding there was quite a bit of heat build-up, though Altura has included zipped vents under the arms and a large vent running across the back under the shoulder blades to help.

I'd say there's enough breathability for most commuting scenarios, although you might want something a little more breathable for more intense sessions.

As for visibility, the NV Storm is very good – when light hits it, the whole thing lights up like a beacon. Across the shoulder, sleeves, down either side of the body and around the neck, Altura has added high visibility dots, which means that it should be very, very difficult for drivers to miss you.

These high visibility dots are on top of the fluoro yellow material of our test jacket, which is equally eye-catching, although it's also available in more muted maroon or blue.

Elsewhere, Altura has added some good features to help with comfort and practicality, such as the soft fleece around the inside of the collar to make it more comfortable and warm on the skin, and plenty of pockets for storage: one on the chest, one on the back, and two hand pockets on the front.

With an RRP of £79.99 the Altura seems decent value: the Rapha Men's Commuter Lightweight Jacket is 1p more but doesn't offer the same weatherproofing, while the ETC Arid Verso, which is £6 more, also isn't as waterproof and has a bit of an odd shape.

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For £20 more you could upgrade to Altura's Nightvision Typhoon, which has a higher waterproof/breathability rating of 15 – and a hood! If your commute is longer or you like to keep a fairly high pace, Shaun found it good for an hour and a half at 17-20mph.

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Overall, I was impressed with the Nightvision Storm. It offers everything you need from a commuting jacket at a good price: it keeps the weather out, has good practical elements, and lights up like a beacon at night. Breathability could be better for more intense efforts, but for typical commuting at a steady pace I'd say it's more than adequate.

Verdict

Great visibility, keeps the weather out effectively and breathes well enough for typical commutes